Following the government’s announcement that the guidance to work from home has now been removed, many employees are finding themselves trying to get back to some sort of normality and are returning to the office.

For some this is an exciting time, they may have had enough of the same four walls and not seeing work colleagues but for some, it can be an anxious and worrying time, they may not feel ready or safe to return to socialising with people each day again although we are having to learn to live with covid, case rates remain high so understandably some are still worried.

We have put together a few tips to try and help you adjust

• Go easy on yourself!

Acknowledge the journey you have been through over the last 20 months, adjusting to suddenly having to work from home was something most of us had to learn to deal with quite quickly, learning new skills and mastering those zoom calls while also looking after the children took a bit of getting used to, however, we did it! So, we can do this! Take each day as it comes, and do not put too much pressure on yourself, it will take time to get back into our office routines again, one thing is everyone in the office is going through the same so use that and support each other!

• Establish a new routine (or go back to your old one)

One thing working from home did was to give us more time, as we didn’t have to commute to the office and battle the rush hour traffic every morning, we could use that time to do extra work, get the kids sorted, or as a treat take an extra hour in bed, now we have to get used to getting up earlier again and travelling into work. Why not prepare lunches the night before and layout your work clothes and the children’s school clothes, this will save you time in the morning, so it will not feel like such a crazy mad rush.

• Set boundaries

The shift in going back into the office can give you chance to set your boundaries again, when we were working from home, it was hard to separate work from home, most of us were not lucky enough to already have an office set up at home so had to make do with the kitchen or dining table as our desk, we would often work over or work through lunch, we were more accessible so could be contacted at any time, moving back to the office gives you the chance to reset those boundaries, you have to leave on time now to collect the children from school or get to a gym class, think about what’s best for you, your mental health and your productivity

• Be kind

Everyone will have experienced a different version of the pandemic, some may have lost family members to it, some may still be suffering the after-effects of long covid, some it may not have even affected at all, everyone may have different opinions on it and how it was handled, be kind to each other, there may be differences of opinions, but try and listen and acknowledge everyone’s point of view, even if you do not agree with it.

• Take care of your mental health

It is totally normal to feel some sort of anxiety at the return to work. Mental health issues have come a long way during the pandemic, it is certainly not as stigmatized as it once was, everyone at some point felt anxiety, stress, or worry during that time. You are not alone, so take your lunch break, make that coffee or stop for a chat with one of your colleagues, take time out for yourself and your mental health during the day, we are pretty sure your work productivity will thank you for it, you will feel more relaxed and focused when you do return to your desk.

We hope these tips have helped you with returning to work, another thing that can help when you do return to the office is having the right equipment, you may be glad to get off that small, screened laptop at your dining room table and back to using two large screens and a proper desk and a comfortable office chair.

Contact us at ITC Sales

Here at ITC Sales, we have an extensive range of desktops, all in ones, and monitors to cover all of your office needs. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff are available to help you, or your employer makes that return to working in the office even easier.

Call us today on 03333 222 200