Understandably, a lot of people are anxious about going back to the office. However, as vaccinations pick up, some companies might ask their employees to go back to the office sooner. While some employees will be happy about not spending all their time on Zoom, some are feeling anxious about returning to the office. So, what can employers do to help ease their employees’ fears in the face of uncertainty and understandable fear and anxiety?
Help employees be more attentive to their emotions
Many employees are encouraged to push down their fears and put on a brave face to not be seen in a negative light. In the current climate, employers should encourage their employees to resist the urge to push down their emotions. Only when they are aware of these emotions will they be able to deal with them and get out of the negative mental state caused by pushing down their fears and anxieties. Tuning into whatever emotions they may be feeling is the best way to master their emotions and not let these emotions control them.
Help employees adapt
The offices many employees left behind have changed a lot. There are temperature screenings, mask mandates, social distancing, and a lot of changes in the work environment. Some employers might have a hard time adapting to these changes. Employers are encouraged to give employers some slack to become familiar with the new work environment. Doing so reduces the pressure to perform well on top of all the changes and anxiety employees may be feeling.
Reduce unknowns and be open about safety measures
Unknowns can amplify the fear employees have about returning to work. Remember that employees are moving from a familiar work environment to an unknown one because they do not know what has changed in the office, as well as the measures being taken to protect them.
Anticipating the areas that will make your employees feel anxious and taking care of them before these fears come up is the best way to handle this situation. Many employees who have been working from home might not feel safe in the office because they will be sharing the work environment with others. To ease their anxiety, hire an office cleaning company and have HR talk to employees about the cleaning strategy in place to protect them.
It is important to find an office cleaning company that has lots of experience cleaning offices and commercial spaces as well as disinfecting them, in light of the pandemic we are in. A cleaning company like Ideal Cleaning not only cleans offices and commercial spaces but also disinfects them. They have well-trained cleaning teams capable of handling both small and large-scale cleaning and disinfection.
Be a source of optimism
Fear is contagious and so is optimism. Employers can help ease employee fears by being optimistic about the future. Employers should make sure that the environment employees come back to is fun and light-hearted instead of a gloomy and fear-inducing one.
Returning to work can be fear-inducing and cause a lot of anxiety among employees. Employers are encouraged to find ways to reduce stress, fear, and anxiety by working with employees more closely.
