Now we are all being encouraged to go back to work, if we can't work from home, that can result in all sorts of feelings rising to the surface for some people.
Why would people be nervous about being back at work?
Firstly, some of us may feel anxious about being back in a work environment, after being at home for so long. We may feel that we are out of practice and not all of us enjoy work, so being out of the office environment may have been a very welcome respite for some of us. Work may have been a source of anxiety for many and anxiety levels may have dropped as a result of not being in an office environment, so a return to the office isn't a happy event for everyone.
There is also the added worry about children being at home and home schooling being able to continue, if you have to go back to work. This is a real concern for some of us. How do you home school your children if you are in an office 10, 20 or more miles away from your children? Apart from cloning yourself, your options are limited so you're going to have to make time and have that potentially awkward, chat with your boss.
There are also potentially masssive worries for some of us, about contracting Covid 19 and passing it to older relatives or vulnerable friends, once you return to work. Again, this could be a boss conversation that needs to take place to make sure you are aware of your employment rights.
We might feel under pressure to go back to work
Employers are keen for us all to get back to work, they want the economy to start moving again, but that can make employees feel under pressure and in turn, this can create stress. If you feel under pressure and this is making you anxious, then talk to your employer and talk to them about a phased return to work and your concerns about returning to work. We all have to strike a healthy balance between restarting the economy and being mindful of people's legitimate concerns. If people are forced back to work too early, then this could result in longer term stress or anxiety and no one wants that.
What to do if we still have children at home and we have to work
How do we home school when our employer wants us to return to work. That can be stressful for all of us. If you are lucky enough to have a partner to help, then between you, it may be possible to create a compromise. You could share duties between the morning and the afternoon. So perhaps, if you're at work in the daytime, your partner can take over the home schooling and then when you return in the evening, you can free them up to work. It's not ideal, but it's just a temporary work around that might help to ease the pressure on everyone in the family.
Let's talk about skills
We've only been at home for two months but that can be a long time in the business world. If you feel that your skills have lapsed since you've been at home, why not talk to your Manager about some refresher training, to get you back up to speed again.
Don't worry
The pandemic will pass, it won't last forever and life will return to some form of normality. There could even be some positives as a result of this. We may all find that we are working form home more, which could save us all time by commuting less and the benefits to the environment of less cars being on the road. Stay positive and most importantly, try not to stress or panic. None of us can change this situation, unlesss one of you is the Prime Minister, so we just have to go with this for now and try to get through this as positively as we can. Take care xx