Returning to the Office Will Be Hard. Here’s How Managers Can Make It Easier.

Many leaders are contemplating a full or partial return to the office post-pandemic. As they consider this, they tend to think of employees in two opposite groups: those who are eager to return and those who are opposed. However, it’s important to recognize that some of the people who want to return to a shared workspace may nonetheless feel discomfort, some significantly so. Even after the acute danger of a crisis has passed, stress-related behaviors — whether the result of specific health concerns or the spillover of challenging family or economic situations — don’t magically disappear. Indeed, the American Psychological Association reports that a full 48% of vaccinated adults are hesitant to return to in-person contact.

This reluctance doesn’t mean they won’t resume working and meeting with colleagues in person, but it does mean that a transition period is likely in which they may exhibit variability in their energy, attention, and emotional control. They may seem fine at one time, and then uncertain at others — sometimes on the same day. As we’ve seen in our executive coaching practices, there are four things leaders can do that will help their employees navigate the transition back to the office.

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Read the whole story (subscription may be required): Harvard Business Review