When the coronavirus pandemic shook the world last year, many employees transitioned to working from home. Last month, Statistics Canada reported that 5.1 million Canadians were working from home, which is similar to the number of employees working remotely in spring 2020.

But with vaccinations underway and fewer cases being reported, working remotely may come to an end for some Canadians, which may actually pose some challenges…

For the last 15 months, people have had no commute, more time because of their lack of commute, flexible working hours, casual dress codes as a result of being at home, and so on.

Some might find it hard to go back into the office full-time after just getting into the groove of working from home – from having to socialize with co-workers again, traveling, and of course, there is the fear of being more exposed to COVID-19.

Below are five tips on how you can make the transition a little easier.

1. If you don’t have one, get on a better sleep schedule.
With zero commuting, you may have gotten used to waking up a little later than normal before your scheduled work start. Establish a better sleep schedule before you start heading back into the office full-time that way your body can get used to waking up earlier than you normally have for the last 15 months.

2. Start dressing less casually (if you have been).
If you’ve been wearing sweats and leggings, maybe even PJs throughout the entire pandemic, start to get dressed more professionally. This can help get you into the routine of getting dressed each morning as you used to when you were heading into the office. It can also help you to feel more confident by getting to wear that suit or dress shirt again.

3. Clean up your office space.
When you finally get back into the office, you may need to do a little refreshing around your desk or cubical – after all you have been working from home for 15 months. Cleaning up can help you mentally prepare for being back in the office and can kickstart your productivity.

4. Increase sanitization and social distance.
If you’re still a little more concerned about your health and safety, take comfort in knowing that your organization is concerned about it too. There will be increased sanitization measures in place to ensure the safety of all employees. But you can take extra measures yourself by always having sanitizer with you, wearing a mask, ensuring everyone knows that you prefer to social distance even with everyone vaccinated, etc.

5. Ask if you can gradually return to the office.
If you think that you will really struggle with returning to the office full-time right away, ask if you can return gradually. Employers understand that it will take some time for people to get used to working in an office with their co-workers, so try asking if they can work with you to create a plan on how you can slowly transition back into the workplace.

Written with references from:
Health Essentials

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