Return to the Office: Dread or Alive?

There’s a lot of fear around a return to work in person, and not all of it has to do with a virus. Some of us have been essential workers, continuing to go into work with the public or with colleagues with modified work habits. The vast majority of professionals however, have been working remotely, physically isolated from the rest of society and their colleagues, peers and managers.

For those who weren’t already working remotely, we discovered the pros and cons of working and collaborating in this environment.

Pros: no commute, the ability to wear more relaxed attire (at least on the bottom half!) and the possibility of more focused work.

Cons: limited to no physical separation from work, spontaneous collaboration via in person interaction mostly disappeared, social connection limited to agenda-driven conversations and those who we lived with.

Human connection is essential, yet many times the connection we experience at work is suboptimal:

-miscommunication

-aggressions (verbal and nonverbal, passive and active)

Virtual communication hasn’t reduced miscommunication and aggressions, but it has added physical distance. So, as we return to work, what can we do to address any fears or concerns around in person communication?

1) We can ease into the in-person work week (2-3 days in person to start)

2) We can practice Social Rest

3) We can practice Emotional Fluency

Return to the Office

The first step is fairly self-explanatory: after a year of isolation, it’s less stressful to ease into the new work environment as opposed to going back immediately to the 5-day in person work week. Most companies who transitioned to virtual workforces are using this partial work week to start. Some are saying there will never be a return to the 5-day in person work week. It all depends on the business and the requirements of the given role.

Social Rest

This type of rest (1/ 5 types of rest we focus on at Larasah) is the amount of rest we need after social interaction. Social rest is correlated to:

1) Our individual level of introversion and

2) The level of human connection required to perform our job well (in person or via videoconference)

Contrary to popular belief, 2/3 of people are neither introverts nor extroverts. This majority exhibit both introverted and extroverted tendencies and are called ambiverts.

Curious about where you fit on the introvert-ambivert-extrovert spectrum? Check out Adam Grant of Wharton’s quiz to learn where you fall and then come back to learn how to best replenish based on your response: https://ideas.ted.com/quiz-are-you-an-extrovert-introvert-or-ambivert/

Certain jobs and professions require more in person connection while others require less. There is a spectrum.

-Are you an individual contributor? (more solo)

-A manager or leader? (more social interaction)

-Is your job team focused? (variable social interaction)

We sometimes gravitate towards different jobs based on the level of human interaction. Leadership and management require more interaction than individual contributor or expert roles. When our jobs are more aligned with our natural level of introversion, they are less draining.

Introverted Performer

If you are more on the introverted end of the scale, you likely already know you need to replenish by going inward. Download the suggestions in the Boost Your Stress Support link and choose the options you can do on your own.

If you’re more on the introverted end of the scale and your job is also very solo, it’s important to balance that with connection, specifically in authentic friendships and/or family connections where you are heard and understood. Human connection is an essential human need and it can be replenishing to choose an activity you can engage in with another individual.

Did you know that lack of social connection is a greater detriment to health than obesity, smoking and high blood pressure?* In contrast, social connection is the number one factor for longevity!

Live alone with less social connection? A great way to connect is by volunteering for a local cause you’re interested in.

Extroverted Performer

If you’re on more of the extroverted end of the scale, you’ve likely had a challenging time transitioning to working remotely 100% of the time. To replenish, you’ll want to connect with close friends, family and probably even strangers! Connection with ourselves is also essential for us to achieve social rest. Allow yourself to experiment with a replenishing activity you can do solo. This is valuable to move your body back into a parasympathetic, rest and digest state (the opposite of fight or flight). Looking for inspiration? Check out the suggestions in the Boost Your Stress Support download by clicking here.

Ambiverted Performer

If you’re an ambivert, like the vast majority of the population, the key is balance. Notice your tendencies towards extroversion or introversion and balance that with the amount of human connection you require in your job. This can shift on a daily basis.

Balance activities on the list with the opposite amount of connection.

On a more extroverted day with lots of video conferences or in person meetings, allow yourself some time to have a moment alone or in quiet before falling asleep. On a more introverted work day with lots of focused work alone, replenish by connecting with a family member, friend or engaging in one of the proposed activities with another person.

It’s important to understand where you fall on the introversion/extroversion scale. By increasing your awareness of your type, you can develop a better sense of your tendencies, align your work with these strengths and also replenish accordingly.

Social Interaction Spectrum

Connecting is an essential human need. Yet how and how much varies from person to person and is related to where we fit on the introversion scale.

When we engage in social rest on a daily basis, we allow our bodies to move out of the fight-or-flight mode where the sympathetic nervous system is activated, to return to the parasympathetic nervous system activation. This returns our bodies to homeostasis, allowing us to get a good night’s rest, allows for proper digestion and healthy immune function.

Emotional Fluency

In an ideal world, social interaction would be less taxing because there would be more calm, clear and kind conversations. We’re not quite there yet, and it’s no one’s fault. What we need is to strengthen what’s called Emotional Fluency. This is the ability to:

1. Identify our needs and desires

2. Effectively communicate those needs and desires

3. Listen to others’ needs and desires

4. Sense emotions in our body

Each of us currently has a unique level of Emotional Fluency. It is one of the most important skills because it allows us to communicate our needs and concerns effectively. When that happens, stress decreases and collaboration increases!

It’s so important to practice emotional fluency because it helps us stay more authentic and clearer in our communication. It allows us to say yes and also communicate the no’s more clearly. This leads to less conflict in the workplace which means less stress and fatigue!

What’s great is that no matter our current level we can increase our Emotional Fluency with practice and tools.

*Want to know how to increase your Emotional Fluency right away? Check out the Learning Emotional Fluency video for a recording of one of our workshops that shares a practical framework.

With these tools, heading back to the office can feel less stressful and can allow us to focus on the opportunities of the world opening back up again.

(*Reference https://science.sciencemag.org/content/241/4865/540 )