A mindful return: New adjustments in the office

Sheri Damon, a licensed mental health counselor and founder of The Foundation for Learning and Inspiring Health and Healing in Marshfield, Massachusetts, says employers must be prepared to deal with their workers’ mental wellbeing when they return to the workplace. “Flexibility by employers is going to be essential. There was a shock to the system when we shut down and will be another shock to return,” Damon says.

To help ease that shock, Damon suggests employers take a mind-bodyspirit approach to help employees decrease transitional stress and anxiety as well as promote wellness. “Employers should consider offering calm zones or rooms for mediation and sensory distractions from their new office normal,” she says. “Incorporating wellness workshops and guided meditations and encouraging a daily, socially-distanced stretch or exercise can also help.”

Part of helping ease the worries of employees and allowing them space to transition back into a physical office is asking for and reacting to feedback. Susan Robertson, an innovation strategist who has consulted numerous Fortune

500 companies, says companies must be prepared to realize a return to the workplace is no longer the norm. “There is a new workplace status quo and going back to the traditional in-person office setting upsets it. Employees have

formed a new status quo bias where they see going back to the office as a riskier option,” Robertson says.

In many ways, companies can use their new environment to create new strengths. “To make the transition easier, leaders can hold a brainstorming session with employees to evaluate the pros and cons: What was working well when we were in the office? What about when we worked remotely? What didn’t work well

in the office that we can change? What didn’t you like about working remotely?” Robertson says. “By engaging employees and thinking of ways to disrupt the status quo, your team can become more innovative.”