3 tips for reacclimating to the office
Although we specialize in creating virtual and hybrid events, we too are reacclimating to being back in the office. After a year of working from home, we also understand the unique challenge of returning to office life. Here are a few fun and good-natured tips to help you reacclimate. #daretohavefun
Rise and Shine
Gone are the days of rolling out of bed and logging into morning calls. And now a “Hello” to the morning commute and preparing to leave the house. In the beginning, the complexity of checking off face masks, putting on shoes, keys, wallet, ID, phone, etc may be overwhelming. You will ask yourself, “How did I accomplish this minor feat daily?”
Like most things, the solution is in the details and preparation. We recommend purchasing a jacket. Jackets have been a staple of fashion, and with their pockets they are useful for stowing items. Before leaving the house, store your keys, an ID, a wallet and a pack of gum. These items will then be readily available. When you return home simply leave the items in the jacket for use tomorrow.
If the weight of these items is too much for a coat rack, consider placing the pocket contents in a tasteful ceramic jar. If strategically placed near the door, you are more likely to remember to take them with you. It is also quite handy for dumping the handful of coins you might collect throughout your day.
Office Interaction and Meetings
At some point in the first week, expect a departmental meeting at any time. Be mindful that, unlike on video calls, eye contact will be expected. Remember to break direct eye contact using a two-second rule. Prolonged eye contact will be taken as an act of aggression in the “new normal”.
Once you have exhausted the topics of COVID and Netflix binging, you might feel a sense of panic. In case of emergencies tell your colleagues you got ‘really’ into cryptocurrency and podcasts during home office. Take a weighted pause to displace the awkwardness then casually excuse yourself.
Work-Life Balance
Now that you are commuting, simple tasks such as eating, buying groceries and meeting friends may become overwhelmingly difficult. We recommend creating a weekly menu. It helps plan the weekly groceries and slowly reduces one’s reliance on food delivery.
As we resume our lives and begin to socialize outdoors, our plans can easily become chaotic. A BBQ or grabbing a coffee can easily strain the logistics of a person’s life. An easy solution is implementing a shared family or a couple’s calendar. Instead of texting a partner during their trip to the grocery store, send an invite request to visit a relative. Nothing says togetherness quite like an invitation to a day of structured, orderly fun.
