Do you remember the feeling you had when it was announced you’d be working from home for the foreseeable future, with no known returning to work date? We do too.
For most of us, this happened in March 2020. But the Pandemic isn’t the only reason people return to work after an expected or unexpected period of leave. No matter why you left, it’s normal to feel nervous about going back into the office.
To make it easier and less stressful for you, we’ve created a five-point guide for returning to work successfully, below.
Table of Contents
1. Stop Drug Use Prior to Returning to Work
If you use drugs, whether they’re legal in your state or not, it’s a good idea to give yourself a clean period before returning to work. To find out if this is relevant to your position, bring up your original position contract and look for the words “drug screening” or “drug testing”.
If you don’t use drugs, you may still have questions, like, will CBD oil show up on a drug test? Get answers before you keep using.
2. Try on Your Work Clothes
Most of us don’t wear our regular job clothes when we work from home. And if you’ve been home due to the pandemic, it’s normal to have gained some stress weight. COVID-19 was stressful for everyone – and stress increases cortisol, which hangs onto body fat.
Trying these on in advance will allow you to buy better-fitting items or head to the tailor before your first day.
3. Get Used to Packing Lunches Again
When you work from home, you have the luxury of making lunch for yourself and eating it on your lunch break. When you return to work, you’ll need to get back into the habit of packing your lunch the night before.
4. Fix Your Sleep Schedule
Another thing remote employment has done for all of us is allow us to roll out of bed and get right on the computer. Now that you’re going back to the traditional employee experience, you’ll need to start waking up early enough to get ready and commute.
Starting to get yourself used to this about two weeks in advance will give you the best experience when it’s time for your first day!
5. Secure Your Childcare
If you have kids, figuring out what to do with them while you’re working maybe the hardest part about going back to the office. Try to get this settled as soon as possible, as many childcare businesses have lower capacities right now, and you’ll have a better chance of getting them in with more notice.
Transitioning from Remote Employment
Whether you’re excited to be back with your coworkers again or dreading leaving the comfort of your home, we hope the guide on returning to work above is helpful and we wish you luck!
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