Managing COVID-19 re-entry anxiety in the workplace
Anxiety is a normal thing to experience from time to time. Whether it’s smaller daily anxieties that arise or bigger scenarios that tend to cause a lot of stress, there can be a whole range of triggers. The anxiety that many are currently facing involves COVID-19 re-entry anxiety as we look towards heading back into the workplace.
While it’s great we’re able to emerge from lockdowns and offices can prepare to welcome employees back, mental health still remains a concern.
Helping to lower COVID-19 re-entry anxiety
There are so many ways to handle COVID-19 re-entry and the anxiety that comes with it. For many employees, the solution will be different. But when an organisation comes together to support one another, it can be achieved. With that, here are 5 of our best tips for doing just that!
Make wellness a priority
You might be eager to tackle each of the tasks on your plate right when you get back into the office. The reality is it will first be essential to set intentions around employee wellness.
Consider how you will be active in looking after employee wellness. It could be by putting together a mental health policy, or by providing employees with contacts they can use for support if they are experiencing COVID-19 re-entry anxiety.
Making wellness a priority could also mean simply encouraging employees to take breaks throughout their workday, or request to work from home if their anxiety is peaking.
Implement Contactless Solutions
Employees are going to feel a lot more at ease when they know their well-being is a priority. One of the best ways to ensure the utmost employee well-being and safety is by implementing contactless solutions.
Contactless solutions such as touchless washrooms, digitized sign-in technology, contact tracing, and pre-screening technology all make your workplace a safer place to be. Sine is the simplest way to return to work during COVID-19 and make sure you do everything you can to keep anxiety levels low.
Employees, contractors and visitors can all use their own device to complete daily tasks, which helps to lower the risk of spreading infection. Not only that, it’s a quick and easy solution to implement!
Embrace flexibility and adaptability
If there’s one thing we’ve gotten used to in the past year it’s change. And there’s no denying that that won’t be the case as we continue on.
The way we work is one of the things that has changed, and it only means that we all need to learn to be flexible and adaptable. Some employees may not be comfortable coming back into the workplace right away while others couldn’t get back soon enough!
Your job as a leader is to meet the needs of employees by being open to their requests. It could be a hybrid solution that is the best fit for your workplace’s needs or even remaining entirely from home.
As long as everyone can get their job done well, your ability to adapt can go a long way. It might even help to increase productivity!
Catchup with others in the workplace
Regardless of if you’re a manager or an employee, everyone should take the time to check-in with others. Sometimes it just takes a simple question to help a co-worker or employee in need.
It’s also critical as a leader to be diligent with sharing accurate and timely information with your team. Rather than keeping important upcoming changes to yourself until the last minute, be sure to share as soon possible. The more time team members have to digest information and prepare, the better they will be able to manage any anxiety they might have around it.
Keep the doors to communication open by sharing and encouraging team members to share with you as well. In doing this you will facilitate an environment where everyone feels safe to discuss and tackle any COVID-19 re-entry anxiety they may be feeling.
Be diligent in your response to health requirements
Sure, it’s simple enough to unlock the doors and head back into the workplace, but it’s essential to first set up a plan for following health requirements. Do you have the proper social distancing abilities? Will your employees be able to avoid crowding and touching common surfaces over and over?
By putting the right processes in place ahead of time, you help to avoid having to return to working from home again or having to put those processes in place at a later date.
Always be transparent with employees and let them know what you’re doing in a response to changing health requirements. They are sure to appreciate your honesty.
Make the right moves to keep on top of COVID-19 re-entry anxiety
Helping your employees to alleviate their COVID-19 re-entry anxiety is your responsibility. The good news is that it’s entirely achievable with the right tools at your disposal. Sine makes the transition back into the workplace easy, as it’s simple to integrate and basic enough for anyone to use.
Originally published at https://www.sine.co on March 3, 2021.
