Why Coming to Office Is Essential for You
It took a while, but things came full circle. People are now starting to go back to work.
Employees from all over (with precautions in tow) have begun to return to their workplaces. After a prolonged period of WFH, the need has now arisen for them to acclimate themselves back to their regular office routine. What was routine once, will now present itself to be something that has new (often uncertain) connotations attached to it. We are entering the office again, but it is not like it was before—for a while at least.
However, return to office we must. It is, ultimately, the place where we will thrive and flourish to our full potential. Progress achieved through the years was done collaboratively working in shared spaces, and it is what will be needed in the COVID-19 era. In fact, if anything, it needs faster progress. Hence, the goal is to get the workplace back to its full strength and capacity—with what matters the most in it: the people.
So the writing is on the wall (and we don’t mean wall art)—it is time for you to make your office your second home again. Why? Explore below.
Networking, New Ideas and Collaboration
As it always was, it shall remain true. True collaboration is necessary for work, idea generation and growth. Work from home may have been productive for a lot of people, but it surely has not been innovative. You can’t truly bounce around innovative ideas with another person with a screen acting as an interface. You need to sense another person’s rhythm, process and way of work—to be totally in sync.
In other words, you need that person around you. And other people, for that matter. There may be barriers to communication—but being in front of each other in person will matter as it always has. In fact, changing times and thought processes may even lead to new forms of collaboration—and in turn, new ideas. All of this will only happen inside the office.
Work-life Balance
Work-from-home distorted the harmonious, balancing nature one has with their domestic life. Now both exist on a single plane (haphazardly, even). This has devalued aspects of both. The sense of balance that the serene, calm home life creates to counter the hectic cacophony of work is not there anymore. Now work is home—and staying at home often feels like work. The lines are blurred; it is hard to see where one ends and the other begins.
Work and home, hence, need to be separated once again. The office needs to be the office; your home needs to be your home. Both needs to serve their separate functions again—in order to make your life as fulfilling and rich as it can be.
Productivity, Upskilling and Improvement
For most people, productivity most definitely took a hit during the pandemic—of that, there is no doubt. It is an important aspect of work-life—and something that helps employees be better each day. Without daily productivity, they can’t be better versions of themselves—which is a thing that is essential for long-term success. Employees may feel (rightfully so) that they have lost on some meaningful progress in the time—and that progress can only be made within the workplace itself.
Getting back is essential to regain lost productivity, upskill and make strides towards self-improvement. In fact, it can be the chief motivation for you to be even better than before—just in case something like this happens ever again.
Get Attuned to Your Organization
The post COVID-19 era is just about the perfect time too for people to get a more …intimately familiar with their organization (and its mission). They may have slowly been absorbing things and getting in the mind-set—but post COVID-19, there is ample opportunity for employees to get acquainted with the culture and the mindset even more. If the organization has shown an empathic attitude and has looked after the employees, there is every reason for employees to readjust their loyalty and affirmation to the company. If you loved your company before, it is time to love it even more so.
The mutual relationship between the employer and the employees makes the organization stronger. The post COVID-19 time of healing is a great opportunity for both parties to be even more in sync with each other—as they collectively build each other up for the future together.
Stabilize the Economy
Needless to say, being back at work means one is once again, directly contributing to the economy and the country’s well-being. After the drastic toll COVID-19 took on the economy, the need now is to bring it back to its strong self again. By embracing work-life in fullest, employees enrich themselves, their organization and by result, their strength of their nation. It is the core foundation which enables everyone to be strong, and it needs to be reinstated.
It can be the driving motivation for many to excel at work, in fact. The desire to make the country stronger directly bodes well for everyone’s’ future prospects. This is just the right time to adapt it as a daily attitude and practice.
Explore Design Intricacies
Seen your workplace lately? You might have noticed certain specific tweaks to the overall design—in order to make you better and safer. Maybe this can be the reason for you to explore the design and functionality in detail, in case you did not do it before. It may give you some big-picture ideas about your office, and what it means to you (or what it did before).
You might find a new favorite corner to work or find an added functionality for your cafeteria. Maybe you will find that better time is spent working alone on your own, or maybe there can be another, better form of collaborative work you’ll discuss through design. Either way, it is a great opportunity.
In Conclusion
Post COVID-19, it is further incentivized for employees to re-strengthen their bond with the workplace. It has always been a crucial part of their work-life, and it always will be. The crisis should not be looked at as a detriment to curtail their work-life, but as a springboard for it to flourish, thrive and evolve to its next capacity.
Your office is calling again. The time is now to make it your second home once more.
Related Reads
Strategies for Business Leaders to Safely Return to the Office
Why Going Back to Office Is Indispensable by Shilpa Revankar
An information sponge since time immemorial, taking up writing was a natural career for him. He’s often found absorbed in his laptop, trying to cram as much detail as he can into his content. He’s found to be a relaxed, collaborative individual when he does finally decide to show his face to colleagues. Obsessive by nature, he loves building PC’s, collecting old albums, updating his knowledge, and going on long natural treks.
