Now that almost all the states are open again, organizations are wrestling with whether to bring people back into the office, do a hybrid model, or continue to have their employees work remote. After more than a year of working from home and not having to deal with a commute, going back to work in the office or a hybrid model is a big transition for most people, especially parents.
As change agents / leaders, we see how hard transitions can be on people. Many people thrive on routine as it helps us:
Find safety and gives us a sense of control
Reduce anxiety and lower stress
Improve sleep
Boost our cognitive function
Cope with the continual flow of decisions in our lives
Whether the transition from your routine is you’re returning to work in the office, or another of the transitions below, how well are you handling the change?
Life changing medical issue
Moving to another state for a new job or to be closer to family / friends
A marriage or a separation / divorce
A child going off to college or returning home
Returning to grocery shopping in the store and deciding whether to wear a mask
Change is a grieving process. So it’s very normal if you have a lot of emotion coming up during the transition. You may be feeling:
Fear and anxiety at going back out into the world after more than a year staying safe at home
Anger at having to return to the office and suddenly having to find childcare and deal with a commute again
Sadness at what you are losing from this transition
Excitement at what you are gaining from this shift
A combination of emotions
After having gone through so much unprecedented change during the pandemic, people are understandably more stressed, on edge, and easily triggered right now. Given this how much:
Are you reaching out for support if you’re struggling?
Is your organization taking into account employee’s feelings about this change and what their emotions will mean for productivity?
Is your organization seeking help if the change is going poorly?
Some people believe asking for help is a sign of weakness. This couldn’t be further from the truth and is simply a limiting belief (i.e. a belief you believe to be true that limits you in some way). Asking for help is actually a sign of strength, part of being emotionally strong, and contributes to good mental health. So if you or your organization is struggling with a transition, who can you reach out to for support?
Call to Action
Want to handle the transition better? Reach out to Rosanne for a complimentary session on how your change journey could go smoother.
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About the Author: Rosanne Essiambre helps change agents and departments in one-on-one and group settings to be seen, be heard, and be effective in bringing about change in the organization and/or in their personal lives. She provides consulting and facilitation to organizations to improve communications and collaboration, smooth out the change / transformation journey, get to the root cause of an issue so it can be solved for good, improve processes, and implement successful lessons learned. And she conducts workshops, trains, and speaks on Energy Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Resilience, Being a Change Agent and more. If you or your organization could use support with your change effort or some inspiration, contact Rosanne for a complimentary consultation. Rosanne is a Change Agent Coach, Facilitator, Six Sigma Black Belt, Change Management / Continuous Improvement Consultant, Speaker, and Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner with more than 20 years experience working on a variety of transformations across a diverse set of industries both domestically and internationally, while continuously improving herself.