Notice – not return to work! Many of us have been working right through this pandemic from the start, some claim to have even been working harder than they did pre-pandemic, so the title of this article is aptly named Return to the Office.

The Pandemic is not over, but in many countries including the Caribbean, employees are being asked to return to working in the office either part time or full time. 

This has understandably led to anxiety among employees returning to the office. Employee concerns range from the adequacy of safety measures in the workplace, to child and elder care concerns, to the mixing and mingling of unvaccinated and vaccinated persons in the same space. Here are some things that you can do as an employee to minimize the stress you may be experiencing as a result of returning to the office:

1. Get vaccinated – the data on the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing serious illness and death is overwhelming. Unvaccinated persons are 11 times more likely to die from covid-19 than vaccinated persons in one study*.
2. Keep practicing the covid safety protocols that have kept you safe all along – mask properly – wash hands regularly – watch your distance from others, especially indoors. They still work!
3. Don’t take chances – it is so easy to take a chance to remove your mask, or move in more closely with someone that you are close to or familiar with. Unfortunately, these are the types of situations that allows covid to thrive. 
4. Practice all the stress management techniques that you have learnt. Keep your mind and your body calm by regularly practicing techniques you have learnt such as mindfulness and physical exercise.
5. Request remote work if you can. Many organisations are willing to offer flexible work arrangements where you alternate between in office and remote work. Use these opportunities if you have them to minimize your exposure to covid-19.

Covid-19 is going to be with us for the foreseeable future but we have to return to some semblance of normal! We cannot continue the current cycle of lockdowns and reopening forever. It is important to take little steps now to learn how to live with the presence of the virus. Just like every other habit that is learnt through practice, living with covid-19 will become more and more like second nature. We just have to do our part by being disciplined as we get back out into the workplace.

*https://www.npr.org/2021/09/10/1036023973/covid-19-unvaccinated-deaths-11-times-more-likely