Feature: So, You’re Really Going Back to the Office: What to Expect When Offices Start to Re-Open
By Phillip Gangan
Okay, let’s try this again. Yes. We are going back to the office. For real this time.
Unless you’re one of the millions of people who joined the “Great Resignation” or you’re lucky enough to work for a firm that has gone fully remote, chances are you’ll be back at the office, sitting at a desk by the end of summer. It may not be five days a week, but it’s going to happen.
So, what’s a Marketer to do?
A little over a year ago, we shared some tips on how to prepare to return to the office. While these suggestions still apply, we thought we’d add a few more for good measure. Now, take a deep breath, pour yourself another glass of wine, and let it all sink in.
Welcome to the new, new normal.
Say Hello to Hybrid
The good news is most of us aren’t going back to the office full-time. With the coronavirus still rearing its ugly head and one too many people threatening to quit if they were made to work at the office five days a week, most firms have adopted a hybrid work schedule, offering people the “flexibility” to work remotely or in person.
Before you unleash every profanity known to humankind, ask yourself, do you really want to go back to the way things were? I didn’t think so.
As the saying goes, “love what you have before life teaches you to love what you’ve lost”. Two days at home is better than five days at the office. So you might as well show up. Who knows? You might even enjoy it.
Make New Friends
If you ever find yourself back at the office and you’re surrounded by people you don’t know, don’t panic. They work there now. In fact, they’ve been working at your firm for a while. Remember all those “new hire” emails that you’ve been ignoring? Those pile up fast. It’s time to put on a happy face and welcome them to the family.
Inevitably, we’re all going to have to pretend that we’re normal human beings again and get used to talking to people—new people at that. Once we get past the “what do you do?” and the “how long have you worked here?” routine, you may realize that meeting new colleagues isn’t so bad after all.
Maybe give them a couple of weeks before you start oversharing. Just saying…
Embrace Zoom 2.0
Do you like commuting for one to two hours a day just so you can take virtual calls at your desk? Well, I’ve got news for you. With the Hybrid schedule not yet set in stone (and a handful of those claiming to be the exception to the rule), there’s no guarantee that your meeting attendees will be physically present, even though the entire point of returning to the office is to collaborate in person. So, keep your headset at the ready and prepare to keep asking, “can everyone see my screen?” until the cows come home. The upside is, you’ll no longer be expected to respond to emails or calls after office hours as you’ll be spending another one to two hours a day on your commute home.
Bring Your Own Lunch
If you happen to work in downtown San Francisco, I’m sorry to say that your lunch options are now few and far between. Mom and pop shops that relied on the steady lunchtime crowd have long since closed, leaving name-brand coffee shops and sandwich chains in their wake. Unless you’re willing to spend $29.99 on a sad kale salad, I suggest you dust off those sourdough-making skills you picked up during the lockdowns and bring your own damn lunch. After all, healthy choices lead to healthy habits. That being said, microwave fish at your own risk.
It’ll Just Take a Minute
Picture this: you’re at your desk, frantically working on an urgent deadline when a/an [insert expletive here] nonchalantly walks over with a ridiculous request that will apparently “just take a minute” to complete. Sound familiar?
Unfortunately, “out of sight, out of mind” no longer applies in an office setting. While it was convenient to let such requests fester in your inbox or go unread, there’s nowhere to hide when they’re made face-to-face. It’s time to start setting healthy boundaries and learn how to respectfully decline. Either that or you can tell them where to go. I assure you, they’re not going to like it.
Please print, TY
Despite all of us adopting digital tools to enhance collaboration, old habits die hard (see point above). There are still a few individuals who would prefer to look at the world on an eight-and-a-half-by-eleven sheet of paper as opposed to a high-resolution screen. This applies to both colleagues and clients who just can’t say no to a three-ring binder or a pin-up wall. So, dust off that corner printer and stuff the recycle bin again with multiple versions of the same proposal. Besides, it’ll just take a minute to print it, right?
Keep a Mask on Your Person at All Times
With omicron cases skyrocketing and some cities in the Bay Area reimposing indoor mask mandates, we’re clearly not out of the woods yet. Nothing beats a superspreader event than being stuck in a fully enclosed, artificially ventilated box with potentially (a)symptomatic carriers for eight to ten hours a day. While the effects of the most recent COVID-19 variant appear to be less severe, the last thing you want is to contract the virus yourself (if you haven’t done so already). Keep a mask or two on you at all times in case you get into a sticky situation and locate your nearest testing center while COVID tests are still free.
Do It For the Culture
Ah, yes, Culture—the ephemeral, overused, and often misunderstood buzzword that many a Principal has bandied about in support of returning to the office. To the uninitiated, it fosters a sense of purpose and belonging. To the jaded, it’s a subtle plea for them to stay. But what exactly is it?
Beyond the values and attitudes that shape an organization’s behavior, office culture is the day-to-day things that make coming to work both wonderful and insufferable. It’s the deadlines and the overtime, the softball games and happy hours, the kudos and commiserations—all of which we as individuals contribute to through our thoughts, actions, and words.
With offices slowly opening up, we can all agree that things can’t go back to the way they were. If there’s anything we’ve learned for the past two years, it’s that there’s a better way forward. As I said before, our return to the office brings the opportunity to redefine work as we know it, but we all need to play our part in making it a whole lot better.
Phillip Gangan is the firm-wide Marketing Knowledge Manager for Sustainability at HOK. As a former journalist, Phillip brings his editorial expertise to HOK’s marketing, research, and public relations endeavors. He serves the SMPS SFBAC Communications Team as a writer and editor.
