Returning To The Office

JJ Parker  0:03  
So there's a lot going on with the return to work movement right now. There sure is. And really, people are in kind of one of three buckets.

Melissa Albers  0:16  
Yes, I definitely noticed there's three really common reactions to going back to work.

JJ Parker  0:22  
Yep. So some people really want to go back to work. Yeah, like, really want to get back to the office? Yes. Get back to the daily routine. Yeah, jump right back in.

Melissa Albers  0:30  
Yes. And they're missing all of those routines. They're missing our co workers, they're missing, getting out of their house.

JJ Parker  0:36  
They're sick and tired of the zoom meetings and the kids interrupting and all that

Melissa Albers  0:40  
right of the family dynamics, everything. Yeah, definitely.

JJ Parker  0:43  
Then there's another group that really is almost afraid to go back to work there. Yes. They, they don't want to go expose themselves to that environment. Yes. You know,

Melissa Albers  0:55  
I'm just really afraid of everything. And,

JJ Parker  0:58  
you know, and, you know, with talks of, you know, things like a second wave and things like that. There's a completely legitimate, yeah, worry. Yeah.

Melissa Albers  1:06  
And I think too, though, a lot of the fears the unknown. You know, I, I really think that people at the beginning of being at home, they had huge fear about that, because it was different, like, How am I supposed to be good at my job, I can't do this, I won't be able to. And then it's changed. And here we are, again. Now the change is starting to swing back to returning to work and people have fear of even just the change, just what will it look like? How will I sit? Who's going to be in the office or not? Oh, well, how do I eat? Where do I put my lunch? Like, there's all sorts of questions like that, that cause a lot of

JJ Parker  1:40  
uncertainty and all those like new protocols about how you operate and distances and things like that.

Melissa Albers  1:46  
And it is scary, because it's unknown,

JJ Parker  1:48  
for sure. Then the last one is just people who simply don't want to go back to the office and do there's that standard, like sort of nine to five sit in a cube Yeah. routine that they had before. Because they probably, you know, I know, for even a lot of my team, they are more effective at home. They really like it. They've really liked the autonomy. They really like the trust, they've really liked the lifestyle. They're very productive. Why upset that? Why change that and force people to go back and do what they don't want to do?

Melissa Albers  2:20  
Yeah, I really think that that's happened with a fair number of people unexpectedly, even like they didn't expect that that would ever be the case. And now they think, Oh, no, I have to get up early and be there at eight. Like I can just get up in 15 minutes and be at my desk. I don't want to do the two hour thing or you know, there's all sorts

Unknown Speaker  2:37  
of reasons My favorite thing rolling down to work and my fans still trying

Melissa Albers  2:41  
to not laugh when you say Jimmy fans.

JJ Parker  2:45  
So really, no matter which one of these three, you're in? Yeah, there's a couple of things. Yeah. First off, feeling any one of these is totally okay.

Melissa Albers  2:58  
hundred percent right. And normal common to feel these ways. Yeah.

JJ Parker  3:03  
So don't don't think like don't judge yourself and say like, Oh, you know what, I am a little uncomfortable going back into the office, you know, that's okay. It is okay. It's okay for you to feel like that.

Melissa Albers  3:13  
It is okay. And the other thing is, too is that once you've sorted, decided how you're going to be with all of this, and you make the decision for yourself. The other really challenging thing is to not judge other people for the decisions and the choices that they're making so that they feel okay,

JJ Parker  3:29  
right, like you might be okay, just hopping right back into the bullpen with everybody. Yeah, some of your colleagues might not right. Don't judge your colleagues for not wanting to know they have their own reasons. They have their own stories. Just be mindful and respectful of that.

Melissa Albers  3:42  
Absolutely. And certainly speak with your boss or your HR team or whatever you need to to be able to talk about how you're feeling and to make sure that everyone understands your position on that to know

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

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