As more and more Australians begin to return to the workforce after a short stint of working from home, many are left questioning the merits of office life and wondering what the new norm will be. Considering that workplaces are now having to adapt to life after coronavirus, it’s understandable that a lot of Australians may feel a bit nervous at the prospect of heading back to the office.
But just as many workplaces were able to adapt and offer remote working arrangements, likely, some element of flexible work will still be available. However, it does beg the question – was the standard office working environment in need of disruption or is it better to have a set routine?
Given that the majority of professionals will be heading back to the office, we thought we’d take a look at the benefits of going back to work.
Benefits of being back to the office
Social interaction in the workplace
Whether we’d like to admit or not, working from home can get a little lonely sometimes. Without having people to bounce ideas off, share knowledge with, or just have a chat with, the monotony of clocking in and out of work every day without any human interaction can be mentally taxing. Given that work teams are all, ultimately, working towards the same goal, social interaction in the workplace can be the boost you need to perform better.
Work life balance
Working from home may seem like a wonderful idea temporarily, but after a while, the reality of having a home office is that often, you’re not able to completely disengage after the work has been completed. Add to that the constant distractions, whether it’s a noisy cat or just knowing that you can switch off and watch your tv at any time, and work can end up being put off into the later hours.
On the flip side, some people might find it hard to disengage from work and have trouble switching off entirely – resulting in ‘job creep.’ Job creep, a phenomenon in which work begins to creep into personal life, is particularly prevalent in those working from home, as the lines between personal time and work can quickly become blurred. It’s all too easy to check emails after dinner or go through a document just one last time when you don’t have a set schedule.
Building a routine
Try as we might refute it; some people just work a lot better when they have a set routine. It can be hard learning to manage your own time, especially given the number of distractions available. With the added challenge of being able to take breaks whenever you want to and the lack of accountability from peers, some workers may find remote work hard to self-manage and may prefer the opportunity of going back to work.
Easier to speak to managers
Though there are numerous digital channels you can converse with managers and fellow employees on, there’s nothing better than talking face to face – especially if the topic is difficult. Having a face to face communication is particularly important when it comes to receiving vital information or understanding the tricky aspects of your role. Additionally, knowing that you can ask a manager a question and receive an answer straight away can relieve a lot of stress and aid in better mental wellbeing at work.
Become more experienced
There’s no better way to learn than by sitting down and physically talking to someone. Aside from hard skills, such as learning more about a co-worker’s role and how it intertwines with yours, the soft skills of interacting with co-workers and managers every day is vital to your career progression and is one reason why returning back to work can be an important step in one’s career.
Considering the number of benefits, returning back to work by getting back to the office may be the best thing you can do to maintain a good work/life balance.
Are you an employer looking to making the return to work a more seamless process for your employees? Get in touch with a member of our team of office fitout professionals for a discussion on how you can make your work environment more inviting. A thriving office space is integral to maintaining positive mental wellbeing at work, so make sure you incorporate heathy office design into your space or check out some of our feng shui tips.