As featured in everywoman.com
Three experts consider an everywomanNetwork member’s question around how she can overcome her anxiety and best approach the transition to hybrid working…
An everywomanNetwork member writes…
“Even though home working has had its challenges over the past year, I feel as if I have actually been able to concentrate more on my work, and in some ways, I’ve performed better by having more flexibility and greater ability to speak up through video conference meetings. Now that it looks as if we are going to start going back into our office, even though it’ll be on a part-time basis, I am feeling anxious at the thought of having to adapt back to a more social, ‘visible’ way of daily working. I’m concerned at my ability to integrate back into a physical office and worried that my voice will get lost again in our old round-the-table meeting culture. How can I approach this transition in a way that will help me to feel more confident and ready for the change?” Lauren W, financial services sector
REMEMBER THE BENEFITS
Draw on what you have learned about yourself as you move to hybrid working says Kirsty Ritchie, founder of Mind & Mission.
‘You’re coming from a place of having transitioned once — and even found it really beneficial. You’ve seen some real personal and professional benefits, so understandably there’s an anxiety there about reversing that. It’s time for some self-reflection in this transition period around your previous working practices, exploring why you felt you were not as visible as you wanted to be, what you found difficult about working in a physical office and why you felt you had less confidence or ability to speak out. Then you can look at what you have learned from the overall experience working at home this year and really compare and explore the two.
In terms of your performance, it’s about turning the whole thing on its head and saying, ‘I built a huge amount of confidence over the last year, how can I use that and really draw on that? What is it that made me feel confident?’ You need to recognise that you were able to adapt in the first place, and actually find huge benefits. So there’s no reason why that confidence and adaptive experience can’t translate in the opposite way when you return to the office, because there’s been personal and professional growth and that doesn’t disappear overnight.
I would recommend really focusing on the facts; not the worries — what tends to happen is a thought pops in our head and we have a ‘premonition’ as opposed to really considering what that thought is based on. When that happens, pull yourself back to the facts and work to dissipate anxiety by understanding what you can control (your actions and thoughts), versus what you can possibly influence — and, importantly, what you have no control over.
Critically analyse any fears of ‘things going back to the same way’. Why would they? You’ve been able to grow and adapt personally and professionally. So, it’s about remembering the feeling of ‘I can do this’ and ‘I can communicate in a completely different way’ — and how that was achieved. It can’t just be because you were in front of a screen as opposed to face-to-face with people. And then it’s about drawing on that new strength and confidence and looking to convert that back into the physical office environment.’
