While the country has made a significant return to pre-pandemic living, the pervasive unease regarding this shift in lifestyle, called “reopening anxiety,” remains for thousands of people. “Despite executives’ best efforts to encourage a return to the office, not many people are actually showing up,” a corporate manager recently stated. This lack of in-person attendance is not surprising.
According to a March 2021 report published by the American Psychological Association, almost half of Americans surveyed felt “uneasy about adjusting to in-person interaction” after the pandemic. Regardless of vaccination rates, overall, nearly 50% of adults surveyed said that they “did not feel comfortable going back to living life like they used to before the pandemic.” So, what can companies do to address corporate culture, productivity, and reopening anxiety?
5 Ways Corporations Can Address Employee Concern & Boost Productivity
Acknowledge reopening anxiety and understand that it is heightened in people who are in recovery from an addiction or who have complex health issues within their households.
Enhance communications via both email and video, taking note to specifically address daily logistical concerns.
Expand diversity and inclusion in the workplace by encouraging support groups for people in recovery from addiction and address reopening anxiety as a common theme.
Facilitate support systems: encourage time for employees to check-in or have a virtual appointment with their therapist or coach.
Encourage executive coaching to assist in the shaping of a post-social distancing corporate culture
In this environment, especially with the strength of the Delta variant, corporations need to relay a commitment to both employee safety and company growth. The path forward is to acknowledge reopening anxiety to establish a defined course in this challenging and ever-changing time period. A corporation can bolster its growth objectives by seeking out the support of an Executive Coach to assist the leadership in the continuation of its culture in what is hopefully the tail-end of the pandemic. To talk further, contact Siegert & Associates at info@siegertandassociates.com or 877.449.6393.
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