First day back in the office

Treat it like your first day of school (again)

21st January 2022

Yes, you will be nervous and have butterflies and a sense of trepidation but just like your first day in school, you will survive it! There will be a lot of faces you haven’t seen in maybe 6 months, 12 months, 24 months or new faces you’ve never seen in real life, except for over Zoom, but remember everyone is in the same boat.

Reconnect and reintroduce yourself

Also, remember no hugs! Good news for those of us that hate hugs and freeze when someone comes in for that dreaded squeeze! I’ve never been so grateful for social distancing!

Reconnect and reintroduce yourself. Some people may have been feeling a sense of loss as a person but this is a reminder that you are part of something bigger.

Bosses, managers and team leads please note that the first morning for a lot of people will involve catch-up chats and accept that productivity will be low but it won’t last forever. Let people have their chats, their coffees, and more breaks than the norm!

If you are finding yourself unsure of the protocols you have 2 choices: ask or follow other people’s lead but maybe just use your head! Take a step back if you feel too close to a person, or too many people in the kitchen, and then wait! Need the toilet? You are not 6 years of age and in senior infants…you don’t need to put your hand up and shout ‘An bhfuil cead agam dul go dti an leithreas?’.

If your