Re-engage your team for re-entry

In a recent Huffington Post article, Marney White, an associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Yale School of Public Health, gives tips for how to deal with returning-to-the-office anxiety. While personally taking her advice to heart, consider how you might lean on the same wisdom to welcome your team members back to campus:

Dial into how your staff members feel.
Take a few moments in your one-on-one meetings to encourage staff members to share how they are feeling about the return to campus. Remind those who are feeling particularly stressed by the transition of support available through Yale’s personal wellness benefit program.

Help your team dip back into socializing.
Rather than starting back with a formal in-office meeting, help your team reconnect without the pressure of immediately getting down to business. Consider organizing an informal walk and treating them along the way to a dip at their favorite ice cream shop.

Ask your team what they’re looking forward to on campus. Before returning, include time in a virtual team meeting agenda to allow team members to share their thoughts. To encourage full participation, try collecting feedback using an online polling tool such as PollEverywhere. The tool will allow you to display and discuss the comments while keeping them anonymous.

Start off with an easier pace, re-establish work routines, and encourage self-care habits.
Set up a workshop to make a team-selected craft, bring in an expert to discuss a general-interest topic suggested by the team, or take a stretch break together. Check out Yale’s WorkLife and BeingWell at Yale programs for ideas.