Getting Ready to Share Space at Work: Managing COVID-19 Anxieties

Is your office re-opening? If you have missed working with your peers but also feel slightly anxious about sharing space, chances are you aren't the only one. Here are a few things you can implement to put everyone's mind at ease:

• Ask everyone to answer these 3 screening questions before they come into work every morning. Have a plan to support an employee that answers "No" to any of the questions by sending them home and staying connected with them during their 2-week isolation period. Using programs like Slack and Zoom daily is a great way to support employees working from home.
• Consider getting Social Bands for the office, so that everyone's comfort level is easily communicated and respected. This is a 3-colour system that lets people know instantly how and if you should be approached.
• Ask to work from home if you are not ready to share space yet. If you have been working this way so far, there's no reason you can't take your time to come back to work.
• For the more stressful days: wearing a weighted blanket on your legs or shoulders while working can send a nice cue to your body that everything is going to be o.k. - like a hug!

We know that this transition back to work can be stressful, and we hope these tips above will be useful in easing you back into a shared workspace. Best of luck!