10 Reasons Why Going Back To Work Is A Good Thing

So, the day we’ve all waited for is finally in sight. The government will finally ease all lockdown restrictions on Monday, the 19th of July. That means the return of nightclubs, live entertainment and, of course, going back to work. There are many differences of opinion on this subject. So for those who may be looking for reasons to not go to work, this article explains why going back to the office is a good thing.

Many people are feeling a little uncertain about returning to work. But let’s just cast our minds back to when lockdown started on the 16th of March 2020. How did we all feel about working from home? We didn’t like it one bit! We missed our workmates, our colleagues, and our kids drove us crazy. In fact, the impact of lockdown was so significant that many people were feeling suicidal.

Even within our own office, there are many mixed reviews on the subject of returning to work. Some of us have preferred to remain full-time office-based right through the pandemic. Others have enjoyed the safe little bubble of our home environments. Then there are the in-betweeners who have worked mainly remotely while having the occasional day at work. However, none of us really know how being back in the office will impact our mental health and wellbeing until we’re there.

10 Reasons Why Going Back to Work is a Good Thing

We don’t yet know what the ‘new normal’ will bring. Some employers may demand we all return to our desks immediately, while others now see the benefits of home working. Either way, the decision is unlikely to be ours and none of us like feeling that we don’t have choices.

To brighten our spirits and motivate us, we thought it would be good to remind ourselves why going back to work is a good thing! Indeed, there are a surprising number of benefits to getting back to working life after covid.

1 – Better Work-Life Balance

Wait… What?! That’s right! Apparently, as a result of working remotely, many of us have worked extra hours and suffered increased workloads. Not only that, but the feeling of our workspaces being in the same building in our home space has upset our work-life balance. Where many of us first thought we would enjoy working from home, we’re now beginning to feel like we’re sleeping at work.

Whichever way you see it, getting back to a situation where we can leave our work at our desks and forget about it sounds appealing.

2 – We Just Love Routine

Before lockdown, how many of us thought of our daily routine as monotonous, humdrum, boring? But when that was taking away from us, what did we miss? Going to the gym, having lunch with colleagues, 11 o’clock brews or Friday early doors drinks?

Even our daily commute, which many of us hated with a passion, became something we craved. So much so that some people even started ‘fake commuting’ – yes, really!

3 – Closing The Skills Gap

This one sounds like motivation for management to get us back into the office, but actually, it’s something all of us should care about. Being in the office environment enables us to learn from the expertise of those around us. The long term result of this is that people who know their stuff get promoted, which creates entry-level jobs for less experienced candidates to apply for.

During lockdown, we have seen many tech professionals with years of experience and some seriously niche skills get stuck in jobs that are no longer satisfying. Of course, they have applied for other things, but then, because their managers are so scared to lose them, they have been presented with massive counter-offers to stay.

While this is fantastic for them for the employee for the time being, the knock-on effect is that the technology skills gap right across the industry widens. Not only that, but it prevents individuals from progressing which has a long-term negative effect on their career.

We expect that getting back to the office will see more skill-sharing. This in turn will create more opportunities for those starting their career.

4 – Building Relationships 

Skills sharing aside, how many of us have met friends at work? Some of us would not have met our partners if it wasn’t for a little flirting around the water cooler. Relationships like that are hard to form via video calls or over the phone. Or how about making the new girl feel welcome? Does she even know you like her after working with you since last summer?

We can’t wait to start forging connections again!

5 – Easier Communication

How frustrating is it when you need to ask someone a question, and all you get is their mobile phone answering service? We will get things done so much more quickly when we can just nip over to their desk and ask them. What’s more, while we’re there, we can find out how each other are doing and catch up on everything we’ve missed out on this last year!

6 – Productivity

Productivity sounds like another one that our bosses will benefit from but is really beneficial to us all. Nobody enjoys missing deadlines or having a never-ending project that they just want to get rid of. The office environment is a breeding ground for creativity and collaboration that allows us to focus on our work and get more done.

7 – Great Coffee!

And what about all those small independent retailers who we have become part of our morning routines? City centre businesses rely on the steady stream of custom from office workers. Without our caffeine habits to cater for or carb cravings to feed, our cities have become dull and lifeless. They can’t wait to see us again!

8 – Dressing to Impress

How many of us have spent the last year in leggings and our favourite snuggly hoodie? Or maybe even spent whole days in our pyjamas when we haven’t had to see anyone? While this has been one of the biggest perks of lockdown for some, how nice will it be to dress up again? We can’t wait to dig out those cute little office outfits and swipe on some vibrant lipstick!

9 – Quality Workspace

At the beginning of lockdown, we all got excited about creating an Instaworthy workspace. Sadly, many of us just didn’t have the space to create one and ended up working from the kitchen table with our intermittent broadband connection. Getting back to a purpose-built workspace with a supportive chair will be a godsend for those of us.

10 – Increase our Step Count

Getting 10,000 steps per day is a challenge when you only walk from your bed to the kitchen, then the bathroom and back again. Going back to the office will give us a chance to increase our fitness levels and maybe even get back to the gym.

Why Getting Back to Normality is a Good Thing

Getting back to normality will bring lots of good things like holidays abroad, live music, theatre, festivals and sports tournaments. Returning to the workplace is just part and parcel of unlocking our society and enjoying life again.

Nobody likes change, particularly when it involves getting up an hour earlier and pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone. However, as we can see above, there are many benefits to going back to work after lockdown. If you think about it, there are probably many more we haven’t mentioned.

Is returning to work in a hybrid way an option for you?

Some of us may not return to work full-time but prefer to adopt a hybrid way of working. The decision may not even be ours to make but our employer’s. Either way, when a new opportunity comes our way, we should embrace it and get all we can from it. This is the only way we can grow.

After reading this article, we hope you feel a little more motivated to return to work once lockdown ends. If so, please share it on social media where others can benefit from it, too.