How to Return to the Office If You’ve Always Worked Remotely
Getting hired during the remote working period is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, you got to focus on your role without the distractions of an office and probably saved money on commuting costs. On the other hand, starting a new job during the remote period may have made it difficult for you to fully grasp your new company’s culture, and getting up to speed may have been more difficult.
Now, only 26% of full-time employees are still working remotely, and major employers like Microsoft, Wells Fargo, and Ford are re-opening their physical offices and inviting employees back to work in person.
If you were hired remotely, the idea of finally meeting your work peers might make you feel giddy. Returning to the office will require more than simple wardrobe changes and working in a physical location involves a new set of expectations and norms. But new norms and ties aren’t necessarily a bad thing. There are plenty of opportunities to be found when returning to the office.
Relocation Packages
The rise of remote work meant that you could apply for any job you were qualified for — regardless of location. However, as the pandemic draws to a close, working for a company located in a different state or city might start to seem like something of a mistake. Fortunately, relocation isn’t always as hard as you might expect, and companies should pay any costs associated with your relocation.
A few different relocation packages are available to you if you are returning to the office in a new city or state. The average relocation package costs employers around $24,000 but can rise to an average of $94,000 if the employee is a homeowner.
Employers can opt to foot the relocation bill in the form of a lump sum, capped allowance, or a fully covered deal. The type of relocation package your employer goes for will likely be dependent on your role in the company. Entry-level employees can expect to be given a tight budget to work with, but senior executives will receive much more freedom to spend part of the company’s budget during relocation.
When estimating your relocation expenses, be sure to account for things like pets, moving household goods, flights, and short-term housing costs. There are plenty of fees associated with a move, hence the hefty price tag. You will also need to keep a record of your expenses and check the tax code when moving, as relocation packages are generally seen as a taxable benefit.
Networking in the Office
Remote working has plenty of advantages over working in the office. However, networking while completing your role remotely is nearly impossible. Even if you made friends with your work peers in a remote environment, nothing can truly replace time with colleagues in a face-to-face environment. Still, if it’s been a while since you made a conversation with a peer, then you may be nervous about the prospect of making meaningful connections in an office environment.
You shouldn’t worry too much about networking in your first few days of working in the office again — just be yourself and focus on getting up to speed. But, after a week or so, run through all the normal networking steps like attending a few work events and reaching out to employees who are outside of your normal work circle. Even offering to get coffee with someone you haven’t met can go a long way.
If you haven’t networked in a while and are struggling to connect with peers, try to build networks of your own. For example, if you love reading, then a book club is a great way to informally find other bookworms who will love the opportunity to read and discuss their favorite novels and memoirs. If your office is more of a sporty space, try to host watch parties for big events during the playoffs or the World Cup. Taking the initiative will help everyone loosen up, and you’ll gain some great organizational soft skills in the process.
Taking the time to build a network might feel laborious or unnecessary at first. However, networking in the office can make you more valuable in your current role and opens doors that you didn’t even realize existed. By authentically networking with your peers, you start to build a top-down view of the company and see how your role relates to all the other jobs in the company. So, the next time you go for a promotion, you can impress hiring managers with your deep understanding of the business.
Cultural Norms
Remote company culture is not the same as office-based company culture. This statement comes as a surprise, but it’s only common sense. In a remote working environment, you usually have greater freedom over your workday and may have become particularly fond of your aperitif hour or working in your pajamas — two habits you certainly can’t expect to continue when working in the office.
When preparing to return to the office, go back to your onboarding materials and pay attention to the way your company describes itself. Focus on adjectives that describe the mood of the company, and remind yourself of the rules of your workplace. During the onboarding process, managers probably shared information about expectations of office-based work, and paying attention to these details can help you dodge avoidable faux pas.
If you don’t feel fully prepared to return to the office after re-reading onboarding materials, reach out to your manager and remind them that you were hired remotely. Managers and HR may have forgotten that you’ve never worked in the office, and they’ll usually be happy to provide you with more information about things like dress codes and office rules.
It’s worth making an extra effort when you first return to the office. You’ll want to impress managers with your time management skills, and should always put forward a slightly more professional appearance than is entirely necessary. Men can easily adopt a business casual look by dressing up their normal wardrobe a little. Replace your sweater with a jacket, and opt for leather shoes over sneakers. Women can follow the same principles by opting for a sleek blazer and trousers.
Tracking Performance
Returning to the office is about more than just socializing and getting a feel for corporate culture. Working in the office should increase your productivity and make you better at your role. However, many employees who return to the office fail to accurately track their performance and can never really tell if they have benefited from returning to work in a physical location.
Before returning to the office, find ways to keep a track of your productivity. Ideally, these productivity markers should be quantifiable. For example, if you work in sales, then your call volume or conversion rate are great indicators to keep a mark of. This can be tricky if you work in a more creative role, but you can still find ways to track performance like noting down your words per minute.
Expect a drop in productivity when you return to the office. You’ll be more focused on settling into your new workspace and should consider any losses in productivity to be offset by the value of networking and learning about your peers.
After a week or so, return to your personal performance indicator and start collecting quantifiable data that helps you “see” your productivity. This might seem unnecessary — particularly if management also tracks your performance — but having a personal understanding of your performance is important when managers ask you about your return to office work.
If you notice a significant dip in productivity after returning to the office, you may want to speak with your managers and brainstorm solutions to raise your performance back to pre-office levels. Be a little sensitive when having this conversation, as management probably worked hard to safely reopen the office. Like it or not, managers may not appreciate criticism that is too on-the-nose.
Hybrid Working
It’s important to remember that returning to the office doesn’t have to be a permanent decision. Companies that previously offered remote work may be open to hybrid schemes that allow you to ease back into office life and maintain some freedom over your work schedule.
It’s worth remembering that working hybrid while others are in the office will change the expectations that peers and management have for you. If your colleagues are all dressed in business casual attire for the office, you should not attend virtual meetings in the loungewear you became accustomed to while working remotely.
The same goes for your background when working in a hybrid model. If everyone is in the office, having a background that seems unprofessional will undermine your appearance and may even spark some jealousy amongst colleagues that are in the office. Instead, opt for a professional background. This should include neutral wallpaper or paint and minimal distractions. A little touch of your personality, like framed artwork, is ok but the background should be more in line with your office’s interior design than your home’s.
Conclusion
Returning to the office can be a bit of a hassle. Moving states for work can rack up a hefty bill, and building an appropriate business-casual wardrobe takes time, effort, and money. However, you can make the transition easier by re-reading your company’s onboarding materials and actively networking to get a better feel for the business.
About the Author
Amanda Winstead is a writer from the Portland area with a background in communications and a passion for telling stories. Along with writing she enjoys traveling, reading, working out, and going to concerts. If you want to follow her writing journey, or even just say hi you can find her on Twitter.
Photo by Shridhar Gupta on Unsplash
