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Americans can expect a different office experience once they go back to work

Experts weigh in on what employees can expect from the post-COVID office space

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Office spaces are currently empty as millions of Americans are still under a stay at home order. But as employees head back to their offices, they should expect things to look different and for the in-office experience to feel a little bit different too.

David Wiener is the Senior Vice President of Grand Rapids commercial real estate company Colliers International. He predicts that post-COVID offices will accommodate fewer people in the space at one time. He says there will be fewer company-wide meetings and fewer visitors will be allowed to enter the office. And packing into a crowded elevator to make an early morning meeting? He says forget about it, that's a thing of the past.

“I think there’s going be a number of months that we’re going to be dealing with this," says Wiener. "I think the great news is that we’re going to be going back to work! It’s just the question of 'how are we doing that?' So I think that most landlords and companies are looking for safe ways to accomplish getting people back to work, but doing it a little bit slowly."

Shared offices spaces like The Factory located in downtown Grand Rapids remain closed through May 15 per Governor Whitmer's executive order.  Community Manager Alberto Garza says while they miss the social aspect of gathering in a common space, they will follow Governor Whitmer's social distancing guidelines going forward. 

“We actually started our cleaning way beyond the order to close," says Garza. "We started in early March because we want to make sure that our community members are very well protected. We are encouraging social distancing so at this point, when we are able to open again, we will follow the guidelines given by Governor Whitmer. If that means there’s a limit on the number of people that can be in the space, that will be what we will follow.”

Wiener says employees can expect group events and socializing in common areas will likely go away for at least a while.

“Most new, cool office spaces have these great collaborative areas and everybody sits and eats together and do happy hour there and entertain. I think in the midterm we’re gonna have to kind of back off of that a little bit," he says.

But nothing is better than working from home, right? According to survey from online career experts Zippa, "half of American workers would rather work from home forever."

13 ON YOUR SIDE asked clinical psychologist Dr. Lyndsay Volpe-Bertram at Spectrum Health if people could actually feel more productive in a work from home environment, or is it likely rooted in the idea of returning to a crowded work space that has some people feeling uneasy?

“We’ve sent everyone home and said 'stay home,' that’s the safest place you can be, and there was a really big adjustment period with that as people got used to settling in and figuring out what they’re work was going to look like remotely, and I think we’ve all gotten to the place where that’s become pretty comfortable," Dr. Volpe-Bertram says. “Now that anxiety level is going back up again because we are entering back into what we were just told was dangerous.”

Experts agree that while the in-office experience may change post-COVID-19, it will not go away completely. To cope with the anxiety of returning to work, here are 5 ways that Spectrum Health clinical psychologist Dr. Lyndsay Volpe-Bertram says will help:

  • Ask Questions.
    • What are we going to do differently when we come back?
    • How will we practice social distancing?
  • Ask employer is you can keep working from home (if you are doing your job well or perhaps better since working from home.)
  • Rehearse your routine.
    • Start getting up and going to bed at the same time each day.
    • Practice getting back into driving to worksite, and be mindful of how you are feeling when you arrive.
  • Talk family/roommates about strategy coming home from work.
    • Immediately change clothes.
    • Leaving shoes in the garage.
  • Consider ‘new’ in-office boundaries.
    • For example, if someone walks into your personal space without a face mask, be prepared with ways to make yourself feel comfortable, such as asking them to leave.

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