In one fell swoop, we dive into a change of wardrobe, completely forgetting the sunny days and putting away our summer look, linen clothes, flip-flops, and swimsuits to immerse ourselves completely in an autumnal wardrobe with jackets, blazers, boots, loafers, and shops full of winter clothes. The change in wardrobe is accompanied by a change in temperatures, forgetting the 35º of August to immerse ourselves in the 26º of September, with windy days, shorter days and some drizzle.
Skills are essential to face this new beginning. Perhaps one of the most important is emotional management to achieve the necessary balance to reconnect with routine through motivation in the professional environment.
How to prepare for returning to work
During the holidays, we enjoy the day and night without any control over our schedule, which is why we feel free and stress-free. To achieve a balance when returning to work, it is important that a few days before returning, we start incorporating more hours of rest, more normalised schedules and some meditation and relaxation guidelines.
It is important to find motivation for returning to your routine, goals that you can enjoy after work, or goals to improve your physical condition after the holidays. Social contact with friends, family, or sports activities can help you manage your emotions in the first month back at work.
Your first days
It is important to ease yourself back in gently, focusing on what is really a priority and working hard to plan your day-to-day life in an orderly manner, without causing yourself anxiety or stress.
The first few days are necessary to reconnect with your teams and managers, so take advantage of the time for coffee breaks and short meetings to share the most important moments of your return to the office. This way, we will understand that we are all in the same situation. Breaks are essential for recharging your energy and maintaining your focus on your daily tasks.
Avoid long and unnecessary meetings that lead to unproductive days and try to leave the office on time to enjoy your free time and spend it with family, friends, leisure or sport. It is important to maintain your space outside of work.
Motivation for a good start
At the beginning of this new stage, it is highly recommended that you communicate with your colleagues and managers so that you feel supported in any feelings or concerns that may cause you stress and so that you are clear about the objectives to be achieved in this new beginning.
Let’s not forget that incorporating physical activity into our daily routines can help us normalise our return to work. Sport reduces stress and increases energy in our body and mind. If the gym is not your main motivation, it is advisable to incorporate healthy habits such as walking after work, climbing stairs at work, eating a balanced diet or incorporating leisure activities after work, such as going to the cinema, concerts, meeting friends, etc.
It is very important to set goals that reduce what you do not like about your job or to look for alternatives that improve the quality of your work. Motivation is necessary to achieve balance, so you need to analyse what situations you can improve or change to make you feel positive in the office.
Advantages offered by your company on your return: the case of Telefónica
Companies are the first to be interested in our well-being and productivity, so they provide us with great initiatives that promote a healthy environment and connection between people and teams. Telefónica is a clear example of a healthy movement among its employees and, to this end, offers all its professionals a wide range of possibilities that promote the adaptation of all its workers to the office with the following actions:
- Gym set up in the District offices with access for all Telefónica employees and extended opening hours for sports and disconnecting from work.
- A shopping area with numerous options for healthy food: cafés with colleagues, a health centre, a pharmacy, etc.
- The Workvivo digital platform: to connect with all Telefónica employees and promote sports activities, help with administrative tasks or incidents, and stay informed about everything that is happening in our company at all times, etc.
- Telefónica Creators: an initiative that allows Telefónica employees to publish their most noteworthy articles for any internet user anywhere in the world to read.
It is important for all companies to commit to their employees disconnecting and connecting in a healthy way. The well-being of professionals is the main objective for achieving productivity and motivation.
