It will take time for people to get used to being back at work - Birmingham experts
Following the roadmap announcement this week, thoughts have already began turning to when things go back to the normal
Experts in Birmingham are raising concerns that some of us could take a while to get used to being back in the office when it eventually does happen.
It follows the announcement of a road map out of the current restrictions by the Prime Minister this week.
But Craig Jackson, Professor of Occupational Health Psychology at Birmingham City University is warning workers will need time to become ‘fit to do the job’ again to meet workplace demands.
He thinks employers have significant new considerations to make when asking staff to return to workplaces and previous working conditions, which may involve a transitionary period involving more breaks and perhaps radical changes.
“Many people have reported throughout the three lockdown periods that they suffered from sleep problems, including insomnia, poor quality or patchy sleep, and in some cases, unusual and vivid dreams.
"As a consequence many people have also reported feeling tired during the daytime when they had typically always been wide awake; poorer concentration levels; lower thresholds for being distracted from activities; reduced physical activity and weight gain, all of which are symptoms of chronic sleep deprivation.
“There is no guarantee that such sleep problems will be resolved when unlocking starts, and many workplaces will need to get used to this - workers will not be the same as they were - and this position could go on for weeks or months in some cases."
Other areas where he's concerned include us getting used to being amongst crowds again after months of social distancing; and also being hyper-vigilant about germs.
He says it's up to workplaces to make sure they help ease staff back into the routine, but workers will also need to be considerate for their colleagues.
He said: “Many people may only be able to function and "cope" with increased levels of social activity after lockdown by using hygiene hyper-vigilance as their own personal psychological safety measure.
"It would not be fair to shame or embarrass other people who may continue this practice as a coping mechanism.”
Right now, the Government advice remains to work from home.
The roadmap this week didn't include any dates on when people will be told to go back to the office, however June 21st has been penciled in for when restrictions will ease.
Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.