Business matters: How to soften the blow when work calls you back to the office

Sunday, 13 April 2025

OPINION: If you browse Reddit, Facebook or read the news, you’ll likely have read that not only are many workers being required to switch back from work-from-home or hybrid rules to full-time return to office mandates, but many people aren’t happy about it.

It’s easy to understand why, too. As someone who works entirely from home, great thought and planning have gone into creating my perfect office environment to ensure I’m both productive and comfortable during the day.

As I write this, my cat and dog are a hop and a skip away from a cuddle, I’m not distracted by noise, I know I won’t start work to discover the office has run out of coffee beans and I’m certain that nobody will be putting fish in the corporate microwave at lunchtime.

Still - says qualified counsellor and quality and information manager of Instep EAP, Fiona McCracken - for many people, “the biggest hurdle is the way we think about it”. Human brains, she points out, are designed to scan for danger, so in the modern world, we can search out the negatives in situations.

In other words, it may not be as bad as we think once we get there.

Still, a bustling office is a far cry from an isolated home desk, especially one you’ve spent time making a comfortable space for productivity. I grabbed a few tips from McCracken on coping if a change in workday scenery is on the cards.

On that brutal commute

I have close to zero good memories of rush hour commutes. A bike or public transport can be an opportunity to be productive or get exercise, but it’s not an option for everyone.

For those who need to travel by car, this is where McCracken pulls out a counselling term: “radical acceptance”.

“It's a technique [for people to] acknowledge and almost embrace difficult situations or emotions. They kind of make friends with it,” she says.

How exactly can you make friends with your commute?

“Music, podcasts, listening to audiobooks in the car, learning a new language … You feel like you’re using that time rather than wasting it,” she says.

It can also be a boundary between work and home life, which often gets lost when your office is a closed computer and a few steps from family priorities.

“You stop at five, go to the lounge, and have children to deal with. The positive of a commute is you've got a bit of time on your way home to go, ‘okay, work’s finished and now I put on my [parent] hat.”

Dealing with the gossip, noise and distractions

Surrounded by noise, chatter and loud phone calls? McCracken’s immediate advice is: “noise canceling headphones”.

I own the Sony WH-1000XM4, retailing at $421. They do the job brilliantly.

Some companies also have “quiet hours”, quiet rooms or a visual cue to put on the desk that lets colleagues know you’re in concentration mode.

If the distractions are getting you grumpy, McCracken suggests having a word with the office manager to see if something similar could be adopted that the whole team could get behind.

Smells and kitchen messes

We’ve all been there. The office is calm and happy, but then the scent of someone’s microwaved fish wafts through the communal workspace, knocking your workflow off kilter.

McCracken’s advice?

“Don't sweat the small stuff,” she laughs.

“If it’s a one-off, cut the person some slack. Maybe they were in a hurry that morning and grabbed the smelly food from the fridge [without thinking].”

“If it's a pattern and these things continue to happen, it's back to that culture conversation [with a manager] about … [having] a shared agreement of how we do things.”

If you’re fed up with the dirty communal mugs left on the bench throughout the day, it may be time to invest in a personal office cup. My Le Creuset stoneware mug in sea salt is roomy, comfortable and makes my morning brew feel like luxury: $28.

Worried about the animals?

My home office has four animal beds and my cat has a favourite windowsill. Leaving them would be the worst part about returning to a busy office.

McCracken suggests pre-emptively working with your vet on separation anxiety before you shift workplaces, and looking into doggy daycare or dog walkers during the day.

As for taking care of the human emotions in this scenario?

“It starts with deep breaths and plenty of cuddles when you get home,” she says.

Treat your cat with a favourite in our house: Da Bird wand toy for evening attention: $43.99.

Are there any positives?

The connections and socialising with colleagues can be “invaluable”, says McCracken. There’s the networking opportunity, but also the chance to tackle loneliness.

Also, as someone who knows how tough it can be to wrangle the four-legged crew for a Friday beer and gossip, returning to the office could be the time to reinstate those end-of-week social hours.

What do you think? Email sundayletters@stuff.co.nz. Please include your full name and address.