Jeffrey Mosher has a discussion with Mark about Tips to Ease Anxiety for Back to the Office Return, and how to cope with something known as Return-phobia.
As Michigan transitions through the initial days of the work-from-home order being lifted. Digital Wellness Expert Mark Ostach of Oakland County works with businesses and organizations to improve employee engagement and avoid burnout. He is energetic and informative.
Click below to hear Mark and Jeffrey’s interview in this podcast!
Survey after survey indicates employees working remotely due to the pandemic are hesitant to return back to the office. Digital wellness expert, Mark Ostach said employees may be suffering from what he calls “Return-Phobia”, heightened social anxiety from leaving the comfort and routine of working at home as they return back into an office. More accurately known as adjustment disorder, this is an emotional or behavioural reaction to a stressful event or change in a person’s life.
Ostach recommended that remote employees give themselves compassion and patience as going back to the office is similar to the first day of school.
“The best way for employees to deal with adjustment disorder is to own the awkwardness,” Ostach said. “Also, give yourself quiet time before going to work, either at home or during your commute.”
Ostach, author of Courage to Connect™, works with business leadership to create a culture of connection in a hybrid workplace. According to Ostach, it may be a challenge to get employees back to the office:
● Employees have adjusted to working from home and maybe experiencing heightened social anxiety about going back to an office.
● Remote employees enjoy the benefits of going for a quick walk, doing laundry or not having to commute to work.
● The key to helping employees adjust back to the office is offering flexibility.
Tips to Transition into the Office:
Ostach offered the following tips for employees dealing with lingering anxiety:
· Ask for what they need. Don’t conceal what you need to reveal to your employer.
· Fresh Air and Movement. Just because you are going to the office, make time for fresh air and movement. When you need it — not just when your calendar says you need it.
· Don’t forget to talk to one another. Break the ice with conversation.
About Mark Ostach
Ostach’s goal is to restore energy and focus to organizations battling modern life’s non-stop pace and growing sense of disconnection. He’s done this with organizations that include Universal Studios, Detroit Pistons, Rocket Mortgage, Comerica, Detroit Regional Partnership, DTE, Consumers, Michigan Economic Development Corp (MEDC), & Honigman, LLP, Thermo Fisher Scientific, BASF, Allstate, HItachi, and others.
Digital Wellness Expert Mark Ostach in the News:
Wisconsin Public Radio: How To Find a Healthy Balance With Social Media
WJR with Paul W. Smith: Five Ways to Protect Your Digital Health during National Fatigue
USA Today: Six Signs You Need to Unplug
USA Today: Signs You Need Social Media Healthy Habits
USA Today: Feeling unmotivated? Here are 12 ideas for sparking and maintaining motivation
WILS AM Morning Wake up with David Akerly: How to Manage Your ‘Digital Diet’ and develop healthy digital routine:
Mark Ostach Background:
Mark Ostach is on a mission to help professionals, teams, and leaders connect with themselves, each other, and their collective purpose. A wellspring of energy and born empath, Ostach holds degrees in business, psychology, and technology with an interest in behavioural neuroscience.
A recipient of Crain’s Detroit Business 20 in Their 20s and Oakland County’s 40 Under 40 awards, he’s an experienced leader who’s helped create strong cultures for associations, businesses, and nonprofits. Clients have shared that Ostach is insightful, engaging, creative, motivating, and empathetic. He works from a leadership model that supports people to become more present and engaged. Mark works to raise his clients’ levels of self-awareness and identify strengths to support movement towards personal & professional goals.
As a member of the Digital Wellness Collective, a global trade organization for digital wellness experts and organizations, Ostach is determined to remind the world that human connection is the most powerful connection we have. A nationally recognized speaker on digital wellness, Ostach has presented two TED talks and spoken to thousands of people all over the country, encouraging them to embrace a culture of digital wellbeing.
Ostach released his book “Courage to Connect, Stories that encourage meaningful connection in your life™” last year.
