Q: We returned to work two weeks ago but I am yet to adjust to working from the office. I have taken to procrastination. I am clearly letting my team down and I know that if I do not change, I will lose my job. How can I get back to being as productive as I was before the coronavirus-induced break? I need to keep my job and meet my employer’s expectations…
We have all witnessed unprecedented changes in our lives and we are still trying to find our way around. As we continue to fight this pandemic, we need to remain vigilant and make the necessary adjustments. Over the years, I have realised that when faced with challenges, many of us blame others but never stop to examine ourselves or make appropriate changes.
There are various reasons that may cause us to procrastinate. Perhaps you are overwhelmed because you have been assigned more tasks than you can undertake. In such situations, employees usually rush over each task just to meet the deadline. Consequently, they end up submitting suboptimal work, or only tackling the jobs they can manage while delaying others that may be equally critical.
STAFF COSTS
Many organisations have had to review their structures to manage staff costs in response to the prevailing cash crunch. This decision, while painful to employees, is not a bad one. However, it would be wrong for any employer to reassign the duties that were being performed by the departed colleagues to the retained staff without properly reviewing the work load.
Maybe your targets have been adjusted upwards to compensate for revenue that has been lost. Worse, your objectives may have remained the same yet the business environment has changed drastically, thereby making these expectations unrealistic. Locate the issue and have it addressed.
RETAINED JOB
But you could also be experiencing some anxiety with regards to your future. Although you have retained your job, you may be paralysed by fear whenever you think of losing it. You may also be experiencing negative thoughts as you remember how close you came to being jobless. These are genuine fears that must be addressed by a psychologist or trained counselor.
I encourage you to seek help, and appeal to all employers to avail psychological support to their employees especially during these uncertain times.
Mwikali Muthiani – Managing Partner, MillennialHR
@MwikaliN
