A return-to-work plan: How wellness can help

TRSM - Like Nobody's Business

Workplace wellness has become a hot topic following the pandemic. Employees are valuing work-life balance in a way they never have before, spending less time commuting and more time with their loved ones. Employers are learning to navigate the space between work-from-home and a return-to-office, balancing the needs of a physical office space with the benefits of a virtual one.

Research from Ipsos on behalf of Global News in July 2022 showed that “(74%) of Canadian workers have returned to their pre-pandemic working conditions: 13% are working from home, as they did prior to the pandemic, 4% remain in their pre-pandemic hybrid model (partially working from home, partially at the workplace), while 57% are back at their place of work.”

What does this mean for employees? What about employers? How should employees advocate for their needs and how can employers support them? What does a healthy return-to-office plan look like?

To answer these questions enters Dr. Ellen Choi, an organizational psychologist with training in the fields of Social Psychology and Organizational Behaviour and is an assistant professor at the Ted Rogers School of Management. She has expertise in mindfulness, resilience, emotion regulation, authenticity, and leadership. Joining her is PhD student, Steven Kavaratzis, who is currently working on a manuscript titled "How well do we know wellness?"