Tips for coming back and moving forward from furlough

It’s been a rough year with multiple lockdowns and uncertainties with businesses, many companies had no choice but to put staff on hold resulting in furlough. However, now things are picking up again and companies are ready to bring their staff back, you might be asking how you can prepare yourself to start work again.

Here are our top tips to help you move forward from furlough.

1. Get back to routine

Being struck indoors for months on end will eventually change our demeanor and throw us off our regular schedule. Simple things like getting up in the morning and having a cup of coffee now might have become an afternoon thing. This can make getting up and going to work a struggle.

The best method to getting back into routine after having none is first getting back into the habit of waking and getting up at the same time everyday. Then instead of forcing yourself to be productive all day (or until your lunch break) it is best to use the Pomodoro Technique which means focussing on work for 25 minutes at a time and then taking a short break before working for another 25 minutes. This helps keep you engaged and motivated throughout the day and also gets your brain thinking about the what, when, where, why and how best to do certain tasks.

2. Understand your wellbeing

Being away from a structured routine for a significant amount of time to then being thrown back into the working world can be stressful and intimidating. It is understandable to feel anxious about returning to work.

That’s why it is important to consume positive content before starting your work day. This may be listening to uplifting music, tuning into a stimulating podcast, reading inspiring articles and checking out the good news for the morning. This creates a clear and confident mindset, making you feel motivated and ready for a productive day ahead.

3. Don’t be afraid to communicate and ask for support

Talking openly to your managers and colleagues will not only guide you back into collaborative thinking but also may help remove any worries you have about a certain task or project by hearing thoughts, feedback and support from your team mates.

Think to yourself if you were in charge would you want your team to speak up and ask for support? Of course you would, you can’t keep things moving if you don’t know what’s going on. So apply this same logic to you in your position now. If you feel stuck or in need of clarity go and speak to the particular person you need, send an email to ask for more detail or even check in with your boss. Communication is key to making you feel right back on track and get into the swing of things again.

Put all these things into practice and your return to work will be easier.