To successfully return to the office, focus on these 3 wellness strategies

After more than two years of working from home and avoiding the dreaded daily commute, workers at companies like AT&T, Amazon, Toyota and JPMorgan Chase are being called back to the office. Some, like JPMorgan, even faced internal backlash, leading them to shut down comments on forums due to employee reactions to the news. return to office mandate. Beyond big businesses, cities, states and even federal agencies are joining the growing push to return to in-person work. However, resistance is growing.

A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 46% of workers would likely leave their jobs if remote work was no longer available. While not everyone will act on it, this sentiment highlights a significant divide between employers and employees. Those who stay may return reluctantly, bringing with them disengagement and dissatisfaction. Faced with these challenges, companies must rethink their strategies. A successful return to the office isn’t just about logistics: it’s an opportunity to prioritize employee well-being in a way that goes beyond the basics. Organizations can create a stronger workplace by addressing emotional, spiritual and social well-being.

1. Emotional well-being: combatting stress and burnout

Emotional well-being is the ability to adapt to life stressors and is essential to resilience in the workplace. Burnout, a persistent threat, comes from a variety of sources: financial pressures, health problems, personal problems, job security and returning to the office. Companies like Walmartwhich announced the return of workers to the office months ago, is at least trying to ease this transition. Their new 350-acre campus, complete with child care, exercise trails and other amenities, is designed to build community and alleviate a variety of common stressors. While not every company can invest in lavish campuses, there are simpler ways to emotionally support their employees:

• Providing comprehensive mental health resources for life’s various challenges.
• Train leaders to lead with emotional intelligence, creating environments of empathy and support.

2. Spiritual well-being: connecting work with meaning

Spiritual well-being in the workplace is not about religion, it is about creating an environment in which team members feel a stronger sense of meaning, purpose and connection with their work. As work-life balance evolves toward work-life integration, employees, especially Millennials and Generation Z…want their professional roles to match their personal values.

To support spiritual well-being, businesses can:

• Reconnect employees with the organization’s mission and values.
• Inspire each team member by sharing “the big dream and vision” and emphasizing why each individual’s contributions are important.
• Create space for employees to think about their mission within the organization.

When employees feel like their work is meaningful, they are more likely to engage positively with their role, even when faced with changes like returning to the office.

3. Social well-being: combatting loneliness

Humans are inherently social beings, but the pandemic has disrupted relationships and deepened feelings of loneliness – a silent epidemic that was already brewing. Today, 62% of employed adults report feeling lonely, a challenge that spills over into the workplace and affects productivity and morale at all levels. Returning to the office offers an opportunity to reconnect and create a sense of belonging. To achieve this, organizations must go beyond superficial gestures and prioritize real engagement. For example:

• Organize team-building activities beyond work, such as volunteering for causes that employees choose themselves.
• Design office spaces that encourage collaboration and informal interactions.

By focusing on authentic social connections, companies can transform the workplace into a source of community and support.

Well-being is the key to successful return to the office

As offices fill up again, companies are struggling to gain buy-in from their employees. Mandates returning to power are not an ideal choice for many, but with every challenge there is an opportunity. Organizations can seize this moment to reorganize their wellness initiativesaddressing deeper dimensions of well-being that improve the lives of their team members far beyond the office corridors.