Rewinding Back into the Old Normal: Why is Return-to-Office Stressing Employees Out?

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, many professionals embraced remote and hybrid work as the norm. While going back to working in the physical office spaces may seem like returning to normal, it is crucial to understand that this adjustment can be a major cause of stress for some employees. This research aims to explore numerous aspects of return-to-office stress and how organisations may help employees navigate the challenges of a post-pandemic workplace. The authors conducted 29 semi-structured interviews using a purposive sampling technique to understand the analytical viewpoints of the functional managers in the Information Technology (I.T.) sector regarding return-to-office stress. Additionally, content and thematic analysis were performed, which led to the emergence of 4 themes regarding the stress experienced by employees in the I.T. sector on account of return-to-work mandates. Increased work-family conflicts, emotional exhaustion and the rising tendency of presenteeism have emerged as prominent factors in the light of return-to-office stress. The results also highlight that psychological detachment from work can be a significant organisational intervention that can assist employees in coping with return-to-office stress. This study provides an in-depth understanding of the Person-Environment (P-E) fit dynamics within the framework of the Theory of Work Adjustment (TWA) by advancing the comprehension of the manner in which individuals cope with adjustments at work, especially in the context of return-to-work mandates. The study also broadens the awareness of the emotional implications of return-to-office stress by exploring the crucial implications for businesses that want to help employees acclimatise to going back to working in an office once again.