A major part of the global population remains physically isolated and virtually connected to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Businesses, being cautious not to add to infection rates, had sent employees home on work from home mode. But after weeks of lockdown, I’m sure many wonder what returning to work would feel like at this time! I remember being excited and looking forward to rejoining but also a little concerned – would I be safe? Going to office every day for most of us had become a distant dream. Many must be thinking what one should and should not be looking forward to? The presence of COVID still looms. Office buildings campuses, including ours have security personnel to administer temperature checks and handout masks for people who want to enter. At our premises, we have only one entry and exit point to filter the entry and exit of employees. Looks like my organization has left no stone unturned to follow mandatory precautions and health guidelines.

But after weeks of lockdown, I’m sure many wonder what returning to work would feel like at this time! I remember being excited and looking forward to rejoining but also a little concerned – would I be safe? Going to office every day for most of us had become a distant dream. Many must be thinking what one should and should not be looking forward to?

The presence of COVID still looms. Office buildings campuses, including ours have security personnel to administer temperature checks and handout masks for people who want to enter. At our premises, we have only one entry and exit point to filter the entry and exit of employees. Looks like my organization has left no stone unturned to follow mandatory precautions and health guidelines.

The only challenging part of the return is social distancing – I’m a people’s person. My raison d’être – to socialize with people – has now become a luxury. I’m quite sure people will eventually come in in a phased manner but currently I’m the only one on my floor and even if someone comes by, they stand 6-feet away. How do I know they stand exactly 6-feet away? Markings on the floor. One thing has changed for sure – how we interact with people. Virtually we are in constant touch but, I now fear that I cannot have face-to-face conversations with people, or meet in groups.

I am one of the lucky ones to own a personal vehicle, a two-wheeler. Many here do not have one and depend on public transport, which as we know is not always reliable in India. Handlebars (and their grips) can be a challenge to disinfect, but I make sure I do it every time I get on and off the motorbike.

The one person with an emotional dilemma is my wife. She has been annoyed at my presence at home over this one-month period, with constant demands for tea and snacks at regular intervals. I have not, admittedly, been able to help her much with household chores. She was very happy to know I was leaving for work at last. But as I resumed, she was also a tad apprehensive. For the sake of my family, I have to take extra care when I return home – sanitize my things, remove my shoes and thoroughly wash my hands and directly head to washroom for bath.

I am part of the team of 20-30 essential employees who returned to work on Monday, 4th May in our Mysore (Karnataka, India) Campus. My team consists of a few hundred employees and my current priority project is to make sure all the employees can fulfil their tasks without any hiccups.

All said and done, it is about positivity. I was part of the team that handled the herculean task of enabling remote working for our employees. We did that in a week! Now the challenge is to bring all employees back in a phased manner. Mysore has been able to control the spread of infections but we don’t want a second wave to hit us. And I am willing to go beyond my call of duty and fulfill the expectations my job requires. This is my new reality – to lend support to make return to work as smooth and safe as possible for all employees.

Here is my small checklist of protection and safety kit - important things to carry while returning to office after lockdown:

• face cover (face mask)
• hand sanitizer
• personal hand soap
• gloves
• tissue papers/wet wipes
• carry your own lunch box

Author: Arun Vijay Kumar, Project Manager, LTTS - Mysore