Also known as the Sunday Blues, the Sunday Scaries is a feeling of dread, nervousness and anxiety that typically surges on a Sunday evening as the work week looms.
Government research just revealed that seven in 10 Brits experience the Sunday Scaries regularly, with work stress and to-do lists the primary triggers as the weekend concludes.
Last year, Google searches for ‘Sunday Scaries’ increased by 100 percent when we started going back into the office.
Since the start of 2022, searches for ‘office anxiety’ have spiked by 32 percent, whilst searches for ‘Monday blues’ are up by 31 percent.
In the UK alone, more than 80,000 people ask questions about office anxiety a month, with common Google searches like ‘how to deal with back-to-work anxiety’ spiking throughout the month.
Hybrid vs. the office
With hybrid working quickly becoming the most popular way of working globally people are going into the office more often. Worldwide, around 73 percent of people are already back in the office at least once a week, with other days spent working from home or in a third location like a coworking space.
Although it makes sense from a business perspective to encourage more face time and in-person collaboration between teams, this shift back to office life is a source of anxiety for more people than you think.
In the UK, research by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities found that 53 percent of people feel anxious about working in person, against just 6 percent who feel nervous about working from home.
Why are employees anxious about working face-to-face?
There has been a change in routine. Routines help us cope with change, and for the last few years, we have been adjusting to the new cadence of working from home, and life has become somewhat predictable.
Studies have shown that working from home can increase productivity and positively impact work-life balance, so naturally, the idea of another routine shift is stressful.
How to create a workplace that prioritises work-life balance
During the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, the World Health Organisation reported a 25 percent increase in anxiety globally, which means more people are dealing with feelings of social nervousness than before. Today, one in every 10 people suffers from social anxiety.
Also, at the end of last year, 71 percent of people globally working in person reported being emotionally exhausted.
In comparison, 84 percent of people working in a hybrid setting said the same. The transition from online meetings and Zoom chats to in-person conversations and situations can be physically and emotionally draining as we spend more time in the office.
How to ease anxiety about working in the office
- Lean into the transition: Remember the nervousness you feel in a new job. It is normal to feel the same way about returning to the office, even if you have been at the company for years. Give yourself time to adjust to the stressful new routine change, new ways of working, and interactions you will be having.
- Maintain some of your WFH habits: Environments can greatly impact our behaviour, and you may have developed some good habits working from home. Whether going for a walk at lunch or leaving your desk a few times a day to move around and give your eyes a break, try to retain as many of these habits as possible when you return to the office.
- Break the ice: If you have been avoiding in-person meetings and social gatherings at work, break the ice by planning to attend something in person, even if it’s for a short time. You might find your anxiety and worries about social interactions are worse in your head than in reality.
- Ask for support: Whether you need flexible working hours, mental health support or someone to talk to, approach your manager about ways your company can help ease the transition smoothly.
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
