How to recommit to resilience in the face of COVID fatigue

Then, the delta variant took hold and all our plans stalled. The feeling of our excitement being quashed by this fresh threat was utterly demoralizing. How, I asked myself, do I sustain my energy and motivation—my joy—when I was feeling so disappointed? And how could I possibly summon the energy to help others trying to do the same?

In her September New York Times op-ed, “What should I do with my Covid fatigue?” Tish Harrison Warren, an Anglican priest, wrote that when we add disappointment to fatigue “we become the worst version of ourselves.” The trick, she seemed to say, is to understand perseverance and live in the present.

With the delta variant declining in some of the worst-hit areas of the United States—albeit even as other locations continue to suffer—companies are finally carrying out their reboarding plans, that sense of hope once again returning. But as people who are responsible for creating a positive employee experience, is that the sentiment we should encourage?

“I think this virus is here to stay with us and it will evolve like influenza pandemic viruses,” Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Program, said. If that’s true, our return to the office may be less of a reboarding and more of a “Chutes and Ladders” experience.

Now what?