Most of my life I’ve considered the year to start in January and end in December. This makes it always somewhat remarkable to me to think of what the French call “la rentrée”, that is coming back or reentering work after summer. It is September that starts the next cycle.

It might be worth it to study that tradition and origins a bit as it describes an important perspective on how to connect with work in such a culture. But as this year is special in many ways I’m currently seeing reentering work mainly from the perspective of the last months. It makes me step back and look at how people are organizing themselves within work and the still present uncertainty of the pandemic.

Some just continue to get used to something different, they are handling change as it appears, adapting themselves to the daily frustration or joys thus making it a continuous transition.

Others try to jump ahead, reorganizing themselves, and defining new ways to work, possibly changing their focus as they perceive the shifts in the market.

Yet others cling on to the ways they have been doing things in the past seeing that their market is on hold more than shifting.

They all seek a solution helping to deal with uncertainty. Either they adapt to their perception of the market by looking at the past or the future or they search for ways to feel ok with a sense of daily disruptions.

In this constant flow of felt change, taking the time to step back and to take inventory of the situation requires more energy and the willingness to take a long term look at the situation. It might help to tackle it with two questions: What has become uncomfortable? What has changed to an advantage?

Once the lists are done, choices for “la rentrée” will become evident.

It’s not about finding solutions. It’s about deciding on a path.