Since the March 2020 shutdown, change has been inescapable, whether it’s with our routines, relationships, or with our overall well-being. We’ve all been impacted to some degree, which is why return-to-the-office expectations should be tempered with patience and empathy—if not a fluid set of ground rules.

AIM Leadership Founder Camille Preston, PhD, writes how understanding “reverse culture shock” and its effects may serve as an effective way to transition from relative isolation to working around your team for stretches throughout the day. Following is an excerpt of how company leaders can help team members with a healthy and smooth re-entry.

1. Empower team members with options

Ensure team members have options on how and when they come back to the office. According to an early 2021 study, 70% of American workers still don’t feel entirely comfortable going back to work. Since reverse culture shock is worse when the return is involuntary and unexpected, one of the best ways to avoid its adverse effects is to ensure that team members can control how and when they return to the office.

2. Make it gradual

Returning to work post-pandemic warrants a gradual re-immersion. As returns begin, management can create buffers to ease the transition. For example, this can mean having employees come back just two or three days a week at first. This approach allows for some of the good habits we’ve adopted during the pandemic (e.g., sleeping more and eating more home-cooked meals) won’t be immediately disrupted.

3. Assume everyone has changed

Work on the assumption that all your team members have profoundly changed since everything changed in 2020—but don’t assume everyone has changed in the same way. After all, while some people have enjoyed more time with family and friends during the pandemic, others have experienced major losses, including the loss of family members and close friends.

4. Invest in rebuilding relationships

Even if your team has spent the last year hanging out with team members on Slack or Zoom, don’t always assume relationships can pick up right where they left off. Many people have been putting on a game face, but this doesn’t mean they’re not confronting serious challenges. Returning to the office will likely expose new cracks. Consider investing in relationship-building exercises to help repair old relationships and foster new ones. After all, in addition to bringing together existing team members, after more than a year, you’ll also likely be meeting a few people for the first time.

5. Give extra attention to the youngest team members

Reverse culture shock generally hits the young harder than the old. The theory is that the more transitions one has weathered in the past, the better equipped they are to handle new ones. This has proven true throughout the pandemic. COVID-19 posed a higher risk to older individuals, but they generally coped better with social isolation. In fact, the youngest members of the workforce have experienced the greatest mental health struggles throughout the past year. For this reason, consider additional resources to help support younger millennial and generation Z members of the workforce.