While face masks have become the new norm in many workplaces to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19, organizations need to mindfully manage the unintended costs that masks can create when it comes to people's working relationships. So, how can you help workers continue to feel safe and connected with each other while wearing facial masks?

3 challenges to plan for when it comes to wearing masks

New research by The Wellbeing Lab and George Mason University's Center for the Advancement of Wellbeing suggests that only 21.6% of American workers feel positive about heading back to their offices with many citing fear for their health, there are three challenges that workplaces need to talking about and planning around when it comes to wearing masks.

1. Inability to read facial expressions

Firstly, facial expressions are one of the more important aspects of human communication. For example, being able to read other people's facial emotions has been found to aid the development of rapport and trust and give us better information about people's emotional states that helps to reduce misunderstandings and provides a basis for better cooperation and harmonious functioning in groups.

Facial masks remove many of these important visual prompts, leaving our eyes to carry the weight of non-verbal communication. Unfortunately, studies have found that even those of us who have been trained to read people's emotions are generally no more reliable at interpreting these expressions than randomly flipping a coin and guessing.