Remote Work And Burnout

Other employees may have healthcare concerns that have been exacerbated by the pandemic and financial concerns about seeking treatment. Many employees that used to have “windshield” time or white space in between meetings find themselves engaged in back-to-back Zoom meetings, which elevates pressure in getting their work done. The best way to approach this is to encourage employees to share their struggles and ask them what you can do as a team to alleviate those pressures. Perhaps you can encourage employees to ensure they schedule time in between Zoom meetings to get work down or decompress.

So are people who have always worked from home but are adapting to a new normal . Plenty of people are realizing that remote work is not the career utopia they’d imagined. Psychologist Susan Albers PsyD, explains why it’s so hard — and how to make it easier. To avoid the feeling of “being on,” try making certain meetings a phone or conference call instead. When your team members see that you’re comfortable sharing your struggles, they’ll be more comfortable sharing theirs.

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Finally, participants in Buffer’s survey believe they are in more meetings than ever. However, eliminating it will give your team the freedom from distractions they need to do their best work. In contrast, asynchronous communication can help you share key information with your team without the need for everyone on a call together. It gives everyone a chance to think about things and provide their input at a time that’s best for them. In one of their surveys, Gallup asked people if they would look for a new job if their employer stopped offering remote-work options. In 2021, 46% of organizations surveyed by Buffer were planning to allow employees to work remotely on a permanent basis.

But stepping away from your computer screen to grab a cup of coffee is not a real break. Encourage your remote workers to take real breaks, shutting down their devices and intentionally shifting their attention to something other than work.

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Over the past two years, living and working through the pandemic has presented a unique set of challenges. Between the isolation from friends and family and the financial pressure millions have remote work fatigue felt as businesses shuttered, it goes without saying that we’re all ready to put this moment in time behind us. The issue is that remote work is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

For example, if a staff member is a part of a local choir or sports team, they can craft their schedules to allow time for those activities. During this time, say between 11 am and 3 pm, everyone will be expected to work.

What Is Burnout?

Ultimately, working remotely is not about finding work-life balance but finding harmony. There will be days when work consumes more hours than your personal life does, but make these the exception.

If however, you are aware of the risks, you need to be on the lookout for burnout symptoms. I already explained why this can be a lot more challenging for remote workers than office folk. That’s why I keep emphasising this vital step, so please forgive me if you think I am overdoing it. Another potential burnout issue for freelancers is that they can jump from project to project, client to client, in a matter of months. In that case, most of their communication will involve people who are unfamiliar with their personality.

Enforce “Off” Hours

From the outbreak of COVID-19 to today, there have been many changes to how we all work. With the shift to remote work, it’s likely that the routines of many of your people have changed. Even if they had great habits before COVID, it’s a good idea to bring it up again and to see how well they’ve adjusted since. To combat this, you have to proactively work on supporting your team. Avoid visual overload by reducing what you see on the screen. Only have a browser window or document open when you need to use it. Your motivation disappears as you worry about not being able to complete your assignments or fulfill all your work duties.