Moreover, organizations should prioritize regular check-ins to gauge employee wellbeing and productivity levels. Metrics from Buffer’s 2021 State of Remote Work report found that 27% of remote workers cite loneliness as a significant challenge; thus, using technology to create virtual social gatherings can combat isolation. Embracing a balanced approach to remote work technology not only mitigates fatigue but enhances overall job satisfaction. Lack of training in remote work and being new to technology, together with responsibilities determined by role in the organization and working long hours, generated increased perceived stress and precarious work–life balance. Continuity of social identity improved job satisfaction and decreased feelings of loneliness at work.
Negative Effects of Burnout on Workers
At our eight locations in New Jersey, we offer therapy for people who live in our state and nearby communities in New York. In addition, if you live farther away or prefer teletherapy, we are happy to help you with that, too. With the right help, you can overcome the pressures and stresses of working from home to enjoy and thrive in your job and during your off-work time, as well. For mild cases of WFH burnout, following the tips above may ease the strain on your physical and mental health. It can certainly prevent Zoom fatigue and remote work fatigue work from home burnout if you begin before any symptoms appear.
As Sarah, a marketing professional who transitioned to remote work during the pandemic, recounted, “I found myself working longer hours, but I also relished the flexibility to manage my time. Yet, there were days when the walls felt like they were closing in.” The extant literature on remote working has viewed prior remote working experience as a resource that facilitates individuals to adjust in the new environment and get the most benefit out of flexible working environments (Raghuram et al., 2001, Gajendran and Harrison, 2007). Yet prior research has evaluated remote work and techno stress in exclusivity – i.e. where remote working is considered the only mode of work and technostress occurs only due to work-related technologies. Our research is among the first studies to combine both work and personal platform technostress in tandem. It also considers the environment wherein stable remote work, some individuals due to the nature of their job must work both in-office and remotely. In this scenario, we find that not only prior experience of remote working but also the percentage of remote work performed during the current scenario will affect people’s technostress differently.
- What should be considered in a crisis situation, we concur, is the impact technostress exerts on subjective wellbeing, where individuals dealing with several enforced adjustments may feel a lack of control over their situation.
- When you do need to schedule a meeting, be bold enough to reduce the total meeting time.
- Learning from the styles of the past and influenced by these unique times, companies and employees are choosing their colors, applying brushstrokes to the canvas, and trying to paint an inspiring picture.
- One effective strategy to reclaim that coveted personal space is utilizing tools that monitor your work environment, like Vorecol’s HRMS module.
- This can affect self-perception of life quality, work performance, and psychological states.
- The challenge isn’t exclusive to Zoom; other videoconferencing platforms can have the same effect.
This research posits the increased use of technology for various purposes (e.g. work, entertainment, information, and communication) is an antecedent to technostress. Subsequently, we measure techno-exhaustion as a psychological reaction to both work-related and personal technology platforms. We argue that psychological strain in the form of techno-exhaustion has a strong impact on subjective wellbeing and hence can be considered as an outcome of both WTPS and PTPS. COVID-19 has forced people to rely heavily on technology to support remote work, keep in contact with friends and family members, gather information and news, and entertain themselves (e.g. movies, TV series, and game consoles). Even before COVID-19, the demand for flexible work practices supported by digital platforms was appealing to many (Curzi et al., 2020, Kelly et al., 2020). But the pandemic has largely removed the volitional factor from the work-from-home pattern.
Implementing Flexible Scheduling to Reduce Stress
However, while WFH burnout is not a diagnosis in itself, it can become an emotional or mental problem if it continues too long. We are advising our clients to use this unprecedented opportunity to create office environments—and workplace cultures—that are more sustainable, personalized, responsible, and experiential. Learning from the styles of the past and influenced by these unique times, companies and employees are choosing their colors, applying brushstrokes to the canvas, and trying to paint an inspiring picture. With all the challenges that remote work presents, the last thing your employees should have to deal with is hunting all over the place for the information they need to do their jobs. Effective remote workplaces provide their employees a simple and easy to use platform to find anything they need to do their jobs within a central, unified location.
Everyone has faced several challenges throughout the past year, but one common thread has been the anxiety many are trying to handle alone. 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.
By recognizing when to step back and disconnect, you’ll not only protect your personal space but also boost your overall well-being. As you fine-tune your daily routine and set those critical boundaries, you’ll find that a cohesive work-life balance isn’t just a dream—it can become your new reality. Burnout can play a major role in mental health — know your resources and talk to a trusted friend or colleague if you need to make adjustments at work.
- Organizations might also introduce flexible schedules that allow employees to manage their work hours according to their peak productivity times.
- Embracing these solutions will allow organizations to thrive in a new era of work while safeguarding the health and well-being of their employees.
- Some thought the pandemic would be short-lived and everyone would soon return to the office, but nine months have already passed.
- COVID-19 working arrangements remotely led to feelings of depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, role stress, and overload, reduced personal accomplishment, and job burnout, increasing turnover intentions.
- Research has even shown that working from home can actually result in increased productivity.
Take time off to disconnect
Dr. Raffaele Filieri is a Professor of Digital Marketing in the Marketing Department at Audencia Business School, Nantes, France. His research interests include electronic word of mouth; social media marketing; online trust; sharing economy; online value co-creation; technology adoption and continuance intention; inter-firm knowledge sharing and innovation. This study applies a survey-based quantitative research approach, following the research thread of technostress (Cao and Sun, 2018, Tarafdar et al., 2010).
Unlike Skype, Zoom and Microsoft Teams give users greater liberty about joining and leaving a call, while also making them even more dependent on their technology. Due to technology being the primary or only tool available for work and personal entertainment, information, and communication purposes during the pandemic, the boundary between work-related and personal use of technology continues to be blurred. Many people who have been excessive with their personal use of technology have found it has invaded their work time too, therefore causing stress. As suggested by Tarafdar (2020), the human brain is not going to evolve to meet such digital demands anytime soon. This means that IT is only going to become more essential to everyday lives, so it is important to learn “IT distancing” both at work and at a personal level.
Natural light can boost your mood and energy levels, and ergonomic furniture can support your posture and prevent physical strain. Personalise your space with elements that inspire you, such as plants, artwork, or motivational quotes. This not only enhances your work environment but also positively impacts your mental well-being. The signs of WFH burnout may be easy to notice, but you might not realize the burnout causing them. While in the past, you might have used email, messaging, or phone calls to relay instructions or check in on your staff, now you are in their virtual presence much of the day. Having meetings through online platforms is much different from meeting face-to-face in the same room, too.
It’s easy to lose yourself in your work, especially in a remote work environment with no colleagues to remind you it’s break time. They can help you reset your mind, improve your ability to concentrate, and increase and maintain productivity levels. Poor collaboration and communication between teams, remote employees, and their managers can lead to uncertainty and work-related stress, triggering remote work burnout. In conclusion, remote work burnout is a common challenge that many individuals are facing due to the rise of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Blurred boundaries, isolation, increased workload, and lack of structure are some of the causes of remote work burnout. Burnout can also lead to increased absenteeism, as individuals may need to take time off to recover from physical and emotional exhaustion.
Psychological resilience is defined as the ability of a person to recover, rebound, adjust, or even thrive following misfortune, change, or adversity (Garcia-Dia et al., 2013). As a key personal resource for helping reduce the impact of distress, people with high resilience can more effectively regulate the impact of stressors on their wellbeing. Such resilience negatively moderates the impact of technology exhaustion, and thus reduces stress levels in the work domain (Jin et al., 2020, Chen and Bonanno, 2020, Tarafdar et al., 2019, Torres and Augusto, 2019). Another compelling example comes from the multinational company Cisco, which has long championed work-life balance among its remote workforce.
The importance of these regular check-ins shouldn’t be underestimated, as 89% of human resources leaders agree that ongoing peer feedback and check-ins are key for successful outcomes. The research results drawn from the inspected sources clarify that the COVID-19 remote work environment (Milch et al., 2021; Shipman et al., 2021; Van Zoonen et al., 2021) shaped the work–life balance and organizational commitment. Severe psychological symptoms and emotional stress were related to unsatisfactory organizational communication and increasing workload. Perceptions of organizational support and flexible work arrangements increased performance effectiveness. In conclusion, the growing phenomenon of remote work fatigue is a significant psychological challenge that has emerged as a consequence of our increasingly interconnected and digital world. As individuals navigate the blurred lines between their professional and personal lives, the potential for burnout escalates, underscoring the need for effective strategies to reclaim one’s personal space.
