This is a guest post by Sharon Koifman, CEO of DistantJob.
Even in the best of times, remote work brings both advantages and also challenges. The problem is that these are anything but the best of times. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many of the problems that can arise for remote workers, and even created some new ones. As a result, it’s never been more important for company managers and CEOs to help prevent remote employees burnout, work-from-home burnout, and remote work loneliness.
Before COVID-19, statistics show that remote work offered some flexibility. Though the term is most commonly associated with working from home, that didn’t automatically need to be the case. Some remote workers (and managers) choose to set up office space somewhere that’s both away from the company’s office and not at home. Others might occasionally take their laptops to the coffee shop or the park. Workers who have a particularly flexible boss might even be authorized to go work at the beach on a tropical island, as long as the work gets done.
The novel coronavirus wiped out that flexibility. Working from home became the only viable option for most remote workers. That new normal has resulted in greater stress for remote workers of all stripes.
First, there’s the anxiety that comes with potentially catching the virus. Even people working from home can be at risk, even if they only leave their homes for groceries or interact with just a few other people who don’t seal themselves off from the rest of the world.
Then there’s the stress that comes from remote work even in the best of times. Remote work loneliness and remote employees burnout are always threats that bosses need to watch for. That’s doubly true in the middle of a deadly global pandemic.
To understand how and why remote employees burnout is such a significant cause of concern during the time of COVID-19, let’s take a closer look at why these are concerns the rest of the time.
It starts with the absence of the most desirable elements of working in an office with others. People who work in offices often report counting some of their colleagues as among their closest friends. Whether through water cooler talk around the big game, commiserating in the lunchroom, or after-work activities, office colleagues can and do develop close bonds, the kind that can be difficult to find (or replicate) without physical, face-to-face proximity. Remote work makes all of those interactions difficult.
Remote workers who don’t get proper support from their bosses and teamwork guidelines can also start to feel disconnected from the company they work for. When everyone is working side by side in an office, it’s natural to grow to feel like everyone is pulling from the same side of the rope. The solitude of remote work can erase that feeling of solidarity. It gives workers more time to be alone with their thoughts.
In this case that’s not always a good thing, because all of those thoughts can lead to doubts or even resentment. They can make workers wonder if their work is actually making a difference, and if their contributions are being seen and appreciated. Even something as simple as basic eye contact or a pat on the back isn’t available when workers are sitting alone, in their own space. That lack of human connection can make some less self-assured workers more anxious, less effective at their work, and less productive.
Here then are a few tips for remote workers who want to prevent burnout, and managers who want to help prevent that remote employees burnout:
This is a guest post by Sharon Koifman, CEO of DistantJob.
Author’s bio:
Sharon Koifman is the CEO of DistantJob, a Montreal-based company that provides remote worker staffing and best practices-based advisory services for companies seeking to improve and expand their remote work operations.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay