During the first few weeks of the COVID-19 lockdowns, working from home seemed to be an exciting new opportunity for companies and their employees. But almost half a year later, that prospect doesn’t seem fun after all. And as it turns out, many are feeling burned out from doing their jobs at home. So, how do we deal with work from home burnout and keep the team going? Let’s take a look.
The causes of work-from-home burnout
Since work from home burnout is a relatively new phenomenon, we still need to understand a lot of things about it. One of these is what causes it. While there are many possible triggers, experts have identified some of the common ones.
The inability to disconnect
The home is often considered a respite from all the pressures of the workplace. As such, bringing all that work into your house pretty much kills the idea. To make matters worse, it becomes harder to disconnect from all that work.
For instance, you start your mornings already checking emails from supervisors. And even your lunchtimes get interrupted by video conference calls with the team. You might also find yourself working longer hours at home compared to your time at the office.
The lack of workplace inspiration
Another big issue with working from home is that you lose a lot of the inspiration that you get from a regular work environment. Without all the social interactions and engagements, it can be hard to concentrate on work. It becomes even more challenging when dealing with work issues. You don’t get assistance and comfort, unlike in the office where your colleagues can huddle with you.
Various studies reveal that all these stresses can have a significant effect on your brain. It then affects your cognitive skills, making it harder to function at work. Thus, you find yourself becoming less motivated, resulting in the feeling of being burned out.
The signs of work-from-home burnout
Now that you have a good idea of what could trigger WFH burnouts, you should know the signs of having one. Here, companies and employees need to be more observant as not all the warnings are easily visible. Spotting these early will help you provide a more effective intervention.
Working round the clock
This is directly related to the first cause above. You find yourself working longer than what you usually do, as you try to keep up with deadlines. There are even times when you feel compelled to work when you are supposed to be resting.
This overexertion makes you feel exhausted more often than not. Some of the changes that you might notice at this point include:
- Feeling too tired to exercise
- Ignoring phone calls due to being in too many Zoom meetings
- Having difficulty sleeping
- Increased tendency to procrastinate
All of these signs point out to you needing to slow down even for a bit to refresh yourself. Not heeding it will lead to you struggling to perform tasks.
Increased mental distance from your job
Another common sign that you might be burning out is losing interest in the job. You start feeling like the work is getting repetitive or boring. Additionally, this might lead you to question whether you are getting your effort’s worth from it.
This loss of interest can lead to a decreased turnover on your part. Worse, it might also trigger absenteeism as you try to distance yourself from the job. Such issues disrupt not just your work but also the entire team, which can lead to conflicts between you and your teammates.
Increased loneliness
Dealing with loneliness and isolation has always been a challenge when working from home. And when you cross that point into burnout, this feeling can get more severe. Even small issues within the office can leave you depressed at not being able to do anything.
You also experience a greater sense of anxiety. Here, you start worrying whether your job will remain secure in the next few months. In trying to cope, you might begin “panic working.” This situation is where you again try to work harder to manage the stress. Eventually, it would feel like everything is falling apart anyway.
Dealing with work-from-home burnout
The first step in combating work from home burnout is by creating clear boundaries between “work” and “home.” Make a schedule that shows the exact time when you should be working and when you should be off. It would also be a good idea to talk about your schedule with your colleagues. This way, everyone will know when you are out and not disturb you with work-related inquiries.
Be strict in enforcing this schedule, especially with logging out for the day. Make sure that you have accomplished most of your tasks 30 minutes before the logout time so that you are ready to go. In case additional work arrives near the end of the day, decide on whether to take it in based on the urgency. But don’t go beyond a 30 minute overtime.
You would also want to create a bit of physical boundary between your “work” self “home” self. Taking a bath and changing your clothes is one routine you can do. You can also get a hot cup of coffee and snacks at the end of the shift. All these routines will help you get your mind off of work and focus on other stuff.
Don’t forget about breaks
Taking breaks is another effective strategy for mitigating work from home burnouts. These let you breathe for a bit before going back to work. You can also use them as an opportunity to clear your thoughts and plan on how to handle the next set of tasks.
In most cases, even a simple coffee break will do. But you can also do other things. Work from home parents, for instance, can use their break time to do home chores or help out their kids. On the other hand, if you are a fitness buff, you can squeeze in a workout routine or even a quick run before returning to work.
Review your work routines
Taking a closer look at how you work will help you find out points where you get overwhelmed. For instance, you might find yourself getting distracted and preoccupied by too many notifications coming from your emails and mobile phones. By changing some of your routines, you will be able to manage your work time better.
Find a work accountability buddy
A remote work accountability buddy is someone who can help you keep your priorities on track. They can often be colleagues who might be facing the same work from home challenges as you. By getting in touch through a phone call or online message, you help each other better cope with these and deal with your concerns.
How employers can help deal with work-from-home burnout
Companies also play an important role in protecting their employees from work from home burnout. Their first step is recognizing that it is a problem. Here, employers need to let go of the mindset that they can just replace a burned out personnel. By doing so, they will see the merits of protecting their employee’s well-being.
Crafting better work policies
When creating work policies, companies should be flexible. By giving employees some leeway in things like schedule and workloads, they lessen the pressure on them while still ensuring productivity. They would also want to make their expectations clear for the team to meet it better while maintaining their work-life balance.
It is also important to include everyone in the policy-making process. This is especially crucial for remote employees, as they can often feel isolated due to their distance. Let them voice their opinions and consider how you can incorporate their suggestions. All of these help them feel that they are still part of the team.
Providing support
To better help employees suffering from work from home burnout, companies should be ready to provide support. The human resources department, in particular, must be prepared to handle employee problems and provide some form of remedy. Additionally, employers should be more proactive in inquiring about these issues and assisting workers.
Providing counseling also goes a long way in dealing with worker burnout. Here, employers should have professional help ready to assist personnel who might be going through tough times. Additionally, they should provide other forms of support to help burned-out workers get back on track, like therapy sessions.
Avoid work-from-home burnout and keep yourself going
While it has been happening ever since remote work became popular, the COVID-19 pandemic showed that work from home burnout is a serious matter. Thus, workers and employers should be ready to address the problem thoroughly. Follow the strategies here to keep your team and business going forward during hard times.