{"id":25406,"date":"2020-10-01T03:32:30","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T09:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/corevalues.com\/?p=25406"},"modified":"2020-10-01T03:32:30","modified_gmt":"2020-10-01T09:32:30","slug":"remote-work-fatigue-and-how-to-manage-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/corevalues.com\/dev\/2020\/10\/01\/remote-work-fatigue-and-how-to-manage-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Remote Work Fatigue And How To Manage It"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Remote work. It used to be a perk.\u00a0 Who would\u2019ve thought that\u00a0 a work from home arrangement could lead to remote work fatigue, burnout and stress?<\/p>\n

More than half of employees working from home have reported feeling burned out.\u00a0 Financial anxiety plus the added challenge of dealing with the pandemic (juggling home and work life, plus kids) have begun to take its toll. People aren\u2019t inclined to take time off for fear of layoff.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a burnout and how is it influenced by remote work fatigue?<\/h4>\n

Burnout happens when we\u2019re tasked to do things we don\u2019t normally do or when we face challenges that test our capacities. Burnout isn\u2019t cabin fever \u2013 the distressing feeling of restlessness and claustrophobia when a person is confined for long periods. \u00a0It’s more than having a bad day. Burnout is a chronic feeling of stress and exhaustion.<\/p>\n

Remote workers are embarrassed to admit it. After all, frontliners and essential workers are barely pulling through.\u00a0 But even the toughest among us can get burned out.<\/p>\n

“Remote work fatigue is real. Imagine trying to check emails while supervising a first grader through her online class, and dealing with irate clients all at the same time”, explains Dianne Crampton, Founder and President of TIGERS Success Series, Inc.\u00a0 “Or how about struggling to meet a quota when everyone else is at less than 100% office capacity”, she adds.\u00a0 It\u2019s a balancing act \u2013 the work-life balance, the worry that employees might catch the coronavirus, and everything else in between that we\u2019ve been doing for the past few months since the pandemic started.<\/p>\n

Crampton cautions leaders to plan their reemergence strategies carefully and to include planning to deal with remote work fatigue.\u00a0 Unpredictable business reopening and closures based on community infection rates takes an additional toll. An employee returns to the office at the beginning of the week and returns to working from home a few days later.\u00a0 It takes collaborative and project skilled leaders to pull employees through the emotional upheaval employees are experiencing today.<\/p>\n

But to be candid\u2026 we\u2019ve been tilting towards burning out, to begin with.<\/p>\n

Burnouts happen when physical exhaustion meets emotional fatigue.\u00a0 Therefore, you get disconnected and begin to question your why\u2019s for doing what you do. Soon this leads to depression and anxiety, two conditions that impact resilience.<\/p>\n

The canary in the coal mine\"\"<\/a><\/h4>\n

Canaries used to be placed in cages and brought to coal mines to detect the presence of carbon monoxide and other toxic gases.\u00a0 It\u2019s a practice that began in the early 1900s and was used as an early-warning signal for harmful fumes.\u00a0 Today, burned-out workers can be likened to canaries in coal mines.\u00a0 They are accurate indicators of the working environment\u2019s toxicity.<\/p>\n

But the real culprit is the culture at work and collaborative leadership competency<\/a> \u2013 not the workers\u2019 ability to adjust.<\/p>\n

Those who work remotely because of the pandemic are now experiencing job burnout and are the proverbial canaries in the coal mine.\u00a0 Feelings of anxiety and unnecessary stress caused by technology, homeschooling and inadequate home work space are reflections of bigger problems in the office.\u00a0 Burnout is a red flag. Unfortunately, it\u2019s a red flag on the employer or manager\u2019s side of the equation, too.<\/p>\n

How to recognize culture and leadership practices that contribute to remote work fatigue<\/h4>\n

Here are the usual culprits that lead to remote work fatigue and workplace burnout:<\/p>\n

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  1. Conflicts in employee priorities and values<\/li>\n
  2. Demand overload caused by poor work planning and organization<\/li>\n
  3. Lack of control to perform work in a child-free zone.<\/li>\n
  4. Inadequate recognition or reward<\/li>\n
  5. Toxic workplace behaviors and leadership performance<\/li>\n
  6. Biased practices which result in certain social groups being advantaged or favoured and others being disadvantaged or devalued<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Imbalances lead to exhaustion, cynicism, and point to leadership competence<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    A solid example is how US essential workers and health care workers make their own masks and protective gear.\u00a0 It’s inspiring at first, but dig deeper and we realize that the demand from them is too much.\u00a0 Closer to home are parents who perform their work and care for children at the same time.\u00a0 The new realities of homeschooling, caring for an aging parent, or even finding ways to supplement the household income are recipes for a breakdown.<\/p>\n

    Burnout isn\u2019t an individual weakness.\u00a0 It\u2019s a social phenomenon that nobody was prepared for.\u00a0 As we continue to find a cure for Covid-19 and as we pummel through remote work, a strong and healthy work environment is needed now more than ever.<\/p>\n

    Connect with TIGERS and see how our expertise can help you and your team members manage burnout and stress.\u00a0 Click HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Care to dig deeper into remote work fatigue?<\/h4>\n

    Here are some additional resources that add to this conversation.<\/p>\n