Remote Work
The pandemic dramatically shifted the way individuals approach work and productivity. While many offices are returning to in-person or hybrid work, remote work is still very common and appears to be here to stay. If you find yourself working from home more often than you expected, it may be challenging to adjust to your new work environment. Below are some tools and strategies to ensure you maintain your productivity and mental health while working remotely.
Combating Burnout
As remote work has become more widespread, the rates of individuals experiencing burnout have spiked. Increased stress, zoom fatigue, and long hours can leave you feeling drained, unmotivated, and unfocused. Burnout is a challenging consequence of the pandemic but there are some tools you can use to combat it. Focusing on maintaining other elements of your health such as healthy nutrition and regular exercise can help you stay engaged and present throughout your workday. In addition, if you are feeling overwhelmed in your job, consider speaking with your supervisor about how the position may be adjusted for a remote work context.
Job Burnout: How to Spot it and Take Action from the Mayo Clinic.
Combatting Burnout in a Remote Workplace from GitLab
Combatting Burnout to Improve your Mental Health from Hinge Health
Maintaining a Work-Life Balance
When you work where you live it is easy to feel like you are constantly on the clock. Maintaining a regular schedule even when working from home can help to ensure you feel productive throughout the day. Consider finding a space in your home that can be an established “office space,” and only work in that location. Going through a morning routine can also help to shift your mind and body into “work mode.” It is also important to find time to wind down. Setting a strict end-time for your work and establishing clear boundaries for when you cannot be reached can help you maintain a remote work schedule long term. Everyone’s management of their work-life balance is different. Some people find it helpful to integrate work into leisure or social activities such as taking remote meetings outside or virtual/ in person work groups. Others benefit from strict boundaries between their work and outside life, and many fall somewhere in between. Consider trying some of the strategies below and figure out what works best for you.
Remote Work- Life Balance from Owl Labs
How to have a Good Work-Life Balance blog from Better Up
Managing your Work-Life Balance from Mayo Clinic
For Employers
For employees shifting to remote work long-term, it is important to recognize how this structure may impact their mental well-being. Being cognizant of the potential for burnout, increased mental health challenges, and life disruptions as the pandemic continues will help to foster a healthy workplace environment even outside the office. Ensuring employees are engaged with their work and know about the mental health resources that are available to them through your organization can help reduce employee turnover, increase productivity, and improve employee well-being.
What Employers Need to Know About Mental Health from McLean Hospital
Employee Mental Health and Productivity from Silver Cloud Health
Engaging Remote Work Employees in their Health from the CDC
Virtual Wellness Room
Visit our Virtual Wellness Room for quick, stress relief strategies that can be incorporated into your daily routine, as well as project ideas and activities to do with friends and family.
