A Post-Covid World: How Working From Home Has Added To Employee Burnout
The blurring line between home and work for people who work from home might be stressful. Since the Covid-19 epidemic has changed the workplace, it is vital to adopt a comprehensive approach to understanding burnout.
The Covid-19 epidemic, which has been going on for almost three years, has altered how people live and work. Both individuals and companies have gone through a major shift from working in offices to working remotely from home and adjusting to hybrid styles of working. The epidemic has also spawned several new workplace ills, such as “the big resignation,” “silent resigning,” over-employment, “labor shortages,” and disputes between managers and employees about the return to in-person work.
Researchers now believe that most of these problems may be rooted in employee health and potential burnout. Such a study is even more crucial given how current emotional turmoil affects public health and the continued difficulties brought on by COVID-19.
Working from home may not always be the best office arrangement, as shown by two recent studies that emphasize the value of social interaction in the workplace. Hybrid work-from-home arrangements may lessen mental fatigue and minimize burnout.
How has burnout altered with Covid-19 and what is burnout?
According to the International Classification of Diseases, prolonged occupational stress that has not been effectively handled is what leads to burnout. Burnout is a diagnosable syndrome that has three symptoms: physical tiredness, disengagement from one’s workplace and coworkers, and skepticism about one’s career and employment.
The Covid-19 epidemic has resulted in new burnout symptoms because of the altered nature of the workplace and social connections. Dr. Patricia Grabarek, a specialist in workplace wellness at USC, claims that three interconnected factors, such as emotional or physical tiredness, a sensation of being cut off from one’s job or family, and a sense of being less successful, may now be recognized as burnout symptoms.
Gallup discovered shifts in patterns of employee engagement and burnout in research titled The Wellbeing-Engagement Paradox of 2020. Greater levels of employee involvement often lead to lower rates of burnout, higher levels of production, and happier workers. Experts in mental health point out that more participation may not always translate into greater productivity and mental health over the long term, especially in light of the Covid-19 epidemic. According to international studies, the coronavirus pandemic has caused burnout in managers and employees at a rate of about 50% each.
How may burnout be prevented? What causes it?
Burnout has been studied by experts since the late 1970s, yet it is still not fully understood.
Since then, several studies have been done that have centered on workplace factors including compensation, hours, managerial practices, and the hazy corporate culture.
As a result, efforts to reduce burnout have frequently concentrated on improving working conditions and rehabilitating poor managers. These are essential, but it is not immediately apparent whether or not they are sufficient. Despite this, academics are attempting to see burnout as a societal issue that is made worse by isolation due to the pandemic of remote working practices.
The disappearance of the boundary between home and workplace may be stressful for individuals who work from home. Due to this, a comprehensive approach to burnout study is required.
edited and proofread by nikita sharma
Pros and cons of working from home
Social connection is a significant contributor to burnout, according to Kiffer George Card of Simon Fraser University. Researchers from Simon Fraser University recently conducted a study to pinpoint the key risk factors for burnout. In addition to more unusual characteristics including house ownership, a variety of demographic factors, social support, and loneliness, the study examined a wide range of parameters, including workload, contentment with pay, workplace dignity, control over one’s job, and pay adequacy.
The researchers discovered that loneliness and a lack of social support were major causes of burnout, possibly even more so than good physical condition and stable financial circumstances. In conclusion, the study contributes to the expanding body of research that shows burnout to be an isolating social issue.
Does working from home cause burnout?
Working remotely might contribute to isolation if it’s a major factor in burnout. Due to the various advantages the model offers, many businesses and employees have opted to work remotely from home even after Covid-19 limitations were lifted. Those fortunate enough to have the option of working from home have discovered that it helps them save time on their commutes, gives them more free time, and gives them the ability to complete household tasks or take a brief sleep during their breaks.
This implies that at the end of the day, they will have more time and energy for their friends and family. Nevertheless, working from home means skipping out on social connections with coworkers and those outside of the office. It has been observed that missing out on water cooler talks and unplanned run-ins with coworkers may have an unexpectedly dramatic effect on one’s general well-being.
In addition, given how crucial locations like workplaces and schools are for making and maintaining friendships, losing any of these environments might have negative long-term effects on people’s social well-being, particularly if time previously spent with coworkers is now spent at home alone.
Hybrid work models: are they useful?
The Simon Fraser University research team performed a second study to compare variations in self-rated mental health among those who work entirely from home, entirely in person, or partially both in person and at home to better understand the effects of working from home on mental health.
According to the survey, 54% of those who only worked in person and 63% of people who exclusively worked from home reported having high or outstanding mental health.
These findings could point to the most beneficial working arrangement for mental health as being remote employment. The results, however, go against a growing body of research that emphasizes the drawbacks and difficulties of working from home.
However, a staggering 87% of participants in the second trial who worked a hybrid schedule (primarily in the office and partly from home) reported high or outstanding mental health.
Flexible work schedules may help individuals keep up their good relationships with coworkers while also achieving a better work-life balance.
For those who can do it, it could be the best of both worlds.
