Lead by example – It’s not enough for managers and team leads to encourage remote employees to care for their well-being; they should also do it themselves. Leaders who prioritize self-care are essentially reinforcing the importance of work-life balance, which can help create a more healthy work culture and environment. Poor collaboration and communication between teams, remote employees, and their managers can lead to uncertainty and work-related stress, triggering remote work burnout. Having limited access to immediate guidance or feedback from a manager can cause stress to remote employees. High on the list of causes for remote work burnout is that some remote employees find it difficult to disconnect from work. The main reason, as we currently understand it, is that personal and work life are more intertwined in a remote work environment simply because they both occur in the same place – typically, the remote worker’s home.
At the same time, 32% prefer a hybrid schedule, which combines the best of both worlds—flexibility from remote work and collaboration opportunities from in-office work. The age group most likely to work remotely are those aged 24 to 35 [7]. Within this demographic, 39% work remotely full time and 25% do so part time.
Remote work burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic
Burnout can be characterized by irritability, negative mental or physical symptoms, and low job satisfaction. While work from home used to be a big perk before the pandemic, remote workers have suffered from burnout since the pandemic started. These remote work burnout statistics are telling us that both employees and employers need to do more so that remote work can become a perk again, and not result in high levels of stress and burnout. If you are interested in remote work statistics, you can learn more about them, as well. So, what are businesses doing to alleviate burnout and create a psychologically safe environment for their teams?
- Three concrete steps can do this during and after the pandemic and benefit the entire organization.
- According to the World Health Organization, burnout is a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress.
- Remote work is consistently touted as the best way for workers to feel mentally and physically well.
In addition, they highlighted that clarity of communication about expectations, ways of working and responsibility is essential in managing the remote team. The key to having an enjoyable time working from home is self-awareness. Once you’ve done this self-reflection, you can organise your work time in a way that plays to your strengths and compensates for your weaknesses. This is why a lot of advice you’ll see on social media about working from home misses the point.
Business Development and Sales
Currently, it’s suggested that around 23% of all employed people in the US work remotely. Subsequently, the fact that more people are working remotely these days means that remote work burnout is also more prevalent. Whether it’s the lack of social interaction or the longer hours working at home, remote working fatigue show how important it is to cultivate a healthy workplace regardless of its location. Though critical to surviving the crisis, these measures are taking a toll on employees, particularly women, people of color, and those with caregiving responsibilities. Indeed, burnout — defined as “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed” — is at an all-time high.
Shifting the lens to the most sought-after remote job roles, accountant tops the list in 2022. This showcases how traditional office functions, such as accounting, can successfully adapt to a remote format. Marketing, accounting and finance, and project management have embraced remote work, using digital tools and platforms to ensure work continuity. The medical and health industry has also seen a shift towards remote work, primarily driven by the rise of telehealth services and the digitization of health records. The computer and IT sector leads as the top industry for remote work in 2023 [6]. This aligns with the fact that tasks in this sector are often digital in nature, requiring only a reliable internet connection.