You get to be in comfy clothes all day. Your commute is now down to the time it takes to walk to your home office. You are saving money on all those lunches made at home instead of eating out. Not to mention the flexibility of being able to sneak in a few house chores while on a conference call.
Working from home can have tremendous benefits. But this short-term solution is turning into a long-term reality for many. Sixty-two percent of the employed US adults are working part or full time from home. At the same time, three in five workers who have been working from home during the pandemic would prefer to continue to work remotely as much as possible as officials lift public health restrictions.
At the same time, work from home burnout is also rising; more than two-thirds of employees experience burnout symptoms. While we’ve discussed how it’s pretty normal to feel stressed right now, burnout can lead to a lack of productivity and affects your health.
Work from home stress happens when you can’t separate home life and work life. When you face elevated stress levels over a long period, it can affect both your mental and physical health.
Some burnout signs:
- Inability to focus
- Missing deadlines
- Mood changes like irritability, sadness, or anger
- Experiencing symptoms of depression, like hopelessness, loss of interest in things you used to enjoy, or fatigue
- Feeling discouraged or apathetic about work
- Getting poor sleep, experiencing insomnia, or having trouble falling asleep.
Here are some work from home burnout contributors:
- Missing co-workers
- Feel the need to always be on
- Have back to back meetings
- ‘Zoom’ fatigue
Ways to avoid burnout:
- Pay attention to how your body feels
- Change your working conditions – take scheduled breaks
- Focus on what you can control – what you eat, how much you exercise, and getting enough sleep
- Check-in with your boss and co-workers.
Overcoming burnout may require more than a long weekend, but be kind to yourself and talk about what you are going through with friends and co-workers; chances are you’ll find that you’re not alone.
