Remote Work And The Pandemic

Remote Work And The PandemicWhile for some it seems a lot longer, it has been about six months since shelter orders were placed in many parts of the United States, as well as other parts of the world. Remote work has become normal for many individuals. Unfortunately, it is taking a toll on these people.

Those who do remote work or are first-line workers say that they are finding an increase in burnout. While this is bad for the employees doing the remote work, it also affects the employers. They may see a decrease in production or the quality of work, and at the same time, they may also be concerned about the well being of their employees. Burnout is coming from all over the world, some countries producing higher rates than others. Germany has the lowest burnout totals for all workers who work remotely, at just 10%. Perhaps this is because they have the shortest workdays of all countries viewed. Brazil is the highest at 44%. The United States is between the two at 31%.

Remote workers do not have the same causes of stress that a first-line worker does. During the study of individuals from 8 different countries, all workers were asked what their top stressors were for their jobs. The number one thing was contracting COVID. However, this was broken down further for remote workers and first-line workers. Those working remotely were stressed about not being able to separate their personal life from work the most, while this was the third stressor for those that worked first-line. Firstline workers said that the inability to social distance was a number one stressor and worried about getting COVID, while this was a number three on the list of remote workers.

Even though there are stressors that remote workers face, they are still having meetings and chatting with others. Chats between the hours of 5 PM and midnight have also gone up. We are seeing that people are willing to work later now than they were before the pandemic even struck.

Feeling fatigued after working from home has been an issue as well. Many feel that not being able to commute to work is hurting their well-being. But the study has shown that by traveling to work, it brings a boundary and separation between work and career. With a commute, you are able to have the downtime after work to mentally prepare for your home life. This is true for your drive to work as well. It is healthy to be able to do this, but with working remotely, there is not a chance to have this.

Besides all of this, many are facing other challenges, such as having a home school their children. Add this in with all the other daily chores that a normal person faces, and it can lead to a mountain of stress.

If you are a remote worker or even a first-line worker, you may wish to consider meditation. A whopping 70% of people state that by meditating, they are able to reduce their stress load. You may consider taking mindfulness breaks a few times per day to decrease your stress or to avoid burnout.

A remote worker’s well-being is just as important as a first-line worker. Challenges have faced that need to be dealt with, such as the fatigue and stress caused by the pandemic. If your company needs assistance, do not be afraid to reach out to IB Systems USA. We can assist you in growing your business through IT computer support, web design, and marketing, or SEO. We stay ahead of the latest and greatest trends so you do not have to worry about that.

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