How to Handle Remote Work Fatigue I VOC Associates
Work was happening at the kitchen table, on the couch, in the bed, and from a desk space without ergonomic support specific to the individual,” she says. “Essentially, people fit themselves into a workspace instead of creating a workspace for their body.” If you’ve been working remotely for sometime now, you may have already noticed the physical impact on your body. According to Krys Hines, a Washington, D.C.-based workplace wellness and ergonomics educator at KH Ergo and Wellness, the recent shift to remote work has aged our bodies by about 10 to 15 years. Although working from home became the norm after the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020, many people have finally returned to the office, albeit more frequently following a hybrid model. But the 59% of Americans who work from home some—if not all—of the time might find themselves stuck with the bad WFH habits they developed at the start of the pandemic.
Lessened work motivation
Ref. classifies the impacts of loneliness and isolation in teleworking on productivity into direct and indirect effects. Direct impacts include communication difficulties, reduced collaboration, lower creativity, and limited knowledge sharing, all of which impair task performance. Indirect impacts consist of increased stress, a weakened sense of organizational belonging, and a heightened risk of burnout. These factors negatively affect concentration, decision-making, and overall well-being . Ref. reinforces this view, asserting that employee performance is closely linked to job satisfaction, motivation, and psychological well-being.
The absence of in-person communication can make it harder to focus, leading to tiredness and decreased productivity. Keep learning new skills or tools to grow and regularly share results with your team so your contributions stay visible. Stay socially connected via quick check-ins or virtual chats with colleagues to maintain human connection to keep you engaged and part of a community.
Eligible studies employed validated scales or provided clear, explicit reports of loneliness. Isolation was defined as the absence or reduced frequency of social contact and interaction . Only studies that clearly distinguished isolation from loneliness and addressed the concept in a work-related context were considered. By communicating early about the symptoms or problems you’re experiencing, you can actually receive proper help at the right time and maintain your productivity levels.
A 2020 survey found that 2.4% of people or 4.9 million Americans say they have moved because of remote work in 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic the working model showed the amount of employees who are working fully on site is 62%, with 30% hybrid and 8% remote. Post COVID-19 pandemic working models changed with the amount of employees who were fully on site at 37%, with 52% hybrid and 11% remote. Remote work provides workers with the freedom and power to decide how and when to do their tasks and therefore can increase productivity. Since work hours are less regulated in remote work, employee effort and dedication are far more likely to be measured purely in terms of output or results. Most studies find that remote work overall results in a decrease in energy use due to less time spent on energy-intensive personal transportation, cleaner air, and a reduction of electricity usage due to a lower office space footprint.
Increased motivation and job satisfaction
- With guided meditations, emotional check-ins, and burnout-specific content, it’s a private space to reset.
- This may be due to the inability to unwind after a day spent in the same space where they work.
- Studies in 2006 and 2011 found that when perceived supervisor support and the quality of the leader-employee relationship decline, remote workers’ job satisfaction may decrease.
- Take regular breaks and decompress, so you don’t blur the line between work and life.
- Its effectiveness depends heavily on contextual factors, including the sector of activity, the nature of the role, the organization’s level of maturity, and its technological infrastructure .
Mastering the best practices for working remotely can help you stay focused, reduce stress, and perform at your best each day. Small changes in your routine, remote work fatigue communication, and dedicated space can transform how you work remotely, making it feel more structured and enjoyable. It may seem difficult or selfish to take time off to care for yourself, but if you’re experiencing burnout, you’re probably not being the best employee possible. Work will still be there when you return to it after a period of rest, but remember — you are a finite resource.
Take care of physical and mental health
The absence of informal feedback and social inclusion undermines both morale and performance. Cluster 5 turned working conditions into moderators of professional isolation. Studies highlighted how suboptimal home office environments, inadequate technology, and a lack of ergonomic resources can amplify dissatisfaction and increase turnover intentions. The lack of recognition and institutional support in these contexts was shown to be a key predictor of employee disengagement and exit behavior. Although some studies reported short-term productivity improvements, others warned of long-term risks, including diminished collaboration, reduced innovation, and impaired knowledge transfer. In particular, the loss of spontaneous interactions and informal learning opportunities was seen as detrimental to organizational learning and innovation capacity.
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This model provides a theoretical basis for developing interventions aimed at balancing job demands with available resources, thereby enhancing the experience and well-being of remote workers. According to the JD-R model, motivation and well-being improve when workers have sufficient resources, such as support, autonomy, and adequate infrastructure, to cope with job-related demands. Cluster 6, in cyan, examines the intricate relationship between knowledge sharing, innovation, productivity, and sustainability, while highlighting the challenges and opportunities posed by teleworking. Research conducted by , involving 1270 employees from the banking, finance, and insurance sectors, concluded that physical isolation and a lack of communication among colleagues negatively affect productivity levels.
A return to office mandate may impact women more through the motherhood penalty. A 2017 study found that physical separation from the office environment may also reduce opportunities for informal encouragement, which can contribute to an employee’s ability to perform at their highest potential. The research results drawn from the inspected sources clarify that the COVID-19 remote work environment (Milch et al., 2021; Shipman et al., 2021; Van Zoonen et al., 2021) shaped the work–life balance and organizational commitment. Severe psychological symptoms and emotional stress were related to unsatisfactory organizational communication and increasing workload. Perceptions of organizational support and flexible work arrangements increased performance effectiveness. Unlike the usual tiredness after a long day at the office, remote work fatigue encompasses a wide range of factors, from isolation and burnout to the constant need for focus and self-discipline.
However, people with video can engage in the subtle negotiation that establishes local common ground- whether what was said was understood or not, whether the conversation can proceed or needs repair. Overall, the more common ground people can establish, the easier the communication will be and the greater the productivity. A June 2023 survey of 2,000 full-time workers found that 6% of working arrangements were fully remote, 46% were hybrid, and 48% were fully onsite. Certain groups may have fewer office-workers, e.g., in more urban locations or industries requiring more manual labour.
More than half said their HR departments did not encourage conversations about burnout. The Eisenhower matrix helps you identify which tasks to focus on, which to delegate, which to delay, and which to remove altogether. Ease your employees’ lives by removing any obstacles that might make them second-guess taking breaks for an hour, a day, or even longer. More than half of the 1,500 respondents to a survey by FlexJobs and Mental Health America said having flexibility in their workday was the best way a workplace could offer support — better than being given more time off.
Stick to a structured routine and schedule non-work time for hobbies, rest, and personal priorities. Take regular breaks and decompress, so you don’t blur the line between work and life. Feeling supported by colleagues and leadership also helps build a healthy work-life balance and maintain job satisfaction. Schedule casual video calls or virtual coffee chats with colleagues to maintain human connection. Staying socially active helps build stronger relationships, boosts team spirit, and reminds you that you’re part of a supportive remote work community.
- Partially due to the decrease in car commuting, carbon emissions dropped by 5.4%; however, emissions immediately increased to the same rate in the following year.
- Second, the inclusion criteria limited the sample to articles published in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French, potentially excluding valuable contributions in other languages and constraining the global representativeness of the review.
- Since work hours are less regulated in remote work, employee effort and dedication are far more likely to be measured purely in terms of output or results.
- Should you find yourself grappling with the intricacies of remote work fatigue and seeking personalized guidance to enhance your wellness, consider seeking support from wellness consulting experts.
A key obstacle to productivity in telework environments is the limitation of daily interpersonal contact—a vital process for transferring experience and knowledge 6,72. According to , knowledge becomes meaningful only when it is shared among individuals and applied collectively, transforming individual experiences into organizational knowledge. However, teleworking restricts these knowledge flows by reducing opportunities for informal exchanges and spontaneous collaboration, moments that typically foster learning and innovation within physical office spaces . The lack of immediate feedback and the scarcity of constructive, real-time discussions in remote settings often leads to idea stagnation, limiting the generation of new solutions and innovative thinking .
Distributed versus collocated teams
Another challenge encountered is the lack of prior experience with teleworking, revealing greater difficulties in adapting to the work-from-home model, which, in turn, negatively impacts psychological well-being 7,10. Directly related to these issues is the lack of adequate ergonomic and organizational support systems. From an organizational perspective, Ref. observed that the sudden transition to remote work required significant changes in HR practices, and not all organizations were able to implement effective support systems. This body of evidence highlights the need for structured telework policies, adequate support systems, and proactive mental health strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of remote work.
COVID-19-related organizational changes led to enhanced team creativity and innovation; to operational looseness and autonomy; to social isolation and loneliness; and to employee job burnout. Working remotely for a long time caused employee burnout, emotional exhaustion, psychological strain, reduced job performance, high turnover, and low levels of professional accomplishment. Additional tasks performed by remote staff exacerbated feelings of psychological distress, social helplessness, professional isolation, turnover intentions, occupational stress, and job burnout.
