Member Article

Simple Tips for Dealing with Remote Working Burnout.

This article is written by Peter Boolkah, a business coach with over 30 years experience helping businesses to grow and scale up - both here and in the US.

In 1981 only 1.5% of people in the UK worked remotely, through the advent of technology and latterly the covid pandemic, in 2022 that figure has jumped to 14%. In a recent survey, 78% of those people who took part said that working from home gave them an improved work life balance. However, 21% of people say that they never want to work from home again with 16-24 years olds in favour of returning to the office full-time. It is fair to say that not everyone has taken to remote working. On my Transition Guy podcast I recently discussed this subject with Phil Strazzulla, founder of SelectSoftware Reviews. We talked about avoiding remote work burnout both from an employer’s perspective as well as an employee.

Remote work burnout is becoming more prevalent. Some people find the lines between work and home are blurred and they are actually working more than ever before. This is leading to remote work burn out in some cases. Remote work burn out can lead to depression, anxiety, a lack of motivation and lack of productivity. As an employer if you have staff who are suffering from remote work burnout they won’t be productive or effective. Therefore it is important to create a remote work culture Many companies were thrust into remote working. Have a remote work document which communicates your companies remote work infrastructure to your team.

Defining your workspace is important. What does that work space look like? Separate your work space from your living space. Even if you have a small space ensure that it is separate to where you eat and socialise. Leave that space regularly during the day and ensure you have screen breaks. Take a walk around the garden, walk to a cafe down the road. You will then return to your workspace feeling refreshed.

Mental health is paramount. Employers and leaders should ensure that they have tools in place to check in with remote teams and their mental well being. Find out why your employees enjoy homeworking and help them build on those things. As an employee ensure that you are building time into your life for eating, sleeping, doing exercise and socialising.

Be disciplined. Create good habits. There are various apps around which help you to do this. If you create strong habits then it will help you stay disciplined and hit your targets as well as clearing your to do list. Focus on the things you can control. Put boundaries in place. Remember to celebrate the little wins when working remotely. Ensure you have clear boundaries and relationships within your team. For many people remote working means their commute has ceased and they can spend more time with their family. However, this can sometimes work the other way and cause stress within the family environment. With unclear boundaries often family members may interrupt a persons workflow. It is important to consider those relationships and how to manage them. Communicate with any family members or housemates and explain what you are doing and when you will be free to participate in family activities.

Be careful with your recruitment. As a remote company employer recruiting staff who want to work that way and are productive with a proven track record is key. Sometimes you may need to move on if remote working isn’t for you. If the circumstances changed and you had no control perhaps a different work environment is needed. Employers and leaders need to understand that too. It is important to help and understand your employees and put things in place to hep them with this change but ultimately It is Ok to move on.

Overall build habits which help you focus your mind and if you are a leader ensure you help your team to build those habits.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lucy Hood .