Flexibility is at the very core of the newfound “Talent Revolution” you’ve been hearing so much about recently. Sure, it’s being called “The Great Resignation,” but we all know that the underlying foundation of the so-called “Big Quit” is that the workforce has collectively decided “Enough!” and have been angling for better benefits, safer workplace conditions, and, most importantly, the flexibility they require to live their lives effectively with a solid semblance of work-life integration.
The Future of Work Exchange has covered this attribute of our industry quite frequently, and we truly believe that until business leaders come to the conclusion that these facets of work truly matter to their talent, The Great Resignation will become “The Great Stalemate” and we’re going to see millions more workers voluntarily leave their jobs over the early months of 2022.
For remote workers, the very concept of flexibility is a core aspect that’s baked into their everyday roles. Some professionals have been work-at-home staples for years and years, while others have just recently become part of this crowd when the pandemic hit. No matter the maturity of the remote-working professional, there seems to be an epidemic occurring that is oft-overlooked when discussing the age-old (and now, much-too-prevalent) issue of “burnout”: the inability to “unplug” both laptops and minds.
For years, I’ve kept a running diary of Future of Work-related ideas in the “Notes” app on my iPhone, which is always nestled and charging on my nightstand. If I’m awake at 3:30am and an idea strikes me, boom, it’s jotted down and revisited some time the day after. There are evenings when the glow of my laptop fills my home office at 1am, with some music playing in the background (lately, I’ve been obsessing over both Black Map and the Magna Carta Cartel), and pages and pages ahead of me to fill.
For most days (and nights!), my brain can’t be “turned off,” which, in turn, means my laptop is also not turned off. Employee burnout occurs when professionals clock more hours than they should because of a variety of reasons (one today being staff shortages), when they are tasked with the work of multiple individuals and have to handle it solo, or, when they toil as an entrepreneur running their own business (or, working for a small business and wearing “multiple hats”). The list goes on, but the Future of Work Exchange has frequently made the call for business leaders to not ignore employee burnout.
Many individuals may consider remote work a way to avoid burnout, however, the exact opposite is true: it’s happening at a scale that is similar in size and impact to traditional worker burnout. Remote workers may feel that their leaders expect them to be available both in and outside of typical work hours, while others could “condense” work on a particular project by burning through 12-hour (more more) workdays. There’s also a long-unfortunate reality that many professionals that work remotely feel mistrusted by their bosses since the in-person factor isn’t there for check-ins and similar meetings.
With a pandemic still raging and the Omicron variant keeping caseloads at near-triple what they were in early 2021 at their worst, the remote workforce has the added anxiety and stress of dealing with homeward disruptions (sick teachers and children causing school or daycare interruptions, etc.) on top of an added workload within their roles. The fact is this: right now, in the early days of 2022, remote worker burnout is a very real and very catastrophic epidemic that is not getting the attention it warrants.
Working remotely, whether it’s a full-time setup or part of a hybrid work infrastructure, is a flexible benefit that has both aided productivity and contributed to enhanced workplace safety controls. However, two years into this health crisis, and the sheer volume (over 42% of all workers, according to Future of Work Exchange research, nearly double what it was pre-pandemic) of remote workers translates into burnout and stress becoming unfortunate realities for these types of positions.
To curb remote worker burnout, business leaders must take into account the following strategies:
- Encourage remote workers to take time for themselves for exercise and overall wellness. We’ve seen Zoom happy hours and Friday afternoon cocktail sessions so remote workers can take part in workplace activities that don’t involve shop-talk. While these are a fantastic idea, there needs to be more support for these professionals outside of the office. Some remote workers feel guilty if they take 45 minutes during the workday to hop on their Pelaton or take the dog for a long walk; the reality is, however, that business leaders and managers should be encouraging remote staff to incorporate exercise and similar activities into their daily routines. Top-down encouragement is the key here to make remote workers feel more comfortable about leveraging exercise during the workday. (This “time” doesn’t have to necessarily revolve around exercise; merely encouraging workers to take periodic breaks away from their laptops is incredibly beneficial.)
- Provide remote workers with the necessary tools, guidance, and services for mental health support. This is an area that traverses beyond mere support from immediate leaders and managers and into providing remote workers with the actual digital tools, human-led services, and other offerings. Telehealth psychiatry support is incredibly beneficial for remote workers that are in need of virtual talk therapy, especially in the time of COVID; too, with so much personal stress and anxiety on top of typical work-related issues (which, of course, are bringing on burnout), it is imperative that leaders actively communicate the availability of mental health services and loop these offerings into existing healthcare plans.
- Enhance access to digital workspaces (and communicate the operational merits of such technology). Citrix’s CMO, Tim Minahan, recently wrote on the Future of Work Exchange that businesses can fuel innovation through remote and hybrid work. This could not be more true, as organizations that tap into the power of unified communications and digital workspaces can effectively drive collaboration, product development, and improve innovative ideation across the greater business. Remote workers required on-demand and digital tools that can not only help them get work done, but also communicate with leaders and colleagues in an efficient manner. A crucial component of remote worker burnout is having to experience less-than-ideal systems access, lack of communication with team members, and outdated technology.
There are many other factors that business leaders can leverage to reduce remote worker burnout, including extending more frequent encouragement over tasks performed well (“thank you”s go a long way!), subsidizing digital wellness programs (such as Pelaton’s monthly membership), and providing additional “mental health” days that fall outside of traditional paid time off.
