Why Ending WFH Burnout And Its Sadness Is A Huge Necessity Now?
The idea of working from the comfort of your couch and not having to commute seemed like a thrill back then in 2020, but it has been around 2 years now, the wrath of Covid19 has still not ended. While adapting to the new normal, people are now experiencing the adversity of work from home. Work from home might have some perks, but those have diminished over time. All that the world is now left with is isolation, zero work-life balance and chaos. Work-related burnout is real, and ‘Work from Home Burnout’ is on a high-time rise now.
As per studies, 52% of workers feel burned out, with 67% blaming COVID-19 for their stress. So, what is the solution? Should employees return to the workplace they left behind before Covid19, putting health and safety at stake? No, not at all! The idea is not to force people back to the workspace; the idea is to make workspaces so safe, healthy and resilient, to help people get back with confidence. This will not only help brands to achieve a tri-fold path of development as follows:
- Gain a sustainable reputation in the market by having a safe and conducive workplace
- Build a community of confident, healthy and motivated workforce.
- Grow and expand even amidst the pandemic-led uncertainty.
But does this mean being rigid to the virtual and remote working trends?
Moreover, one might also argue how is this solving the health concerns involved in the commute to the workplace?
So, here are some strong points:
There is a thin line between ‘Work from home’ and ‘Virtual working’
Work from home can be categorized more as a ‘desperate times, desperate measures’ scenario whereas Virtual working falls under the solutions of the new normal. Not every day and every task have to be virtual! We are in the age of human-centric design, people need that binding and collaboration. Coming back to a safe space and interacting with your team in a safe and healthy environment can do wonders. Perks of technology can be used to cut down on unnecessary travels, meetings and things that can be solved over a zoom call.
Believe in putting your best foot forward.
Work from home was never a long time solution. It was a precaution; we must put our best foot forward and do what’s best in our scope. Protecting ourselves during a commute is more to do with our personal precautions. As stakeholders and leaders in the workplace design industry, the best we can do to win over this pandemic is to make our spaces, people and culture safe and sound. We do not know when the pandemic is going to end, how long are we going to confine us within four walls?
We got to do what we got to do
Do we as the workforce of the future really see opportunities and growth by continuing to work from our beds turned into workstations and multitasking in the kitchen while attending conference calls? Can attending MOOCS alone help us up-skill ourselves? Life goes on and so must tour growth opportunities. To accomplish these it is very important to interact with people, learn from experiences and learn while working in teams.
An idle and alone mind is a devil’s workshop!
Isn’t that true? It has been two years image more years of working in your pyjamas, alone with work and life happening simultaneously in the same space. Yes, chaos is a one-word description of this situation. When we will lose touch of facing people not over the laptop screens, talking, sharing thoughts and experiencing a change of environment, there will be a sense of numbness in mind. This kind of numb, idle mind is surely going to be the breeding house for stress, fatigue as well as emotional and mental issues.
Excess of everything is a dangerous
According to a survey, nearly 70 percent of professionals who transitioned to remote work because of the pandemic say they now work on the weekends, and 45 percent say they regularly work more hours during the week than they did before. Gone are the days when overworking was seen as a badge of honour. Working extra hours is not an achievement it is, in fact, a leading contributor to a decline in productivity and creativity. Unknowingly, people tend to work more and stress more in the work from home module bringing in loads of monotony and malaise in them and well as the culture.
On an Overall
Employees must reconsider their choices and evaluate how to grow and adapt to the new normal without letting the pandemic affect their health, career and growth.
Employers must learn to look beyond the ‘work done’ and start evaluating the quality. Secondly, it is high time businesses that believe in making a difference must consider revamping their workspaces, making their business compliant with human health, happiness and lifestyle.
Related read: Strategies for Business Leaders to Safely Return to the Office
As both an Architect and Architectural Journalist, he thrives on building unique content, with words and thoughts--as his brick and mortar. A natural-born explorer, he puts no limits on things he's passionate about diving into, be it cuisines, cultures or books. An avid fiction reader and a chronic over-thinker, he still finds enough time to be happy-go-lucky and easy to approach.
