Remote work has become a necessary part of life during the Covid-19 pandemic. This new reality makes it difficult to distinguish between our professional and personal lives, leading many employees to set unhealthy boundaries. They find themselves working longer hours or entertaining co-workers throughout the day to demonstrate continued commitment and productivity. Employees who are parents bear the additional responsibility of their children’s education as well, which only adds to the strain.

With work from home jobs steadily becoming the norm, employee burnout becomes much more critical to manage. Employees who reported struggling to balance home and work life are even more likely to display signs of burnout. Given the above, employees can take a few measures to reconcile the demands of both aspects of their lives, and in turn, reduce the risk of burnout.

Maintain your regular hours routine

A routine helps set the tone for the day. Going through the motions before sitting down to work—during proper office hours—can help employees settle into a work mindset and stay productive. For instance, listening to a podcast or playlist for 30 minutes before starting can serve as a mental “commute” between your home and work headspace. 

While remote work naturally requires a degree of flexibility, there should still be clear distinctions between work time and the rest of the day. Talk to co-workers or the manager to set expectations about when you’ll be available, and stick closely to it.

Identify a workspace

Comfort, or the lack thereof, can also contribute to frustration and stress. It can be galling to attempt to work in a space with other people who aren’t in a similar mindset. A dedicated home office is ideal, but even a corner of a relatively quiet room, adequately designed and designated, will suffice.

That said, avoid the bedroom if possible. It can be challenging to distinguish between work and rest, and working on a bed can lead to bad posture. If sharing living space with a partner or roommate, claim an area to minimize distractions or interruptions.

Ask for help, when needed

The dynamics of remote work is a foreign concept to many, from regular employees to team leaders and supervisors. While some skills will undoubtedly transfer over, most others that pertain to management and administration will need to be adjusted, or even re-learned from scratch.

Identify and build the necessary skills for a successful transition into a digital career. There are online courses available on potential areas of difficulty, such as creating and maintaining relationships online, ensuring a healthy work-life balance, or adopting productivity techniques.

Keep in touch

Isolation may be a necessity these days, but it doesn’t have to come with loneliness. Video conferencing provides a reasonable substitute for the human element to work life. However, constant virtual meetings can become as tiresome as physical ones, so if the appropriate opportunity presents itself, take some calls in a different room or even outside.

Get on the same page with goals.

Unmet or unclear expectations and priorities can become an additional source of stress. Much like clearly defined working hours, properly conveying priorities, preferred communication methods, and even available resources can help align goals and expectations.

Conclusion

Tempting as it is to remain constantly available and work beyond fixed hours in the name of maximizing efficiency, it is important to know when to make time for self-care. Even simple practices like taking short breaks, stretching between meetings, or even brief walks can help rest and reset into a refreshed state of mind. 

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