Protect your team from #WFHburnout

With the adjustment to life with COVID-19, it can be hard to separate our personal and professional lives. Many workplaces are migrating to a remote setting. As they intertwine, the pressure grows-- some employees may be finding themselves encountering an unmanageable workload that chips away at their leisure time.

For those with international offices or homeschooled kids remote work at times can effectively blur the line between working hours and time for lives. According to a BLIND survey, the pandemic has left 73 percent of surveyed workers feeling burned out. It seems for some the work from home dream doesn’t match the work from home fantasy of more freedom and successful time management. Many HRM professionals would say that working from home is not ideal for everyone, and at this time it is not optional for some.

Here are 3 things to avoid while working from home:

Avoid Over-Monitoring

For many, this is the first time working from home, it’s easy to get carried away with a pet or a toddler as the company laptop is chiming in the other room. While it’s justifiable to want to use surveillance software or other monitoring tools for suspected abusers, but don’t risk losing the trust of your hires-- try to set them up for success. Being available 24/7 can have negative impacts on certain employees, causing #WFHburnout.

Balancing clear expectations, benchmarks, deadlines, transparent communication and set office hours can benefit teams. Your team will feel empowered and assured that you care about their productivity and growth, while maintaining trust and accountability within your team dynamic.

Avoid Overload

Adjusting to life on delivery will tempt some managers into believing a task can be fulfilled in an hour, even though in normal circumstances, the same task could take over 24 hours. Some companies’ success rely on quick turn around, but as a manager, your expectations should be reasonable to avoid #WFHburnout.

Ensure that your hires have the same amount of work as they had in the pre-coronavirus world. Assure them that their working hours still finish at the same time as before and that after that, it could also be time to consider custom working hours. Does your team coordinate with a foreign office? Consider if they are free to dedicate themselves to their personal duties and also have bandwidth to work until 1am.

Avoid Neglect

Working in an office makes it easier to reach out to their colleagues when one struggles with assignment or project management. Losing a sense of purpose and connection can cause #WFHburnout by triggering a sense of isolation, loneliness, and detachment from co-workers and organizational culture.

Plan monthly team building activities at home and wholeheartedly encourage your employees to go. Advertise the mental health resources available through your company’s benefit program. Schedule individual well-being checks to ensure that no one feels left out or burnout.

Maintaining a sense of purpose, connection, and usefulness will significantly enhance productivity and possible decrease turnover.

There's a new professional world on the horizon, it's leadership's role to help our teams navigate the change.