Remote working stepped up its pace with the worldwide pandemic and entered our lives, gaining a permanent place. It has also had an impact on the working patterns and methods of employees as well as professional practices in business life
And for this reason, we now see that remote working is defined as our new normal in many areas.
Remote work model has several advantages and disadvantages compared to the office working model, the traditional way of working. In particular, one of these disadvantages is the mental and psychological effects of remote working on remote workers.
Overall, although we look at the tangible examples of remote working, the intangible impacts of this working model on people, on the employees, should not be underestimated.
How Does Remote Working Affect Employees?
Remote working may seem like a simpler and more practical option, but it’s not that simple. It has its own special challenges.
Those who prefer this working model are significantly affected psychologically by the ways and methods they adopt while working remotely.
For instance, being together with colleagues in an office environment and communicating face-to-face is not a part of remote working, and employees working remotely at home have to spend almost their entire working day alone and in isolation.
Similarly, they are often required to sit in front of a computer sitting in a bad posture for long periods of time throughout the day. Such factors lead to mental and psychological stress on employees.
Well, when we ask how the remote working model affects employees mentally and psychologically, we can examine this question under a couple of points.
- Loneliness
- Isolation
- Anxiety
- Burnout Syndrome
- Pressure
These impacts can be minimized and reduced. We have some recommendations for improving the mental and psychological effects of remote workers based on specific problems:
Loneliness
Consider co-working spaces
Employees who work at home or from their local environment may consider co-working spaces in case of feeling alone and isolated.
This may be a coffee shop, a library or a common working space. Being in contact with the people in that environment will also contribute the remote employee to improve his/her well-being.
Make time for your hobbies: Spending time on your hobbies and interests during working breaks or after working hours may be a great way to reduce the feeling of being alone.
Stay in touch with your colleagues: In a remote working model, you may prefer video conferencing with your colleagues. Thanks to this, you will be able to have social interactions while everyone is in front of their screens.
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Stress
When working remotely, many factors such as being at home all the time, being away from socializing or getting lost in the workload can cause you to become even more stressed.
Keep moving: Physical activity produces hormones that make you feel better and give you more energy. Moving, exercising or meditating can help you to reduce this stress.
Meditating, relieving the burden of all that work stress, calming the thoughts in the brain will help. Activities that are good for both the body and the soul ease the whole process.
Take care of your body: A good sleep and a good diet will also help you to balance this stress load. A balanced diet can improve our ability to think effectively and make us feel more awake.
A poor diet, on the contrary, causes fatigue and exhaustion. And this is a situation we would want to avoid when working remotely.
Burnout Syndrome
Break-out rooms in the office environment are designed to ease the feeling of burn-out, therefore you need to create a virtual one for your own work environment.
Take a break: It is advisable for employees who experience burnout syndrome while working remotely to take short breaks to rest between working hours. It can be good to listen to your favorite songs and watch some TV series.
Disconnect: Getting up from the desk and walking away from the computer screen may also be among these recommendations. Give your eyes a rest, they are tired of looking at the screen.
Take care of your personal life: In addition, focusing more on their personal life during off-hours and focusing on their interests will also help them to feel better. Balancing work and home life is a key point.
Anxiety
Create a work plan: Working remotely might make it difficult to deal with the anxiety that you won’t be able to finish your tasks.
You may lower your anxiety and tension by making and implementing a regular work plan to handle these responsibilities.
Co-operate: It can also be helpful to be in contact with a colleague who can supervise your work duties and help you keep track of the process.
Do not hesitate to seek help from colleagues who can help you with your business execution processes. Staying in contact with a colleague who can supervise your work tasks and can help you keep track.
They might have been working in this job longer than you and be more experienced. It is acceptable to ask for support and cooperate.
Pressure
Pressure doesn’t only have to come from your workplace, your manager or your boss. Your family members may also feel that you need to make time for them while you are working from home.
Be clear: Make sure you are on the same page with your family members, friends or people who tell you that you don’t have time for them about your work hours and working patterns.
Let them know what time your shift starts and ends and that you will be busy with work during these working hours, you will not be able to spare time for them. Hence, they will respect these boundaries.
Feeling understood by those around you and knowing that your workload is recognized will take some of the pressure off your shoulders.
