Over the course of our lives, we experience a variety of stressors in the workplace. Whether it is from difficult bosses or coworkers, demanding work tasks, or even just long hours at the office, these factors can have a huge effect on mental health and overall well-being.
Remote work has been a welcome change for many. No more traffic jams and no commute certainly saves time.
However, there are those who miss the social interactions that you just can’t get working from home.
People are experiencing work burnout due to long working hours at home.
Working from home full time during the COVID-19 pandemic is a very different experience than working remotely prior to it.
Burnout data from Gallop states that the percentage of people who always worked from home before and after COVID-19 feel burnout very often 11% more of the time. While those who worked in the office and now work at home feel burnout 4% less than before.
Work Burnout Statistics
Employee burnout is a global concern. In a survey of over 1000 respondents by Deloitte, 77% say they have experienced burnout at their current job.
91% say that unmanageable stress or frustration impacts the quality of their work, and 83% say burnout can negatively impact personal relationships.
Even those passionate about their jobs are still stressed at work with 64% saying they are frequently stressed at work.
This same survey found that nearly 70% of professionals feel their employers are not doing enough to prevent or alleviate burnout. 25% of these surveyed did not use all of their vacation time on a yearly basis.
They felt there was not enough recognition or support from their leadership teams.
It’s clear employees have been experiencing burnout in the office for a long time but what about remote workers?
Before Covid-19
Traditionally working from home has been a perk. Whether you were working a few days from home or a full week. This type of perk has been a great selling point to attract talent for years.
With remote workers thriving under this situation during this period.
Not all employers offered remote work, in fact, most didn’t. Remote work was feared by many employers due to the type of distractions that could arise.
Companies were worried since they would not be able to keep an eye on their employees during the day.
Researchers at Standford found when studying workplace stress US workers are more stressed than ever due to work-related problems.
These stressors, such as long hours and high demands, have caused close to 120,000 deaths a year. They have also caused $190 billion worth of health care costs.
This is 5% to 8% of the total annual health care spending which is derived mainly from workplace pressure ($48 billion), lack of insurance coverage ($40 billion), and difficulty balancing work with family life ($24 billion).
After Covid-19
Upwork estimates that 1 in 4 Americans will continue to work remotely during 2021.
People have been meeting on video calls 50% more since Covid-19 started in 2020.
A survey by Owl Labs found that 92% of the people they reached out to expected to work from home 1 or more days per week.
While 80% of the same group expected to work more than 3 days a week at home.
While many workers feel they are more productive working from home others are starting to get stir crazy. Often remote workers feel trapped at home during the pandemic.
The risk of burnout while working at home all day every day is rising. A survey by monster.com found that 69% of employees are experiencing burnout symptoms while working from home
Many who are experiencing remote work for the first time over the past year have difficulty separating home life from work.
Instead of just having work pressure to deal with many also have kids at home and their spouses during working hours. Which can cause interruptions, delays, work overload and increased stress.
This leads to work life and home life becoming more intertwined resulting in remote work employee burnout.
Remote Work Burnout Statistics Explored
When the pandemic hit, it made an already stressful life even more difficult.
Employed workers are 3 times as likely to report mental health problems (now) than before. 76% of those surveyed by Flexjobs agree that workplace stress affects their mental health.
It’s no surprise then that 48% of workers say they lack emotional support at work to help them manage this daunting task.
This same survey of 1500 respondents by Mental Health America (MHA) and Flexjobs, has shown how widespread burnout can be. Leadership at all companies should take notice.
Over 75% of those surveyed claim to have experienced it in some form or another at work. 40% said they had experienced it specifically during the pandemic.
65% of surveyed remote workers also reported working more hours than they had while working in the office.
More than three-quarters of respondents agree that workplace stress affects their mental health, leading to depression or anxiety.
However, 17% strongly agree and are therefore at a greater risk for these negative effects.
What Are The Top Causes of Burnout?
- Job expectations are unclear
- Working too many hours
- Workplace dynamics are dysfunctional
- Social support is lacking
- Never taking a vacation
- Lack of control
- Lack of workplace communication
How to Recognize Work-From-Home Burnout
The pandemic and stress can be the perfect storm for work-from-home burnout. Burnout doesn’t always have a quick recovery time, so it’s important to know what signs to look out for.
Signs of burnout include the following:
- Unable to complete tasks on time
- Losing track of tasks and time
- Mood swings experience anger, sadness, or irritability
- Not getting proper sleep or experience insomnia
- Drinking more alcohol than normal or using it as a coping mechanism
- Physical symptoms such as headaches, illness, or dizziness
- Experiencing depression
Burnout Prevention For Remote Workers
Employees may feel overwhelmed by their work and forget to take time off or disconnect from their computer at the end of the day.
This is problematic because, without these breaks, employees risk going into what’s been coined as “Professional Burnout.”
Experts recommend taking small steps like creating boundaries for yourself (such as setting aside time when you’re only allowed to look at your email) and maintaining healthy habits outside of work (like eating well).
Turn work notifications and email after work hours. Focus on work during working hours and tune out outside distractions.
What Can Companies Do to Reduce Remote Work Burnout?
The answer may lie in changes made within individual organizations while updating HR structures to reflect current workforce needs.
Consider offering alternative benefits packages that cater to those looking outside traditional employment options.
Another good idea is to have an effective learning management system in place.
A survey by flex jobs found that 56% of respondents believe the best way to support them is to allow more flexibility during their workday.
Offering mental health days and encouraging workers to take time off came in at 43%.
28% of those surveyed felt better health insurance and increase paid time off were the best ways to support them.
Final Thoughts
Remote work burnout statistics will be with workers and employers alike for some time. It’s important to address these issues.
Employers are fighting to keep their employees happy and healthy, but it’s hard when they’re out on the other side of a computer screen.
By working together and keeping the lines of communication many of these issues and be reduced or solved.
