Studies show many employees suffer ‘lockdown burnout’ working from home

Some hailed the move to working from home as an inevitable trend, some cannot wait for a return to what they see as normality and an end to the “work-from-home social experiment”, while others hope for a hybrid working model. What has been less studied is the emotional impact that working from home has had on the workforce.

While collaboration and innovation are the number-one reason cited by these leaders for bringing the workforce back to the office, little has been said about how working from home has affected employees and businesses alike.

There is evidence in the South African context to indicate real concern for people working from home, and for organisations suffering the negative effects of employees no longer being in the office. These effects range from employees’ mental health taking a knock and business performance no longer hitting the mark as it did pre-Covid-19.

Myrna Sachs, head of health management solutions at Alexander Forbes Health, said while working from home is sometimes preferred by employees, employers are doing their best to adapt to this trend.

In their research, they found that one of the biggest challenges being faced by employees is how the new virtual ways of working have placed greater strain on them, as they clocked many more hours of work at home than they had done at the office.

“Employees are experiencing digital overload. Back-to-back meetings with no time to pause and the perception that it is fine to squeeze in another one simply because everything is now being done digitally, have become prevalent,” said Sachs.

“Instead of the holy grail of work/life balance, many are experiencing a blurring of the line between work and home life. There are no longer any boundaries being adhered to, and the expectation is for employees to be readily available all day.

By way of example, many respondents in our research felt the constant urge to check their work emails after normal working hours.”

Working from home has also placed a heavy burden on the mental health of many individuals. Sachs said their research found that many, particularly those living on their own, were reliant on the office for social interaction. “Humans are at their essence social beings. Starving them of social interaction can have devastating consequences,” said Sachs.

Here are some solutions for organisations and their employees when confronted with the challenges of working from home:

• Face-to-face check-ins are critical, including during performance appraisal discussions, and allowing employees access to the office with health and safety protocols in place.
• Creating a ‘buddy’ system among colleagues.
• Providing important support structure contact details, such as the South Africa Depression and Anxiety Group, and gender-based violence helplines.
• Regular check-ins with team members.
• Introducing fun challenges to keep employees motivated.
• Auditing home work spaces and circumstance to understand what employees need in their home office space to work optimally, as well as whether they have other responsibilities at home such as having to homeschool their children, or if their partner also works from home.
• Allowing some flexibility with proper guidelines to guard against possible abuse.
  “There are myriad support systems and tools that organisations can use to support their employees during this time. If you go the extra mile to ensure their well-being, it is bound to have a positive knock-on effect on the business.

ALSO READ: Paper industry association opens applications to BSc students for its bursary and research programme

“If vaccination rates speed up, this should allow us to return to the office more safely and more rapidly, and allow more normalised social interaction. This will have a direct bearing on mental health,” said Sachs.