One of the discussions it started was how remote employees can be affected psychologically. Employees were suddenly thrust into a landscape where organizations had to adapt to the new normal. A number of studies had previously been carried out to explore the impact on mental health of work-from-home, providing a better understanding of how remote working impacted both emotional well-being and productivity as well as striking that elusive balance between life and work.
Remote Work Challenges
The move to work from home posed a variety of mental health problems for employees. A key problem was social isolation, as people did not have physical interaction with colleagues.
A 2019 study conducted by the American Psychological Association found that about 61% of remote workers reported such feelings. This isolation caused employees to experience increased worry and depression.
Remote workers also found it a challenge to set the boundaries between work and personal life. In many cases, the result of more flexible working hours was that people were actually working longer than before, and that disconnection from work became increasingly challenging for some employees.
A study by FlexJobs revealed that 73% of work-from-home individuals experience difficulty in setting healthy boundaries between work and life. The problem is that these blurred lines of work with personal life caused the workers to become more compliant, and because they have less opportunity to relax, stress levels increase, leading to exhaustion at an even faster rate, which worsens their mental health.
Many remote workers also listed the absence of structured routines as a major challenge. Irregular working hours as a result of no physical office began impacting productivity.
One study from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, for instance, showed that remote workers took a 20% hit in productivity as a result; they were constantly distracted by house chores and family responsibilities. This lack of productivity usually made them feel like losers and contributed to their overall feelings, ruining their mental well-being.
The Advantages of Working from Home
But with these challenges came a lot of pretty serious benefits that actually ended up being great for mental health. One obvious advantage is not having to move daily to/from work. Staff who went back to school reported that those employees saved an average of 54 minutes a day who instantly transitioned into remote work due to not needing to commute.
The additional time helped people do things that can make them feel better, such as working out, meditating, or hanging out with family.
A lot of people enjoyed the freedom to fashion their own workplaces, customizing them to be exactly how they chose. Such adaptability was connected to an increased sense of work-life balance being within one’s control, and subsequently related to better mental well-being.
In fact, research by Owl Labs shows that 91% of remote workers believe they now have a better work-life balance thanks to working from home.
It also made the workspace more comfortable and productive. Using these lights, employees could control the lighting as well as other parameters like room temperature and sound levels according to their personal preferences.
It provided the feeling of personalization, increasing job satisfaction and emotional well-being.
Strategies for Mental Health in Remote Work
Information on how to express emotions in a work environment without coming across as unprofessional is essential to change the negative perception about the work environment that has now moved completely online.
The Intervention: Wellness Strategies in the Age of Business Unusual
Prior to devising a program, it is important first to gain insight into what working from home might mean for mental health. It also provided advice on some great things to do for mental health if you are working from home, together with a few strategies that can help you get started.
- Creating a Daily Routine: Creating a daily routine helped remote workers create some sort of stability in their otherwise unstructured lives. A routine gave structure to their lives and helped them feel normal, less anxious, and more productive. Not only that, but research showed that those who had routines were happier and more likely to report better mental well-being.
- Drawing the Line: Remote workers quickly realized that drawing a clear line between work and home was a must. If you schedule your work time and let your family know the boundaries, they will hopefully make an effort to disturb you less frequently than many freelancers we have heard of. Research showed that people who establish limits experienced less stress and better mental well-being.
- Physical Activity: Frequent physical activity was seen as a key contributor to mental health. Researchers have long known that exercise can lower symptoms of anxiety and depression. It is advised that remote workers should integrate movement into their day, whether by doing home workouts, going for a walk, or stretching. Studies show that people who engage in regular exercise face 30% less chance of experiencing anxiety.
- Maintaining Social Connections: For many, managing time for social connections is probably one of the most impactful strategies in reducing feelings of isolation. Being more connected than ever, thanks to virtual meetings, video calls, and even online social hours with friends and co-workers, is a reality for remote work. One study found that people who were more socially active tended to report greater levels of life satisfaction and emotional contentment.
- Leveraging Mental Health Resources: Remote workers in trouble took help from mental health resources. Several companies provided employee assistance programs (EAPs), which included counseling and mental health services. Research showed that mental health-related resources were very effective in improving the overall well-being of employees, so staff were encouraged to use them when necessary.
Emotional Effects of Working Remotely
There has been a lot of research on the psychological effects of remote work on employees. However, the studies during the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced how crucial it is to be aware of mental health in remote settings. According to a poll earlier this year from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 45 percent of adults said the pandemic was harming their mental health, with many citing isolation and uncertainty.
For many, the emotional state that working from home generates comes as a result of deploying all of these systems at such speed, efficiency, and under duress during COVID-19. Due to the rapid change of direction, quite a few employees were taken off guard and immediately felt higher levels of stress.
One study in the Harvard Business Review reported that companies that supported their employees’ mental health during the pandemic saw a 40% higher level of worker engagement and output.
Remote Work Productivity
Researchers and employers alike have debated the effects that remote work has on productivity. Nonetheless, even studies that reported productivity losses due to home interruptions were balanced by others that reported gains in the efficiency of remote work.
According to a report from Prodoscore, productivity among remote workers was up 47% when compared to their counterparts working in-house.
Remote work arrangements are flexible as they enable employees to work during their most productive hours. People could organize their working hours around their ideal performance windows, which would be beneficial for everyone.
It also helped working without any office distractions like multiple meetings or interruptions, improving focus and efficiency.
Balancing Work-from-Home with Life
The transition to work-from-home life was uncharted territory, and it took some intentional practices to maintain well-being. Workers needed their employers to create the infrastructure necessary to accommodate remote work, since it was largely up to companies whether or not they would continue operating.
These companies saw improved employee satisfaction and retention as those who valued mental health and well-being in their organization.
Key to the best remote working situations were flexible work practices, regular check-ins, and a happy-hour approach. Organizations that were flexible and offered resources to help cope with stress and support mental health created a supportive culture for remote work.
Thus, the influence of working from home on mental health was a double-edged sword. However, it was also important during this transition to continue to explore the psychological consequences of remote work arrangements on well-being.
Realizing the importance of educating minds and adopting practices to deal with these challenges enables individuals and organizations to navigate a new norm (at least for now) in the world of work that is both productive and healthy.
