Remote work provides a lot of benefits for employers and employees alike, such as increased flexibility and productivity. On the down side, there’s also Zoom fatigue, blurred work-life boundaries, and in the worst case scenario, burnout.
And stress and burnout result in demotivated, demoralised, and unproductive workers.
However, it’s not enough to merely react to these problems. Rather, it’s best to be on the lookout for red flags before you find yourself dealing with widespread burnout in the office.
Below are four examples of metrics commonly used by companies to determine if there’s a high probability of employee burnout:
Poor Work-Life Balance
While remote work saves us the trouble of commuting to work, it has also blurred the lines between work and our personal lives.
Some employees would prefer to take a lot of breaks during the day. As a result, they have to cram their tasks and work longer or later into the day. Hence, without proper time management, flexibility can become a disadvantage.
Project management apps can help you and your remote workers stay on top of things. And the sooner they finish work, the sooner they can log off and unwind.
Too Much Collaboration
Far too many leaders think that constant collaboration is productive. However, too much of it can actually be distracting.
For example, take knowledge workers or creatives. Since their work requires stretches of focused effort, most of them need at least two hours of uninterrupted time to get things done. Thus, frequent messages, brainstorming activities, or back-to-back meetings actually hurt their productivity.
To avoid this, identify the amount of focus time your employees need. And then adjust the schedules for meetings as needed (or better yet, keep them at a minimum).
Organisational Overhead
There’s nothing more frustrating than meetings that could have been emails. There are many workplaces that call for too many of these before deciding on an issue. If this sounds like your company, it’s time to recalibrate.
You shouldn’t have to organise a committee every time you need to make a decision. If your employees feel like they have to pass through a needle to get things approved, the risks for stress and burnout are likely to be sky-high.
Clear and direct procedures can greatly streamline and speed up decision-making processes. That way, your employees know exactly what they need to do each time they need to secure approval.
Lack of Inclusion
If too much work is stressful and can result in burnout, the opposite also holds true.
Remote employees who are kept out of the loop can likewise feel isolated and listless, and this can lead to diminished productivity as a result.
In a remote work setting, this can manifest in the form of exclusion from virtual team meetings or limited access to leadership opportunities.
Nip this in the bud by identifying the remote workers who aren’t as participative. Find out why they are disengaged and then work on resolving it.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By identifying and addressing early warning signs, you can cultivate a healthier remote workplace – and ensure efficiency and productivity.
Need help finding the right remote workers? Well, you’re in luck.
Remote Staff has been partnering with more than 3,000 Aussie SMEs and entrepreneurs with the skilled remote workers from the Philippines for the past 15 years and counting. We also provide onboarding assistance so you’ll get the best possible start to a long and fulfilling working relationship.
Call us today or schedule a call back and let’s get started.
Serena has been working remotely and writing content for the better part of the last decade. To date, she's written for Pepper.ph and Mabuhay Magazine, among others, and has churned out more than a thousand articles on everything from The Basics of Stock Market Investing to How to Make Milk Tea-Flavored Taho at home.
