How to Handle Remote Work Fatigue I VOC Associates

While you’re at it, partner with information technology (IT) service providers. These experts help prevent major disruptions that can affect your processes. For instance, if you have a business operating in Texas, managed IT services in Frisco can offer technical expertise.

Tools to Enhance Remote Work Wellness

Another strategy leaders could consider is introducing ‘in focus mode’ status updates, which indicate to workers when a colleague is unavailable, Stevens adds. Unnecessary messages could be swapped for structured check-ins, such as weekly standups, which can help to cut down on the pings and notifications of daily back-and-forth. Employees have always felt the need to be always ‘on’, to answer to managerial demands regardless of what they’re doing or the time of day. However, this culture of needing to always be active has been amplified by hybrid working. Employees now have to be readily available to answer queries and demands from colleagues who might be based in a different city or even time zone. As an employer, consider how you can help your workers minimize stress in their life at home.

Ping fatigue: How leaders can help workers manage constant work notifications

Mental and emotional stress related to increased job demands and workload reduced employee motivation and diminished workplace wellbeing. Lack of training in remote work and being new to technology, together with responsibilities determined by role in the organization and working long hours, generated increased perceived stress and precarious work–life balance. Continuity of social identity improved job satisfaction and decreased feelings of loneliness at work. Negative attitudes and behaviors and low professional motivation and engagement influenced remote workplace practices in terms of diminished productivity. Remote work-related technostress and psychological ill-health (Hayes et al., 2021; Miguel-Puga et al., 2021; Trinidad, 2021; Singh et al., 2022) reduced productivity, engagement, and job satisfaction during the COVID-19 crisis. Persistent burnout due to increased workload influenced sleep disruption, acute stress, state anxiety, and derealization symptoms, negatively affecting the work–life balance.

• Many workplaces create a toxic productivity culture where working late is seen as a sign of commitment.
• When your home doubles as your office, it’s essential to create clear distinctions between the two.
• These schedules enable employees to structure their day around their peak productivity periods while allowing for necessary breaks to recharge.

RESOURCES

Some workers just need more mental health support to be better equipped to deal with the challenges of remote work. Some need better access to their employee wellness programs, which have been shuttered since the office doors closed. Although many businesses are beginning to return to “normal” and bring workers back into the office, many are opting to maintain a remote workforce. The pandemic changed the landscape of work forever, and the challenges of remote work aren’t disappearing any time soon, especially remote work fatigue. In fact, studies have shown that 69% of remote workers have exhibited signs of burnout while working from home. Remote work has become a widespread norm, offering flexibility and eliminating long commutes.

Software Finder helps businesses make informed decisions by providing a platform to compare, evaluate, and select software tailored to their needs. With detailed reviews, personalized recommendations, and expert guidance, we connect companies with the right tools to improve productivity and growth. From healthcare to project management, Software Finder offers a solution for every industry. Studies show that working over 50 hours per week leads to sharp declines in productivity and increased health risks. If you’re working long hours just to stay afloat, it’s a clear sign of overworking. The American Psychological Association found that 79% of employees report work-related stress, contributing to ongoing exhaustion and reduced focus.

• Employers should actively solicit employee feedback regarding workload, digital communication preferences, and overall work experiences.
• Productivity and well-being thrive not on endless hours but on working smarter.
• Short walks, deep breathing exercises, or a quick snack can also provide a much-needed mental reset.
• “It feels super-lonely,” Tennin said. “It’s easy to meet people, but they feel like travel friends, you meet up for a few days, but you don’t cultivate deeper friendships.

The Four-Day Work Week Can Be A Reality…But Not Until the Pandemic is Over

Set Clear Communication Guidelines – Ensure your team knows when and how to communicate using digital channels. With AgilityPortal, you can establish team protocols, shared calendars, and instant notifications to keep everyone aligned. To protect your business from cyber threats, you need to take proactive security measures. With or without IT help, regularly update software and conduct maintenance checks.

Regular training helps your team adapt to changes in workflows or business trends. Offer workshops on using new tools, managing remote projects, and improving virtual collaboration. Leading a healthy remote working life is one of the best ways to work, and if you can combat WFH fatigue it’s one of the best ways to live too. Working from home is an excellent choice for many modern-day workers who want a better work-life balance, freedom to live where they want, and better-spent time than on commutes. With virtual work as the new normal, management fears of work avoidance can make your boss anxious about how to manage a remote team without traditional supervision. A system of time management developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s, the Pomodoro technique delivers excellent productivity results and helps you build a healthy work rhythm.

She is a certified life coach, helping others achieve the same working-abroad goals. She recommends digital nomads come up with a couple of daily templates to “copy and paste” in the places their visiting, like always fitting in an early-morning walk. Being on the move naturally disrupts your daily routine, from the packing and unpacking to the long travel days and unlucky disruptions. Even accomplishing simple tasks are harder than at home, like sticking to your budget and health regimen if you don’t have a full kitchen and have to eat out, or even doing laundry.

Excessive work overload had, as a consequence, staff stress, emotional draining, professional burnout, and employee turnover. Flexible jobs, time management, and emotional team support can improve employee health, productivity, performance, and creativity, reducing workplace stress, anxiety, burnout, and isolation. Organizational support decreased workplace stress, which brought about feelings of hopelessness. Work stressors in terms of high workload and job insecurity amplified work–life conflict, intensifying psychological strain and decreasing perceptions of social support. Resourceful and resilient organizations (Privara, 2022) operating remotely improved mental wellbeing and job satisfaction (Nemţeanu and Dabija, 2023), further optimizing employee financial security and reducing layoffs. The COVID-19-related emotional exhaustion and job insecurity (Popescu Ljungholm and Olah, 2020) affected perceived organizational support (Nemţeanu et al., 2022) and employee mindfulness in terms of human resource management practices.

Managing Remote Work Fatigue: Effective Strategies and Tools

Furthermore, we also need to consider communication aspects as well as the parallel reality behind the screen6. As mentioned earlier, the phenomenon of videoconference fatigue refers to “the degree to which people feel exhausted, tired, or worn out as a result of videoconferencing”1, p.331. Furthermore, videoconference fatigue differs from work fatigue in its temporal nature, because it is closer to the event (i.e., during and righter after the videoconference) rather than feeling exhausted at the end of a long work day.

In contrast, those earning over $150,000 annually were the least likely to report AI fatigue (9%). Russell works weekdays, so she has to limit where she can go because of time zones – unless she wants to have meetings in the middle of the night, which she did in Paris, taking calls until 2 a.m. Gone are the days of requesting days off when you’re working on the go. From 2019 to 2024, the number of Americans who call themselves digital nomads grew by 147% to 18.1 million, according to a survey remote work fatigue of 6,575 U.S. residents by MBO Partners.

Consider speaking with a counselor or therapist who specializes in work-related stress. They can provide personalized strategies to help you cope with fatigue and improve your mental health. If remote work fatigue persists despite implementing healthy habits, it may be time to seek professional help.

Portugal’s digital nomad visa requires a monthly income four times the local minimum wage, but applicants may also need to pay for their own international health insurance out of pocket. The country also has a popular golden visa, but there was a backlog of up to 50,000 applications, with some people waiting years for processing. Poor leadership, unclear expectations, and a lack of employee monitoring often cause teams to take on unnecessary tasks, leading to overwhelming workloads. For in-office workers, overworking often comes from workplace culture and leadership expectations. Many workplaces create a toxic productivity culture where working late is seen as a sign of commitment. When you’re constantly under work stress, your body releases higher levels of cortisol, which can elevate blood pressure, weaken your immune system, and lead to physical health issues like heart disease and exhaustion.