How Remote Work Affects Your Productivity And Wellbeing

How Remote Work Affects Your Productivity And Wellbeing

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. We Take Less Frequent Breaks
3. We Face a Higher Risk of Burnout
4. Despite everything, We Love Remote Work
5. Remote Work: Blessing or Plight?

Introduction

The internet is inundated with remote work articles about its advantages and disadvantages. In reality, however, the experience of remote work is so subjective that general conclusions cannot be drawn and advice can be given to them all. But data is one universal element and rock solid. Data-backed results and research on remote work productivity provide a clear picture of how we've changed our workdays and how work from home affects us—because there are no data.

In this article, we will examine three decisive results of a recent data study and two survey reports on the productivity of remote work and the welfare of workers.

#1 We Take Less Frequent Breaks

Depending on your living and family conditions, your home can be a peaceful and distractive place. Although some of us find it difficult to focus on the sounds of our daily lives, others tell you that peace and quiet while working from home (WFH) is an important boost to productivity. Then there are those with difficulty making correct breaks at home and switching off at the end of the day.

But what does the data on the productivity of remote work say? Do we work in a remote environment more or less?

Take a step towards pre-pandemic times (2014, to be exact) when an application for time tracking is known as DeskTime discovers that 10% of most productive individuals work 52 minutes and then take 17 minutes to rest.

The same tracking app recently reiterated this study to show how the pandemic works and breaks. Remote work has led to more time, with the most productive people working 112 minutes and 26 minutes breaking.

Now, at first, this may appear quite innocent — what if we work for longer periods, provided that we take longer breaks as well? But let's examine this proportion more closely.

Although breaks only lasted nine minutes, work sprints doubled. This means that the hardest workers take only three to four breaks per 8-hour working day. The work time is almost two hours. This finding makes us wonder whether it's so good to be able to work from home (WFH), as we thought. Also, breaks in the WFH format are not a pleasure, but a time to chore and help school children.

The main reason for less frequent breaks is online meetings. Pandemics meant that you would go to another room, extend your legs and leave your eyes alone. All meetings happen on the screen in a remote setting, sometimes back-to-back which could be one of the principal factors that explain the long working hours.

#2 We Face a Higher Risk of Burnout

At first, many were optimistic about the benefits of remote work in terms of the balance of work and life, as we spend more time commuting and time with family – at least in theory. But for many, the fight to separate their work and their personal lives quickly counteract this. Buffer's 2021 Remote Work report survey found that remote workers can't unplug a bigger struggle with problems of collaboration and solitude sharing second place.

Respondents from Buffer were also asked if they have been working more or less since moving to remote work and 45% have been able to do more. 42% said that they're working the same amount, while 13% said they're working less.

Longer working hours and fewer breaking times can affect our health dramatically as long-term sitting, eye strain, mental fatigue, and other problems can lead to computer usage. In turn, this can lead to severe effects such as burnout and cardiac disease.

Let's look at the link between burnout and remote work.

McKinsey's report on the future of work shows 49% say they have some burnout symptoms. And that may be a mistake because burnout employees are less likely to respond to inquiries and may even have left the staff.

In the employer's view, remote workers may seem to work longer hours and be more productive. The risks associated with increased staff anxiety must be known however to the managers. Otherwise, the gains in productivity will not be durable. No secret that long-term anxiety can decrease job satisfaction and work performance and adversely affect interpersonal relations with fellow workers.

#3 Despite everything, We Love Remote Work

An overwhelming 97%—of the respondents to the survey in the Buffer report say that they want to continue working somewhat remotely. The two main advantages that the respondents have mentioned are the ability to work flexibly from anywhere and to work flexibly.

McKinsey's report showed that more than half of workers want a more flexible virtual hybrid model to work in their workplace, with some working days on-site and days working remotely. More precisely, more than half of employees say that once the pandemic is ended, they want at least three working days from home.

Companies will be more forced while applying policies to minimize risks related to overwork and burn-out, to find ways to meet such workers' demands. Smart companies are going to take on this new trend, realizing it can also be a win for them to adopt hybrid models, such as accessing talent in various locations and at a low cost.

Remote Work: Blessing or Plight?

Workers worldwide are understandably tempted to keep the good working life aspects of the pandemic – professional flexibility, less travel, and additional time with their families. However, we must remain cautious with the once strict limits between work and life. During breaks, we try to squeeze at home chores. We meet online from the kitchen or from the same cupboard where we watch television shows and many of us report problems after work.

So, how are we to avoid hopelessly mixing up our private and professional life?

The answer here is that we try, in an office setting, to replicate physical and virtual limits. That means not only that you have a dedicated workplace, but also that you keep track of the time and stop at work. It also means breaks in your schedule, because cooler water chats don't happen at home only naturally.

Where necessary, we must introduce new rituals that look like a normal day of work — e.g. walking around the block in the morning to simulate 'work arrival.' Remote work's staying here. If we wish to take advantage of the advantages offered, we must learn how to face personal challenges.

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