Workforce Management Featured Article
Setting Work and Home Life Boundaries to Avoid Employee Burnout
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced millions of workers globally to work from home. And while this may seem like a great benefit, it comes at an unprecedented time when parents are essentially home schooling their children or have lost their childcare. Others may be caring for elderly parents or grandparents or have other responsibilities taking up their time. Remote work comes with many benefits but may also lead to the very real risk of long-term employee burnout.
One of the biggest problems with working remotely is a lack of definition between work and home life. This can lead to employees working longer hours and on weekends, and losing the downtime previously associated with home.
Recent research from Harvard Business Review shows that drawing clear lines and boundaries between professional and personal lives is absolutely essential to avoid employee burnout. Defining and maintaining these boundaries is necessary for maintaining worker productivity and warding off the dreaded effects of employee burnout.
Drawing physical and social boundaries between work and home life is a good starting point. When working in an office, employees put on "work clothes" and physically commute to a workplace, making a clear transition from home to work. Similarly, when they travel home they put on "home clothes," creating a clear physical and social distinction between these two significant roles.
Similar boundaries may be set for remote work, and the act of getting ready for work is a great way to transition from personal to professional role. Similarly, a morning walk or some sort of exercise can be a nice way to transition to the work role.
A dedicated work space is also extremely beneficial for creating clear, physical boundaries between work and home life. If your couch is associated with relaxation, family and social time, then it's not a good idea to do your job from there. Having an office or even a desk or other designated work space is a huge benefit for separating personal and professional time.
Speaking of time, temporal boundaries are a real and necessary way to separate work and home lives. While a nine-to-five or other regular schedule may not be achievable given the challenges presented by COVID-19, sticking to some sort of schedule is crucial for employee well being and optimal work engagement.
Workforce managers will need to coordinate meetings and schedules at times that meet everyone's needs. That will prove to be a challenging task considering the variables and parameters of different employees, but essential for engagement and productivity. Workers will also need to be respectful of each other's schedules and understand that replies may be delayed based on differing routines and schedules.
Finally, prioritizing work is a key way to stave off employee burnout. Workers simply may not be as productive when working from home due to circumstances outside their control. Being able to prioritize and focus on high-level tasks will ensure work is still getting done on an orderly and expected manner.
Working around the clock, while also juggling childcare and other responsibilities, is actually counter-productive in the long term since it will surely lead to employee burnout. But by focusing on the most important tasks, workers can pour their productivity into the most pressing work, and get their work done in a reasonable timeframe defined by their work hours.
Edited by Maurice Nagle
