Working from home is one of the best things you can ask for, but there are a few challenges of working from home that, when not taken care of, can cause more harm than good. Working from home is one of the best things you can ask for, but there are a few challenges of working from home that, when not taken care of, can cause more harm than good. While we all talk about the benefits of working from home, there are a few disadvantages of working from home that we must be aware of.
One thing that was unanimously common on employee wish lists worldwide was the opportunity to work from home (WFM). An avalanche of findings suggests that a whopping percentage of employees want to “work from home” at least part of the time for the rest of their careers.
The pandemic made this wish come true, with companies worldwide implementing work-from-home and remote work policies. In fact, many people are evaluating other companies not only based on salary, job profile, and company culture but also on work-from-home policies.
But there are always two sides to the same coin. While working from home has its own potential benefits, it can sometimes become too draining and challenging to manage.
Yes, there are mental health challenges to working from home that you should actively look out for.
Remote work from home is not exactly what employees thought of in the first place. But the pandemic normalized it all, and we became accustomed to working from home. We all enjoyed working from home, and then we realized that we were working longer than usual hours, with little breathing space and more expectations from the employers.
WFH challenges are real and can sometimes cause unanticipated mental health consequences. But it is not it. Working from home also presents key challenges affecting employee engagement, productivity, and job satisfaction.
Also Read: Are you Ready for Work from Home? 5 Rules that will make you productive.
There are contrasting views that experts express about working from home. Some believe it is the best thing to do and that remote work is the future. At the same time, others think that working from home is not as good as it apparently feels. It is because working from home can cause problems such as procrastination, isolation, and burnout in the remote workforce. It can all lead to unproductivity, ultimately.
Companies like Twitter have already extended permanent work-from-home for all their staff in roles and situations that enable them to work from home. Also, as per Twitter’s work-from-home policy, if any staff member wants to continue doing so forever, they will make it happen. On the other hand, companies like Microsoft now believe that permanent work from home can be detrimental to employees’ well-being. Many companies understand that human beings are social by their very nature. And therefore, they believe permanent work from home can hamper employees’ everyday social interactions and cause mental health issues.
Challenges of Working From Home
When your home becomes your workplace, it is natural to use a lot of mental bandwidth as the line between work and daily household chores blurs. Stress from work can easily seep into our personal lives, and when we are working from home, our family responsibilities can make their way into our jobs. It can take a toll on the health of many of us.
We can not deny that working from home is rewarding as it helps us save our time, energy, and money on a daily commute to the office. Working from home can be very convenient. But for some, it can turn into a nightmare. Sometimes, a slow internet connection can frustrate you and hamper your productivity. Sometimes you slog and burn your midnight oil in never-ending virtual conferences. To top it up, your computer screens, WhatsApp and MS team chats, phone notifications, and endless Google calendar invites can overwhelm you.
Many remote workers working from home find it difficult to draw a line between their professional, personal, and private lives. And these are the issues you can’t ignore.
Questions such as the below need serious contemplation:
- Who will pay for all the digital infrastructure work needed at home?
- Who will take benefit from the time and money saved not commuting- the employee or the employer?
- How about the company culture and values, which come when you work from the office and in social proximity?
- How about the benefits of working from the office? How can we replicate that experience when working from home?
When we work from the office with our colleagues, we can better align our thoughts, bond with them better, and cultivate company values and purpose. But being permanently alone poses a severe doubt about cultivating these things.
Many of us were elated by the mandated remote work, only to discover how easily it could lead to work-from-home challenges of burnout and isolation. And those who derive their energy from social settings ultimately realize that working from home is not as rewarding as it sounds. For those who are accustomed to face-to-face meetings, water cooler chats, and conventional office life, this shift to working remotely from home can cause a dramatic deterioration of mental health.
There are two major mental health risks, and challenges of working from home that emerge upfront, and these are:
- Loneliness and isolation
- Burnout syndrome
Loneliness and isolation
Human beings are social creatures and are fundamentally hardwired for connection. We must stay connected and reach out for support when we need to feel optimal. Permanently working from home goes against the very nature of human beings.
Social isolation resulting from working from home can increase your stress. Also, when you work from home, you are responsible for many more things on your personal front, such as helping parents, running household chores, taking care of children, and whatnot. So, you end up multitasking many things simultaneously and fail at every single of them.
Loneliness is another peril you can’t ignore. Many people feel lonely and isolated when working from home and, as a result, are more prone to depression, anxiety, and even claustrophobia.
Yes, you heard it right. Claustrophobia is also one of the problems that many people working from home have reported. Employees love the very concept of moving out of the house to experience the change of environment, break the daily monotony, and bond with colleagues over coffee breaks. They are now clearly missing these perks of working from the office that only flow in with regular office life. It is one of the biggest challenges of working remotely.
The isolation that came with COVID-19 was catastrophic. But it can’t be the order of the day. Permanently working from home can threaten basic benefits such as work-life, work relationships, and an active lifestyle that comes when we step out of our homes.
Sadly despite all the connectivity and devices, many of us are no longer connected. We are becoming lonelier than ever. Isolation and loneliness can slyly attack anyone and can be fatal to employee productivity and engagement. It exacerbates anxiety and depression, posing a more significant challenge for those living alone.
As per the reports, most of the global population is now experiencing loneliness and isolation, with no signs of how long this trend will continue.
But the good news is that there is no more mandated work from home. Many companies have now shifted to hybrid mode and have made it mandatory for their workforce to attend office for a couple of days a week, and the rest of the days, they can work from home.
So now we can choose to work from the home, office, or hybrid mode as per our choice! It can help us choose the way we want to work in our best interest and beat off loneliness and isolation.
How to deal with loneliness and isolation
- If your company offers a hybrid working mode, you should choose that option no matter how much you love working from home. It will keep your sanity in check.
- People in remote work, especially those energized by the need for socialization, need to maintain relationships with co-workers and managers. It will prove to be a boon for their own emotional and mental wellness and their performance. Technology can help them achieve this as it can virtually act as a booster in communication.
- Practice gratitude and count your blessings, as it goes a long way.
- Keep your mind and body balanced through regular exercise, sound sleep, and meditation.
- Stay connected to others, develop a meaningful relationship with yourself first, and indulge in self-care. It can all aid in reducing your daily anxiety, stress, and feelings of isolation.
What are companies doing to deal with employee isolation and loneliness?
To alleviate feelings of social isolation and loneliness, many companies are taking the following steps:
1. Hybrid mode of working
Companies now understand that their workforce loves to work from home but can have its own challenges. So, to ward off the challenges of permanent work from home, companies are giving hybrid work options.
2. Virtual coffee breaks
Many companies encourage virtual coffee breaks during working hours for their remote teams to foster collaborations and create a more conducive environment.
3. Water-cooler channel
Some companies have a dedicated water cooler channel to encourage breaktime socialization.
4. Virtual counselling
Many corporations are waking up to this problem and have onboarded official mental health counsellors and professionals to deal with social isolation. Some have even made it mandatory for all remote working staff to make themselves available for these counselling sessions.
Burnout syndrome
When the clock hits a particular time in your office, it is time to pack up. When working from home, the demarcation is unclear. It is because remote workers work longer hours than those in the office, as they constantly feel the pressure to contribute more than their colleagues logging in from the office. The psyche is “fear of losing a job.” It translates to working more to justify their existence. Hence they may feel compelled to work longer hours and prove that they can be productive while working from home.
Additionally, the whole idea of working from home has caused the lines between personal and professional life to turn hazy. Professionals who are working from home struggle to keep up with the expectations of children, parents, and their partners.
It causes burnout syndrome. Remote workers find maintaining a healthy work-life balance challenging due to compelling carry-over work that spills into their personal lives. It not only means less time for oneself but also for pursuing interests like exercise, reading, gardening, etc., and more overlapping responsibilities.
Adding to this is the pressure to perform better, change the job, crack the interview, and be the best performer. It is causing total exhaustion and burnout.
How to deal with the burnout syndrome
- Take the initiative to maintain your well-being in your home office or workspace by creating a comfortable and private workplace in your home explicitly dedicated to working.
- Give yourself rest in between while working. Wherever possible, try to incorporate exercise breaks and make time for connecting with your family and friends. Inculcate short and time-boxed breaks into your daily routine, which will help you overcome the feeling of burnout.
- Make sure to open and close the day deliberately. You open and close your day when you work from the office and commute to and fro. Since you are not commuting to the office and vice versa, when working from home, opening and closing your work-from-home days is a good idea. It will help you avoid dragging work to your bedroom or dining room.
- Thrive to achieve a work-from-home “work-life balance” by maintaining a healthy work-life balance the way you aim to do while you work from the actual office.
- Taking simple steps like turning off email notifications before and after working hours and maintaining a regular sleep schedule will help you maintain a feeling of normalcy.
Mandatory time off is one solution that requires collective action from both employers and employees. Companies should consider giving mandatory time off to the entire team simultaneously. Teams must decide when to be online and when responses, emails, and calls are not expected. Another way to do this is to make one day of the week a meeting-free day so that everyone can focus on work without any distractions. It will ease burnout syndrome. Also, while conducting virtual meetings, setting a time limit for conversations and appointing someone as a moderator will also relieve the burnout that the employees may feel.
What are the disadvantages of working from home?
So here are a few other disadvantages of working from home:
1. Lack of community and teamwork
Man is a social being and can’t work alone. And even if we work alone, for some time, we can’t be as efficient and productive as in typical office settings. Working longer hours and collaborating with co-workers online without any face-to-face interaction can be really challenging. Zoom, Skype, MS team, and Google meet can come in handy, but they can’t replace the fun of sitting together and brainstorming ideas face-to-face.
2. Procrastination and lack of motivation
When we work from home, we can procrastinate and delay things to the last moment. It can be a result of various factors, such as a lack of motivation because the common company or team purpose goes missing when we are working from home. Procrastination can also result from unmonitored performance, familial distractions, and frequent breaks.
3. Lack of proper working environment
Working from home gives people a good work-life balance because they can spend time with their families and meet their needs right away. But there is more to this story. Employees need to focus and concentrate on work to be more productive. But when working from home, employees can get easily distracted by phones, television, and other familial demands and, as a result, can lose focus.
Employees need good working conditions, such as dedicated space and a noise-free environment, to be effective. But not all households guarantee that.
4. Ineffective communication
When working from home, communication can be a real challenge. You can use various virtual conferencing tools, and there is no doubt they have made our lives easy, but they can’t replace the face to face interactions. Lousy internet connectivity and a bad mobile network can add to the problems. Also, when you work from home, you need to set up meetings for everything. It can be overwhelming and time-consuming as opposed to walking up directly to the person in the case of office setup.
The other two disadvantages of working from home are isolation, loneliness, and burnout, as discussed above.
Despite these disadvantages and challenges of working from home, remote work can be gratifying if we can handle these common issues. It is important to enjoy the flexibility, autonomy, and choice to work from home in the comfort of our couch while being productive and focused on our work.
Remember that you should never forget to enjoy life outside the boundaries of your work and reap the best of any given situation.
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