The word burden, what does it mean to you? After a conversation I had this week, I got to thinking about the word “burden”.
The Cambridge Dictionary provided a definition that resonates, “something difficult or unpleasant that you have to deal with or worry about“. This definition says more than “a heavy load” referenced so often.
Juggling Workload and Personal Responsibilities
Ah, business and life intersect! If you’ve followed me for awhile, you’ve heard me say this many times 🙂 And darn, if these segments of life don’t get in the way of each other, often!
How do you juggle between the increasing demands from your life and work? Forbes published an article last month by Bryan Robinson, Ph.D. that was titled, “Is Working Remote a Blessing or a Burden”. Here’s in part what Bryan reported.
Negative Findings On Working Remote
A study conducted by Udemy of over 1,000 U.S. employees found that 89% are afraid of COVID-19 in the workplace and their fears have compromised their job performance. The survey found that the worry spikes correlated with increases of new COVID-19 cases.
According to a study of over 1,000 remote employees by Twingate, remote employment is causing workers to lose a sense of work/life balance during the pandemic. Their findings include:
- 45% of employees reported attending more meetings during the pandemic than when working in the office, compared to 21% who attended fewer meetings.
- 40% of employees have experienced mental exhaustion from video calls while working remotely.
- 59% of employees felt more cyber secure working in-office compared to at home.
- 22% of employees working from home purchased a VPN during the pandemic.
- 58% of employees reported discussing sensitive information on work video calls.
- Over 1 in 10 employees had their video calls hacked while working remotely.
A Doodle, survey of more than 1,100 U.S. employees also cited symptoms of burnout among employees. Key findings were:
- A full week of virtual meetings leaves 38% of employees feeling exhausted while 30% felt stressed.
- Performance anxiety and business pressures push employees into competitive mode. 63 % of employees were likely to record and re-watch their virtual meetings to help them become better presenters and strengthen their client relationships.
- Noise throws online meetings off-track and leads to miscommunication. 52 % of employees said background noise and/or poor audio quality disrupted their focus, while 23 % said it leads to miscommunication with clients. In particular, talking in the background (55%) and notification alerts (20 percent) are the two most disruptive types of background noise.
Even if the future of work is remote, in-person client meetings will always be in demand. 40% of employees are less likely to meet clients virtually once the government-imposed lock downs and social distancing rules have been lifted.
Positive Findings On Working Remote
On the flip side, a YouGov survey for Evernote revealed the opposite in terms of work/life balance. As the pandemic continues to unfold, 48% of Americans are living life at a slower pace since social distancing began and 51% are broadening the definition of productivity to not only work, but projects at home such as cooking or home improvement.
It’s clear that “Hustle Culture” is no longer a reality for many, and it may stay that way for some in the post-pandemic world. “It’s heartening to learn that people are staying productive during the pandemic, whether at a slower pace or by picking up a new skill,” said Michele Don Durbin, Evernote’s Senior VP of Marketing.
Other studies show that almost 60% of Americans think COVID-19 has changed the way we work for the better, according to a WalletHub study of a nationally representative Coronavirus and Working from Home Survey. WalletHub examined Americans’ thoughts about working from home during the Coronavirus pandemic and a potential return to an office, including how being at home has affected productivity and what people miss most about the office. Below are highlights of the survey, along with a WalletHub Q&A.
- Harsh penalties for not returning to the workplace. A third of Americans believe businesses should fire employees who refuse to go back to work. However, 67% think people who don’t want to return to the workplace should NOT be fired, which shows that most people are sympathetic to those who would rather work from home, according to Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst.
- Parents’ work efficiency may suffer at home. Around 50% of parents with young children at home don’t think they are more productive working from home.
- Working from home seen as the future. Almost a third of Americans think that physical offices are a thing of the past.
- Positive changes to the work environment. Almost 60 percent of Americans think COVID-19 has changed the way we work for the better.
The majority of studies show that employees have positive reviews of how employers handled the hasty shift to working remote. A Glassdoor study showed that 70% of respondents felt that their employer responded to employee concerns about health and safety matters. Another 60% said they can perform effectively no matter how long they have to WFH and 50% say they are as or more productive remote working.
Rachel Ernst, VP of Employee Success, Reflektive, explains the importance of staying in tune with employee sentiment to boost morale and performance during this unprecedented time: “One key finding of the sentiment results is the impact on HR teams. HR departments reported that they feel less productive—about 12% below their peer average.
HR professionals are working tirelessly to help employees cope during the current crises. Many are focused on workforce planning, determining the additional resources employees need in their new work environments to addressing mental health.
While the pandemic has altered so many aspects of everyday life, now is the time that the C-Suite works with HR teams to approve and build impactful programs for their workforce(s).
Finding Ways to Lessen Your Burden
Lessening burdens in life and in the workplace can be achieved! Yes, I am an optimist and a realist:)
To achieve your desired result, identify it. Ask yourself “do I have what I need to do what matters to me in ways that honor and respect me”? “What do I need to do now to get started”? “What is the timeframe needed to get this accomplished”?
With this information at hand, it’s time to get started! Planning involves considering contingencies – and how the “what if’s” might play a role in you crafting your desired results. It’s an opportunity to review the past and envision the future.
This type of contingency planning either for home and/or business is what I do with my work. It’s highly personalized for your circumstances.
My focus concentrates on practical and actionable steps you can take now while you are living. If you are interested and/or have questions, pop me a note:Â Lynn@thelivingplanner.com.
If you’d like general information about what I do and why I do it, my website is: https://thelivingplanner.com and my online courses/resources will give you an idea of what I offer to assist people, pets and businesses on this website: https://courses.thelivingplanner.com
“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near one.” – J.R.R. Tolkien đź’— Here’s to unearthing the dragons — Lynn
#LifeHacks #CareForPeopleCareForBusiness