What remote work does to your brain and body

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Initiatives such as emotional support programs, peer interaction platforms, and inclusive digital infrastructure are not only feasible but essential to organizational resilience and cohesion in the post-pandemic world. Studies by 1,11,53 demonstrate that the coexistence of professional and personal demands in shared spaces intensifies tensions and contributes to family conflicts. These conflicts are more prevalent in in-home office settings, where role overlap directly impacts productivity and psychological well-being . The resulting functional overload compromises work–life balance and deteriorates workers’ quality of life 51,52. Table 2 provides an overview of the methodological approaches and sample characteristics. Quantitative methodologies were employed in the majority of studies (73.84%), followed by qualitative approaches (12.31%).

• Remote work may sometimes be viewed cautiously by management due to concerns about reduced managerial control.
• A 2020 survey found that 2.4% of people or 4.9 million Americans say they have moved because of remote work in 2020.
• When employees experience burnout, they may begin to look for other opportunities or leave the organization altogether.
• So, it’s important to take time off and block days off on your calendar to rest.
• They can help you reset your mind, improve your ability to concentrate, and increase and maintain productivity levels.

Challenges to team building

The COVID-19 pandemic stands out as a pivotal element in this cluster, serving as a catalyst for the widespread adoption of telework. Its centrality in Figure 6 underscores its significance in current debates, highlighting its broad social, psychological, and organizational repercussions. After removing duplicates and applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 97 articles were retained for full-text review.

Most Common Symptoms of Burnout

The increase in remote work had also led to people moving out of cities and into larger homes which catered for home office space. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, the increase in remote work led to a decrease in global CO2 emissions. Partially due to the decrease in car commuting, carbon emissions dropped by 5.4%; however, emissions immediately increased to the same rate in the following year. Different forms of communication result in the varied presence of these communication characteristics. Therefore, the nature of communication technology can either promote or inhibit grounding between participants. The absence of grounding information results in reduced ability to read and understand social cues.

Professional job stress during the COVID-19 pandemic

When working remotely and asynchronously , remote workers may find that they’re working more than they should. They might be checking work email when they’re supposed to be off, or spending hours of their personal time working on professional projects. Work-from-home burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by long-term stress or too much work while working from home. Part of this is the fact that it’s easier to blur the boundaries between work and home life.

Medical Travel Growth in South Korea and Strategies for the Future

Low work morale and engagement resulted in a decrease in employee psychological health and efficacy. Working from home led to a feeling of being undervalued and not being trusted enough to undertake specific tasks among employees. Although hybrid and remote work arrangements are now widely preferred by employees , our findings suggest that they may also evoke ambivalence, contributing to decreased motivation, emotional fatigue, and compromised performance. This study also offers several practical implications, summarized in Table 7, for key stakeholders such as HR professionals, team leaders, executives, IT departments, policymakers, and industry associations.

2.2. Cluster 2—COVID-19 and Impact on Work

Whether it’s a video call, a text message, or an in-person meetup (if possible), nurturing your personal relationships can help combat isolation. Remote work often limits social interactions, leading to feelings of isolation. Humans are social beings, and maintaining connections with colleagues and friends is essential for mental well-being. Although we may never be able to fully replicate all of the physical and mental benefits of working in the office, there are small changes that can help improve remote work. One way to do that is by playing games, suggests Tanya Tarr, behavioral scientist and president of Cultivated Insights. While we still don’t know much about the long-term implications of remote work, researchers agree that working outside of a traditional office setting can negatively impact our brains and our bodies with everything from eye strain to back pain.

Data Availability Statement

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. Quality of working conditions (Mihalca et al., 2021) and perceived increased workload led to unsatisfactory professional self-esteem, psychological distress, chronic emotional and workplace stress, and high turnover. Challenges and hindrance stressors negatively affected employee wellbeing and adjustment to remote work due to the ongoing work demands (Nemţeanu and Dabija, 2021), unclear job instructions (Bernardelli et al., 2021), and work–life conflict.

• Remote work provides workers with the freedom and power to decide how and when to do their tasks and therefore can increase productivity.
• Therefore, the nature of communication technology can either promote or inhibit grounding between participants.
• To effectively combat remote work fatigue, professionals must adopt a holistic approach, combining a range of strategies with suitable tools to create a balanced and sustainable remote work experience.
• A key obstacle to productivity in telework environments is the limitation of daily interpersonal contact—a vital process for transferring experience and knowledge 6,72.

Ref. further highlights that the lack of face-to-face interaction limits the effectiveness of collaboration and trust-building, thereby constraining problem-solving and creativity. In alignment with this, Ref. observes that insufficient technical and emotional support from organizations contributes to increased stress and burnout, ultimately fostering a perception of social exclusion among remote workers. To counteract this, the author stresses the importance of tailored organizational support that meets workers’ specific needs and expectations.

Lastly, the literature is disproportionately focused on knowledge-intensive sectors such as ICT, healthcare, and academia, leaving underexplored the realities of telework in other sectors like manufacturing, logistics, and retail. The process of knowledge sharing is essential for both innovation and the continuous development of employees . Nevertheless, a non-physical presence disrupts workplace conversations , impeding the transmission of tacit knowledge and lived experience. Furthermore, feelings of loneliness can undermine employee motivation and willingness to engage in knowledge sharing practices . Creating business environments that actively promote collaboration and mutual learning is thus critical to overcoming social and cognitive barriers. As noted by , these environments catalyze individual and organizational growth, making knowledge transfer more inclusive and dynamic.

You can also get injured if you’re not paying full attention to what you’re doing because you’re stressed . So, it’s important to take time off and block days off on your calendar to rest. If you’re facing burnout at work, it’s probably time to take a step back and take some time off. This doesn’t mean taking time off to take care of housework or other responsibilities. External stressors are the things outside of you that drive burnout from working from home. They’re things like deadlines, work situations that create stress, or even non-work stressors, like family life.

The second cluster examined the specific pressures imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly on high-stress sectors such as healthcare and education. Studies in this group explored the psychological strain resulting from blurred work–life boundaries, increased demands, and technostress. The convergence of domestic and professional roles, alongside heightened productivity expectations, emerged as a key source of burnout and emotional fatigue . Cluster 3 centered on professional stress and work engagement, underscoring how reduced interpersonal interactions correlate with declines in motivation, dedication, and psychological investment in tasks.

Communicate your working hours to colleagues to manage expectations and avoid after-hours communications. Designate a dedicated workspace in your home, even if it’s just a small corner of a room, to mentally separate work from leisure. Shut down your computer, step away from your workspace, and engage in activities that help you unwind, such as exercise, reading, or spending time with loved ones. If remote work fatigue becomes overwhelming and persistent, it might be time to seek professional support. A coach or therapist can help you develop strategies for managing stress and burnout.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of efforts to address WFH burnout try to treat the symptoms without addressing the root causes. The fundamental root cause of WFH burnout stems from organizations adapting their existing ways of interacting in “office culture” to remote work. To defeat WFH burnout, organizations need to understand the reality of the problems leading to WFH burnout to survive and thrive in our new world.