From couch to conference room: the workplace dilemma.
Despite being a period fraught with worries and uncertainty, most of us will remember the air of excitement in late March last year when the prospect of working from the comfort of our own homes was first introduced. And while this proved to be popular with those who relished the opportunity to be able to wear comfy clothes and get up a little bit later, the novelty of remote working has certainly worn off for many professionals who miss the buzz of the office setting, getting out the house and not having to deal with technical issues on video calls.
So much so, in fact, that ‘Zoom burnout’ has become a problem for many workforces; it’s rather difficult to be engaging/be engaged when background noises, family members and technical issues are competing for your attention. Besides, who likes seeing their own face on camera whilst they talk in a meeting?
Research recently conducted by Edinburgh University on the subject of Zoom burnout uncovered several findings which may leave some of the more Zoom-averse among us with a sense of vindication:
“Our minds [are] tricked into the idea of being together when our bodies feel we’re not. Dissonance is exhausting.”
Indeed it is the issue of boundaries which has become apparent in this discussion. Many psychologists have warned that the fuzzy boundary between work and home life can lead to a rise in stress, as our brains struggle to decipher between when it is time to relax and when it is time to get to work and stress about those deadlines. Unsurprisingly, many remote workers have reported difficulty getting to sleep at night as they attempt to drift into a restful sleep adjacent to the room they spent the entire day dealing with job-related stress. It’s almost as if you can hear your laptop summoning you in the night, luring you in to quickly send an email or check on that Facebook post that went out. Whilst the commute home from work might not be the most enjoyable part of our lives, it is at the very least a comforting ritual that lets us know that our work lives are being left behind at the office.
Of course, that boundary works both ways. Getting out of the house in the morning allows employees to leave their domestic issues back at the house. Getting into the office and catching up with your work best friend is a great way of taking your mind off any arguments at home. After all, it’s easier to forget an argument with your partner when they’re not sitting across from you!
Photo Credit: HubSpot Blog
Mental health isn’t the only aspect diminished by online communication, the simple act of being in the same room as your team is vital for brainstorming and discussing creative ideas for your business. It is estimated that between 70-93% of communication is nonverbal, therefore it is not surprising that many businesses are eager to get their employees back into the office. When often the medium of communication is through a small and grainy video, communication breaks down. This in turn hinders the team’s ability to build rapport and make the connections that are so important to a highly functioning organisation.
As many workforces find the sparks aren’t quite flying over a Teams call, managers desperately try to innovate; team-building organisations are abound with requests from businesses looking to bring their virtual crews together, but the reality is that no amount of quizzes or online murder mysteries are a suitable replacement for getting to know your colleagues in person and socialising with them in a natural setting. The benefits of having a gelled team pulling in the one direction and bouncing ideas off each other can be staggering. After all, that is what defines an organisation.
Just as many management teams are trying their best to whip up a virtual atmosphere, an overlooked aspect in many organisations is that a great deal of managers are simply not equipped to effectively oversee their team remotely, leaving many employees feeling isolated and neglected as a consequence. Although it has been widely reported that loneliness is one of the principal factors driving people back to the office—Nextiva reported that it is the second most cited reason for a dissatisfaction with office life—a perhaps less discussed aspect of this is a sense of professional isolation. A generation of aspiring professionals may be left feeling estranged from their coworkers and with a lack of direction as they attempt to drive forward their careers from their dining room table.
It would certainly be remiss of us to deny the merits of remote working, at least in a hybrid form, but it appears that among the appetite to ‘return to normal’ (which will also hopefully mean binning that phrase) is a desire to get back into work and amongst the hive of activity that an office can bring. What do you think? Is the working-from-home life the one for you or are you ready to ditch the virtual backgrounds and get back to the proverbial water cooler?