Burnout, stress, anxiety, ennui, fatigue – whatever you call it, odds are you’ve experienced some form of mental distress at work over the past year. Whether adjusting to working from home or managing customers on the front lines, almost everyone has undergone major changes to their personal and professional routines.
In fact,
84 percent of employees reported at least one workplace factor that negatively impacted their mental health in 2021, according to the latest Mind Share Mental Health at Work Report. Women, younger generations (Millennials and Gen Z), and Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) are more likely to experience higher stress levels directly related to their jobs. The same study found that half of all full-time U.S. workers have left previous positions due to mental health reasons, and workers who tried to push through felt they only performed at 72 percent of their usual capacity.
The shared experience
of the pandemic and dramatic shift in traditional work dynamics has helped to bring mental well-being to the forefront of professional conversations. Ninety-four percent of U.S. employees, HR professionals, and CEOs said mental health is as important as physical health in the 2021 State of Workplace Empathy Study conducted by Businessolver.
And while 54 percent of employees email data said their employers had become more accommodating to their mental health needs due to the pandemic according to the American Psychiatric Association, only 56 percent felt they could discuss the topic openly and honestly with their supervisors and co-workers.
By normalizing conversations
about mental health at work, we can begin given this demand for quick to destigmatize the experience of anxiety and stress related to our jobs and start to find healthier ways to pursue our careers. Let’s look at some of the ways modern work affects our psychological wellness, as well as some qatar data ways to find emotional balance.
The Two Sides of Remote Work
For many, remote and hybrid schedules offer freedom and flexibility, removing the drain of long commutes and the stress of constantly being “on” for co-workers. Two-thirds of employees reported feeling more productive at home, according to the Businessolver study, and 93 percent of respondents said the ability to work remotely showed their employer’s empathy.
But for others, working from home comes with major trade-offs. Remote employees often put in more hours per week than those in the office, clocking in early and continuing to check emails long after the workday. Sixty-seven percent of those working from home told the American Psychiatric Association they had trouble getting away from work at the end of the day.
In addition,
nearly two-thirds of people working from home reported feeling lonely or isolated at least sometimes, and 17 percent said they felt that way all the time. When it came to Gen Z and Millennials, that number jumped to 73 percent of respondents.
Finding a Work-Life Balance
When your home is also your place of work, it can be difficult to figure out where one stops and the other begins. Establishing firm dividing lines between your job and your life can help you be more productive at work and happier at home. Here are three types of boundaries you can set to find a better work-life balance: