Working remotely can give you more flexibility and freedom. After the unexpected changes due to COVID-19, the corporate world successfully shifted from a face-to-face environment to remote work. The truth is employees like working remotely and find it hard to get back to the office. However, working from home comes with its downsides and one of them is isolation in remote work. Social isolation and loneliness are common experiences among remote workers. Companies as well as employees should pay attention to isolation in remote work and address it on time.
Understanding the disabilities of employees might be key to improving their well-being. However, not every disability is clearly seen. Unseen disabilities such as stress, anxiety, and depression affect the productivity and well-being of many employees. Unseen disabilities become even harder to recognize when we work remotely. Therefore, leaders have fewer opportunities to address these issues and create a better environment for their employees.
Studies have shown that when we work remotely we mostly use asynchronous forms of communication. Hence, communication and collaboration among teams suffer. Even if your team manages to perform well and be productive, you must have felt that overall communication has decreased. When we do not engage in informal communication with our co-workers this affects our relationships. We are less likely to feel inclusion and belonging. Therefore, remote work naturally causes social isolation from our co-workers. Furthermore, it makes it harder to notice unseen disabilities and address them on time.
So, if you are working remotely you need to pay more attention to your mental well-being. Build habits that will help you overcome isolation in remote work.
Use video calls to communicate with your team. Having a real conversation and seeing your teammates as you discuss different topics can help you feel more engaged. Moreover, this is a great way to increase the feeling of belonging among team members. Using video conferences, online meetings and chats will be way more effective than e-mails. Live communication even via text can increase the social bond and engagement.
Working from home can be emotionally tiring. When you rest and work in the same space the lines between your personal and professional lives get blurred. This leads to feeling isolated and lonely. Even if you do not live alone, working from home can feel isolating. This is why working outside your home at least once a week could help you with overcoming isolation in remote work.
As an alternative to your home, you could pop into the office once in a while. This will be helpful for catching up with your colleagues and strengthening your feeling of belonging to the company. You could also try going to a co-working space where you can socialize with different people that share your interests. Another option could be to go to one of those quiet cafes that offer good wi-fi and strong coffe. It is important to remember that you have other options besides your home.
Many companies have employee clubs and teams that engage different activities. For example, you could join a board game or cycling club. This way you can have informal meetings with your colleagues. Joining informal clubs will not on ly help you beat the social isolation but bring you closer to your colleagues. When working remotely, there are communication barriers among people which cause conflicting situations. Relaxing with your co-workers will make your work more pleasant and easier.
Create a schedule that makes you get out of your workspace at least once a day. Example of this can be starting your day with jogging or going to a pub after work with friends. Just remember to change the location and get outside of your usual working space. Staying in the same room for most of the day can be very isolating. Even if you are not feeling out of it, drag yourself out of home. Be sure, this will help you beat the isolation in remote work.
Remote work blurs the line between your private and work life. Sometimes it may feel like you are never not at work. This is an overwhelming feeling that will increase the feeling of isolation. So, it is important to talk to people who are not work-related. Having daily chats with your friends and family members will help you separate your personal life from work. Having a talk about non-work-related topics can be very helpful when dealing with remote work. Additionally, small chats will help you take much needed break from your work.
When working from home it can be harder to take breaks and relax. Even when you take a small break it may not help you recharge and truly rest. This happens because you are in the same space and it is hard to switch to relax mode. So, it is more efficient if you come up with specific recharge or unplug activities. These activities should help you take your mind off work and relax. Furthermore, these activities can be productive as well. Break activities might include
Last but certainly not the least for beating isolation in remote work is setting the clear boundaries. Do not work overtime, do not take calls and answer e-mails after working hours or during the weekend. These simple but crucial habits will help set clear boundaries and keep healthy work-life balance. As a result you will have more time for yourself. You could use this time to take care of your mental health and spend time with your loved ones.
According to recent survey, more than 70% of employees in UK want to work remotely at least 2 days a week. This clearly shows that working remotely will become even more common and accessible to more professionals. However, before you decide how to work: in office, hybrid or fully remotely it is good to understand the downsides of remote working. Knowing its disadvantages will help you beat isolation in remote work.
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