Combating Burnout, Isolation, and Anxiety in the Remote Workplace
Introduction
On this page, we're detailing how to recognize and avoid burnout in a remote setting. We'll also cover the issues of isolation and anxiety, and how to create a non-judgemental culture where teams are encouraged to work through it rather than internalize it.
There's a fine line between thanking someone publicly for going above and beyond to help out in a situation, and sending a message that work should always trump life.
Burnout rarely happens all at once. Rather, it typically takes one by surprise, eventually coming to a head after days, weeks, or months of overwork creep.
While working one additional hour to move a given project forward is likely not debilitating when viewed in a vacuum, it can trigger a revised baseline where you must continue to overwork in order to maintain the new status quo.
This becomes toxic when managers fail to recognize that a given sprint should not reset the baseline of what is achievable on an ongoing, sustained basis. It becomes disastrous when team members do not feel safe bringing this up to their managers in a 1:1 setting.
Particularly in a company where results are valued above all, managers should be careful to not assume that results garnered in a given period of overwork are the new norm. This places team members in an unfair scenario where they feel pressured to perpetually overwork in order to meet expectations. More broadly, as other team members witness this, they will be less likely to go above and beyond in special cases for fear of trapping themselves in a similar cycle of overworking just to meet ever-increasing (and unsustainable) expectations.
Rest and time off are productive
Though it sounds counter to conventional wisdom, clarity comes through time away from work. Just as a human must inhale and exhale to survive, one cannot expect to remain healthy and productive if only inhaling more work.
As John Fitch describes in the book Time Off, there are four stages of creativity. This was initially outlined by English social psychologist and London School of Economics co-founder Graham Wallas.
- Preparation
- Incubation
- Illumination
- Verification
Establishing a culture that gives voice to this reality is critical is removing the stigma from taking breaks and prioritizing wellbeing. Rest isn't at the expense of work; it's a core function of doing excellent work.
Your rest ethic is as important as your work ethic
Traditionally, we've emphasized the importance of having a strong work ethic. Finding a balance with your work ethic and your rest ethic is essential for avoiding burnout. Building and nurturing your rest ethic creates the energy needed to enable your work ethic. Dr. Saundra Dalton Smith talks about the importance of rest and the types of rest we need in her TedTalk, The 7 Types of Rest that Every Person Needs.
Examples of how you might define your rest ethic:
- Commitment to taking time off every month, and truly unplugging from your laptop or work projects when you're off
- Using a non-linear workday to take a long break mid-day to walk, exercise, read, or work on a passion project
- Practice a morning routine to help prepare you for the workday
- Practice an evening routine to turn off work and be present with your friends, family, or time alone
To learn more about building a rest ethic, refer to this course by John Fitch and TimeOff entitled Design your Rest Ethic.
Document processes around mental health
Burnout, isolation, and anxiety are issues that impact team members across all companies, regardless of their organizational structure. While they aren't always intertwined, there is significant interplay between them.
In a colocated setting, it's entirely possible for a team member to appear well, but struggle with these issues internally. That said, it tends to be easier for those in an office to reach out to a team member they trust (or their people department) if burnout, isolation, or anxiety is impacting their ability to thrive in the workplace.
In a remote setting, where in-person interactions are less common, it's easier to fall victim to isolation. This is particularly true for those who are not well acclimated to remote work, or have just started their first remote role.
Because you are likely to work alone most times, it's more difficult to remember that you do have colleagues to call on — especially if you're already overwhelmed, burned out, or suffering from anxiety/depression.
Create clarity through documentation
The aforementioned reality makes it all the more important for any company hiring remote workers to place a great deal of focus on documenting processes for team members who face these difficulties. Along with offering professional assistance, be sure to showcase documented resources of where to turn during onboarding, and reinforce this in ongoing learning and development sessions.
Remote team members may feel less comfortable reaching out to a person when experiencing mental duress, so it's vital to ensure that answers and resources are easily discoverable within a company's handbook.
Leverage documentation to ease anxiety
This approach enables managers and leaders to experience less anxiety and worry of being a single point of failure. By documenting diligently, it is easier for managers to take time for themselves, prioritize family, and earnestly disconnect during holidays and vacation.
Documentation allows a significant portion of one's managerial expertise to be tapped into even while the manager is away recharging, and this intentional decentralization creates a greater sense of calm for both leaders and direct reports.
Creating a non-judgemental culture
Transparency is a core value at Hyletic, and should be a value at any organization employing remote team members. Leaders should assume that some team members will feel uncomfortable surfacing issues involving isolation, burnout, and anxiety at work. This can stem from prior experiences, where bringing such issues to light could lead to negative consequences.
To combat this and destigmatize such issues, leadership should work to build and sustain a non-judgemental culture. This starts by celebrating a diverse team, and creating an inclusive work environment.
At Hyletic, we encourage team members to include overall feedback on how their life is going during routine 1:1 meetings. Managers are responsible for creating a safe atmosphere, where team members can openly discuss issues related to mental health, and work with the team member to a resolution.
Force work into async tools
Working entirely or primarily in a chat tool such as Microsoft Teams or Slack is a pathway to burnout. Humans were not designed to have hundreds or thousands of people demanding things from them with red bubbles. There is a reason your phone can only allow one conversation at a time.
Leadership can create a more humane atmosphere by leaning on a tool (or tools) that enable asynchronous workflows, thereby reducing meetings and creating more time for focused, deep work.
Hyletic is a collaboration tool designed to help people work better together whether they are in the same location or spread across multiple time zones. Originally, Hyletic let software developers collaborate on writing code and packaging it up into software applications. Today, Hyletic has a wide range of capabilities used by people around the globe in all kinds of companies and roles.
Workshop how to work less
There should be no stigma in questioning efficiency. What was ultimately most efficient a year ago may not be true today. If you sense that a team is overworking and creating a cycle of overwork for those in proximity, consider pausing to workshop how to work less.
This environment creates a space where individuals can surface new tools and technologies which may be able to lighten the human load, or surface new realities in how the market has shifted to a point where certain elements of work are no longer as valuable.
A regular cycle of these workshops creates moments for reevaluation. A rest and creativity ethic is just as important as a work ethic, particularly when you consider that outstanding work requires a certain amount of creativity and clarity.
How to recognize mental health struggles
Oftentimes, if you are feeling burned out, you aren't the only one feeling that way. A few are highlighted below.
You're constantly tired
You no longer enjoy things
Your job performance suffers
Your physical health suffers (headaches, irregular breathing patterns, etc.)
Your relationships are strained
You feel socially zapped
You disable video for team calls to prevent others from seeing your pain
You are perpetually concerned with whether you are doing enough
You worry that your contributions are too few or too insignificant
You feel unable to choose family first
Working to prevent burnout, isolation, and anxiety
Prevention is a team sport. Leaders must work to establish a workplace culture that empowers rather than restricts, managers must be proactive in sensing the signs of mental strain, and team members must feel comfortable surfacing issues while they are still manageable. Below are several recommendations for avoiding and preventing burnout, according to Hyletic team members.
- Set clear boundaries between work and home
- Take vacation
- Take a "mental health" day to lower your stress (spend time outdoors, get a massage, get some exercise)
- Know when to take a break
- Put a break reminder on your computer
- Switch off when you're away from work
- Don't suffer in silence
- Don't go straight to work after you wake up
- Remove Slack from your smartphone or at the very least, turn off notifications for it
- Keep each other accountable. When you notice someone in a different time zone should be asleep, tell them
- Use your Slack status to share a message with the team that you are unavailable
- Schedule random coffee breaks
- You can use informal communication mechanisms such as virtual trivia sessions, talent shows, scavenger hunts, and global pizza parties/meals to help bond as a team and prevent work-related burnout.
Take a moment for gratitude
It is easy to focus on the negatives. Many times when something goes wrong, or we make a mistake, we jump to the negative outcomes. In these moments, take a pause and ask yourself "What is good about this situation?". Focusing on the positive impact can make your day go a lot better. It is easy to forget to focus on gratitude, so if needed, help yourself with a prompt. A simple reminder in your calendar, or Post-It note at your work station with the word gratitude can remind you to focus on what you've learned or discovered in a situation rather than the negatives. You can also try asking yourself what you are grateful for each morning to start getting in the habbit of focusing on the positives.
Be transparent about boundaries
Whether you're communicating with a coworker or someone external to the company, it's helpful to be transparent about the boundaries you've set for your mental health, wellbeing, and life outside of work. This is especially impactful for managers and leaders, because it normalizes the conversation around mental health and sets an example for others on the team.
Realistic expectations
Leadership must be sensible about expectations. If a company's OKRs (objectives and key results) and KPI (key performance indicators) are unattainable without compromising company values, this incongruence is a recipe for fostering burnout, isolation, and anxiety across a team.
It is foolish to expect a team member to maintain excellent mental health when their workload requires a sustained amount of sacrifice. There is a fine line between collaborating with a team member on an ambitious goal and assigning a task that will be perceived as impossible.
This nuance requires a leader who is adept at understanding a team member's strengths and weaknesses. What is perceived as impossible for one team member may seem trivial to another; it is not always the task that triggers duress, but mismatching a task with an ill-equipped team member.
This can be more pronounced in a remote setting. Leaders should pay close attention to blockers and struggles, and be proactive in asking about these during 1:1 sessions. Phrasing questions such as "Are there any assignments that you do not feel comfortable or equipped to handle?" is a better way to uncover truth compared to a blanket "Why isn't this working?"
It's also important to understand that not every team members prefers to discuss these topics using the same medium. While some may prefer video communication, others may prefer voice, writing, or something else. Remote leaders should strive to be inclusive when searching for answers and solutions.
Sentiment tracking and feedback
Particularly in remote companies, leadership should consider implementing processes around internal feedback. Companies will often wait to gather internal feedback until an exit interview after someone's resigned, or they'll organize an occasional survey to take a pulse on the company’s engagement. Hyletic prefers shorter, but more frequent, check-ins, aligned to our values of collaboration.
Ask questions that shed light on whether or not a team member is thriving or struggling, and pay close attention to any adjustable workplace factors that are contributing either positively or negatively.