Working from home ‘detrimental’ to wellbeing

A shift to working remotely during the UK’s lockdowns has been “detrimental” to the wellbeing of staff, with employees suffering from increased tiredness and Zoom fatigue, new research shows. According to research by London South Bank University, which surveyed 102 UK employees working from home during the first lockdown, remote working could “harm employee wellbeing at work, if left unregulated”. The study, which measured levels of energy depletion, showed that working remotely generally led to increased tiredness or “Zoom fatigue”, which meant employees needed longer to recover from a day’s work when compared with working in an office. It also found that communicating with colleagues over video calls is more tiring than other forms of digital communication such as e-mail, text or other online chat methods. Video calls required “higher levels of self-control and regulation of emotion”, while changes in communication methods were “detrimental to the overall wellbeing of the workforce”, the report said. LSBU Business School’s professor of organisational behaviour, Karin Moser, said the study showed that working remotely can damage wellbeing, “is not sustainable, and in the long term, will have detrimental impacts on employee health and productivity”. She added: “The pandemic has thrown much of the workforce into one huge online experiment, forcing the majority of employees to work from home suddenly. This has left staff with no previous experience of remote working with little time to prepare and adjust. “The danger is that many work routines are now dictated by what technology packages are available, giving the user little time for reflection on whether what’s been provided is adequate. Meanwhile employees are also lacking the necessary skills training to help them collaborate and lead virtually.” Five ways to prevent ‘Zoom fatigue’ LSBU Business School professor of organisational behaviour Karin Moser’s top five tips for making sure that employee wellbeing is at the top of the agenda. Be aware of the time needed for employees to recover from the “demands of remote working” Give staff more breaks from the screen and make it clear they should not be working beyond core hours Encourage staff to shut down their laptops and work phones outside working hours Advocate for activities that will help employees in their “healthy recovery time”. This could include exercising, spending time with the family and staying away from screen-based activities Provide extra support to employees who may also be juggling caring and family responsibilities To send feedback, e-mail lucy.alderson@egi.co.uk or tweet @LucyAJourno or @estatesgazette