The pivot to remote working was initially met with great optimism at first, but now many workers are suffering from a lack of work-life balance.
“Work-life blur” has quickly become a major challenge for remote workers as they attempt to find solace in eating, sleeping and working within the same space everyday.
Although remote working has provided countless benefits, such as allowing workers to create their own schedules, not establishing work hours can hurt them. This makes it hard for employees to switch off at the end of the day, or be riddled with feelings of guilt if they finish all their tasks early.
To avoid work-life blur, both employers and employees need to take responsibility in how the work day runs. This means that managers need to set reasonable deadlines for tasks, as well as avoid contacting employees outside of their established office hours.
Employees should also clearly communicate their work hours and establish strict boundaries with their employer. One way to properly accomplish this is to use separate devices for work and person use.
Another way to create a distinction between work and home life is creating a physical home office that is dedicated to just working.
“We need to be mindful that everyone is different, and each employee has different demands. Some thrive in an isolated environment, and others hate it,” said Melissa Broxton of Worksnug.com. “Flexibility of work and life is going to be important moving forward.”
