Articles

VIRTUAL WORKSPACE BURNOUT

One of the biggest mental health consequences of COVID -19 is burnout which can simply be defined as the cumulative feelings of exhaustion and cynicism related to one’s job. Burnout is an occupational phenomenon and interestingly even though given the lockdown, employees are physically away from their place of work, virtual workplaces have become their work stations and the latter has some way or the other influenced individuals’ health and wellbeing.

In different sectors and spheres of work domains, employees have been coerced to make use of virtual work stations given the pandemic and the shift hasn’t been smooth exactly. Driven by the threat of not having a job to return to or the pressure of delivering the same kind of work from home has led employees to work harder than before which may also lead to an unconscious inability to switch off work mode thereby leading to feelings of exhaustion, a sense of restlessness and frustration. The workload also seems to be manifold since it’s assumed that employees are in a comfortable space and not commuting to and fro resulting in delegation of too much work which seems to compromise the employees’ personal time and space.  For those employees who were previously working for the first half of the day, say teachers and professors, preparing online sessions and presentations have not only added to their stress levels but have also affected their work life balance and daily routine. Research on online teaching and burnout rates by Hogan & McKnight (2009) found that this form of pedagogy led to higher rates of burnout with high levels of emotional exhaustion and a low sense of personal accomplishment. The virtual work from home has blurred the boundaries between personal and professional space which tends to make the transition of working from home problematic. The employees feel a tug of the invisible chain around their neck which is an apt metaphor to define the burnout experience in relation to

Since one can’t do anything about the situation and one has little control over what’s going to happen next, it becomes imperative to understand this whole dynamic and try to think of ways as to not let one experience burnout. The first key of bringing a change in one’s day to day style of living is to understand one’s own behaviour and schedule. Self-realization is one of the vital tools of stress and coping mechanisms. Setting a routine for yourself but not a rigid one wherein one feels like a soldier in a regiment but flexible enough in a way one can start working with a smile on their face. .Additionally, trying to separate one’s workspace from one’s private space, no matter how small one’s living quarters are will definitely tend to separate the entangles boundaries of personal and professional space. In an already delicate, balanced social relationship scenario, the whole virtual workplace scenario tends to alleviate the rates of burnout thus possessing the ability to hamper one’s psychological state of mind. In order to prevent the same and enhance one’s physical as well as psychological well-being in times of burnout, there are various techniques one can keep in mind and practice. Apart from an acknowledgement  or realization of what causes one to experience more stress and pressure, one should pace oneself by prioritizing what is most important and accept that one can’t do everything on their own. The rates of burnout among working women in the COVID scenario are spiraling up given the dual roles they have to constantly transit in and out of along with double workload. Delegation of tasks, taking short breaks in between work and trying to make time for recreational activities tends to avoid burnout developed from overstrain. Keeping a certain time of a day for physical exercise in the form of walking meditation or yoga prove to be the simplest relaxation techniques one can practice. Engaging in physical activity tends to pump endorphins in blood which is a feel good neurotransmitter and is known to help foster relaxation. One of the oldest ways in the book of stress management and dealing with burnout is communication which acts as a cathartic tool and makes one feel better since letting go of the pent up emotions and thoughts.