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How To Address Remote Work Burnout Today To Build A Stronger Organization Tomorrow

Forbes Human Resources Council

Kristina Johnson is Okta’s Chief People Officer, leading the organization’s global People function.

Without a clear answer as to when they will return to the office, employees across the U.S. are headed into their eighth month of remote work. After converting corners of homes into offices, the line between work and life faded quickly. Without a commute, employees adjusted to workdays without a clear start or end, answering emails from bed or working long past the time they would have usually left the office. Parents suddenly had to balance their own professional lives with remote learning and child care. Others made the tough decision to leave cities and work from their childhood bedrooms, trading co-workers for parents and siblings.

But the health risk posed by the pandemic isn't the only issue causing stress this year. The country has faced historic unemployment rates, a national movement for racial justice, a deep political divide, catastrophic wildfires across the West Coast and more. These circumstances have led to a new kind of professional and personal burnout. FlexJobs reported that 40% of survey respondents have experienced burnout during the pandemic, and 37% are working longer hours than before. We've seen this across our customers' workforces too: During the first six months of the pandemic, workers were logging on for longer hours, feeling pressure to stay connected at all times.

As more businesses consider offering remote-friendly or remote-first policies beyond 2020, they must first address how they'll mitigate employee burnout moving forward. While remote work started as an experiment for many organizations, we've now had the time to learn how to not only foster better employee experiences but also build a stronger organization by retaining top talent across a dispersed and remote workforce.

I've thought about these challenges in regard to my own team at Okta. Before the shift to remote work due to the pandemic, we began piloting what we refer to as "dynamic work" with our team. Dynamic work is a hybrid approach for the workplace that focuses on flexibility, inclusion and individual choice. After using the past months to refine our approach to the team's needs, I believe that the ways in which we empower remote teams today can help us do the same for hybrid teams tomorrow. Here's how.

Don't just ask employees how they feel. Do something about it.

Employers must establish an environment that caters to team members' individual needs. FlexJobs also found that only one in five employees feel like they can have meaningful conversations about burnout with their HR team, underscoring the work to be done.

This begins with emotional intelligence. Taking a more human approach to relationships with employees fosters an inclusive and empathetic environment, which is critical as organizations work remotely and adopt more flexible work structures. Understanding employees' needs requires asking questions, like how they're feeling about remote work and what they need to be successful.

Surveys are an effective tool to do this, but only when used correctly. Find surveys that are accessible and seamlessly integrate into your company's existing tech stack, which will encourage more employees to participate.

Just a survey, however, won't encourage employees to feel valued or empowered. Business leaders must follow up with results, sharing actionable insights that address common themes or anomalies. If numerous employees report that they feel disconnected from their reporting managers, leaders can standardize biweekly check-ins across the organization as well as encourage managers to check in on a more personal level to see how the teammate and their family are doing. Surveys offer a chance to gather feedback and make necessary changes before it's too late, but be cognizant of survey fatigue. If employees receive numerous surveys a year with little follow-up, they feel like they're a waste of time.

Prioritize flexibility wherever possible.

From helping working parents manage hectic schedules to offering more customized benefits, flexibility should be baked into the entire employee experience. 

Flexible schedules can be dictated on a department and individual basis, while ensuring teammates who work closely have overlapping schedules and plenty of time to schedule meetings. This is especially critical for parents during this challenging time, with more than half finding it difficult to balance household demands with working from home, according to a survey by Microsoft. Our own data backed this up, seeing a drop in logins from 1 to 5 p.m., likely due to family and home responsibilities. Moving forward, parents and caretakers can benefit from a flexible workplace that allows them to work in a way that aligns with their family's schedule without missing critical work hours.

As we embrace a more dynamic workplace, benefits should naturally follow. Whether it's access to mental health support and tools, child care options and reimbursements or fitness stipends, every employee has different needs and wants. Reinvesting in employees both in and out of the office and offering them the benefits they need empowers them to do their best work.

Maintain company culture, especially when you're not in the office.

After working remotely for a number of months, many employees miss the palpable sense of community in an office. Dynamic workplaces offer a chance to make it even more accessible. This year has shown companies how to successfully produce virtual conferences, off-sites and employee gatherings. As some employees return to the office and others continue to work remotely, companies can ensure everyone is a part of these experiences through a hybrid environment of in-person and virtual engagements.

Dynamic workplaces help companies build and maintain a culture of communication and flexibility, ensuring employees feel empowered and understood. This in turn creates a sustainable workplace for your employees, mitigating burnout and limiting turnover. Just as it's changing how we think about traditional work environments, the shift to remote work — despite the challenges it's posed — can prove to be a catalyst for more meaningful employee experiences.


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