Around a year ago, millions of employers worldwide had to make a sudden and unprecedented shift to home office amid the coronavirus pandemic.
For most employees, what started as a short-term remote work setup is now a permanent home office and will be around for a while.
Working from home has been on the rise and is necessary to contain the spread of viruses, and with that, the challenge for you to manage your remote team also comes.
However, working from home isn’t the only thing on the rise; employee burnout is another severe threat with the home office setup.
Monster’s research indicates that around two-thirds of workers exhibited symptoms of burnout while working remotely during July 2020.
The same report also suggested that most workers take less time off in the WFH setup than in WFO.
Around 42% of people working from home plan to take less time off to decompress.
This less day off might be due to the fear of losing a job, poor management, an unreasonable workload, or an inability to recognize the signs of burnout.
Another research indicates that after the lockdown, working hours have increased by 48 minutes, meetings have increased by 13%, and employees are sending an average of 1.4 more emails per day, which is relatively higher than before the lockdown.
Although people work from home, taking day-offs, breaks, and having “me time” is very important.
As a manager, you must understand that your remote team has a lot going on, and you must manage your during this pandemic.
This article will explain employee burnout and how to manage your remote team without burning out.
What Is Burnout?
Burnout is when you feel there’s no energy left to continue working.
It can affect a person’s mental, physical, and emotional health in several ways, leaving them exhausted and stopping them from completing their day-to-day tasks as they usually would.
No, it is not simply a feeling of being tired; it’s a lack of interest or motivation toward work.
Generally, burnout involves:
- I do not feel like working
- Lack of motivation
- Running away from people and responsibilities
- Procrastinating
- Not able to focus
- Symptoms of depression, like hopelessness or fatigue
- Getting insufficient sleep or experiencing insomnia
- Increase in interest towards alcohol than usual, or drinking to cope
- Physical problems like chest pain, headaches, dizziness, fainting, etc
- Negative thoughts about your work
- Feelings of helplessness and disconnected
Primary Reason Why Burnout Evolves
Burnout can evolve due to various factors, but some primary reasons include:
Reason 1: Too Much Work Pressure
You open your eyes and see a hundred emails and messages from the office, and you want to reply to them as soon as possible.
Sounds familiar? Well, this is the usual routine of most of the people who are working from home.
Stress builds up at the back of the mind when employees start their day by replying to emails and work meetings.
The increase in working hours and shifts is causing profound social and personal struggles.
Working from home saves time that we used to spend traveling and getting ready; it also makes people workaholics and do more and more.
Work-from-home setup sometimes blurs the line between personal life and work life.
Sometimes, people need help seeing where work ends and leisure time begins.
Some employees might feel overburdened and unable to communicate due to a lack of in-person meetings.
This overburden may cause some significant issues and, eventually, burnout.
It also happens when a person is not a good speaker or cannot communicate comfortably on call.
- Solution: Set Boundaries
Marketing aims to endorse a product or service effectively to the target audience and generate desired outcomes.
To achieve this goal, it is essential to create a positive work environment and prioritize the well-being of your team members.
The human body and mind need sufficient rest in a day. Setting boundaries and implementing office hours Assists your team members in attaining a balanced work-life harmony.
It’s essential to allow your employers to switch off work notifications and activate an out-of-office response for after-shift hours, signaling that your office is closed for business.
Encouraging your team members to leave the house, walk, exercise outside, or meet their friends can contribute to their overall well-being and productivity. Socializing helps them refresh their minds and stay productive.
Additionally, if a call doesn’t require screen sharing, take the meeting while sitting in a park or walking on a terrace, allowing team members to enjoy the benefits of fresh air and nature.
When managing a remote team, it’s crucial to consider their work and personal life. Different time zones of teammates working from various parts of the world mean that notifications or emails sent outside working hours can disrupt someone’s sleep or family time.
To address this, it’s important to discuss work schedules with every team member, respecting their time and ensuring they aren’t pressured to respond to chats or emails outside their designated working hours.
By prioritizing work-life balance, you create a conducive environment for your team to achieve marketing goals effectively.
Reason 2: Lack Of Supportive Environment
If you lead a remote team, effectively managing them and maximizing the remote team’s productivity is crucial.
Providing your team with the necessary resources, such as laptops, required software, mobile devices, and a high-speed internet connection, is essential.
It’s essential to create an environment where your employees feel comfortable asking for these resources, mainly if they are new to the organization and may be hesitant to communicate openly.
Additionally, it is vital to ensure that your team is aware of the various tools available to them. Sometimes, they may need to realize that specific tasks can be automated using tools, leading to manual work that could be time-consuming.
Introducing simple yet effective tools can streamline their work and enhance productivity. For instance, implementing planning and tracking tools can help you manage multiple projects simultaneously and ensure timely completion.
- Solution: Regular Check-ins
We live in an advanced era of technology and the internet.
Keep in mind that working from home is going to be around for a while. Therefore, people must adjust to the virtual setup slowly.
Regularly have one-on-one or team meetings and give them the time to contact you on any application without conflict of time zones.
Turn ON your availability, as your employees might hesitate to contact you during odd hours.
Schedule a one-on-one to discuss their problems and give them the solutions.
You can also set up weekly virtual team bonding activities to strengthen the team bond.
Virtual team-building activities can assist your team members in feeling connected and increase productivity.
As a team manager, you must help your team figure out what they should do and set reasonable expectations for their work.
Ensure each task and its reasons to make them understand exactly how you will measure success.
Clearly outline the work scope, deadlines, and deliverables for each project to your team.
Remember to give feedback to each team member to help them stay motivated and interested.
Reason 3: Lack Of Resources
If you have a team of remote workers, team building for remote employees is essential to foster collaboration and enhance their productivity.
In addition to providing them with the necessary tools like laptops, required software, mobile devices, and a high-speed internet connection, creating a supportive environment where they feel comfortable asking for resources is essential.
This is especially crucial for new employees who may need to be more accustomed to openly communicating their needs.
Incorporating team-building activities and encouraging open communication can establish a strong rapport among your remote team members.
Furthermore, promoting awareness about the available tools can significantly benefit their work efficiency.
For instance, implementing planning and tracking tools can streamline multiple projects, ensuring everyone stays on track and meets deadlines.
One of the many things that create burnout among employees is that they cannot plan how long it will take to complete a project and arrange their priorities.
You can simplify the prioritization process by using a Gantt chart maker as a game-changing tool in planning and scheduling projects.
You can’t just assume that everyone has all of those things, and it’s your responsibility as a team manager to ensure they have enough resources to do their work.
Before assigning a project, ensure your team members have the tools and technology to get the job done quickly.
Encourage your team members to use tools instead of manually doing a task.
It will enhance their speed, and they can invest their time in something productive.
Other Ways To Avoid Burnout
Apart from these preventive measures, you can also practice the following to avoid burning out employees:
Be Flexible
Due to the work-from-home setup, regular work hours might only suit a few people.
As a team manager, you must trust your team, give them the flexibility to finish work on time, and help them be the most productive.
Being flexible with working hours might enhance productivity and help them avoid burnout.
Instead of focusing on active hours, focus on productivity and the results of your employees.
Encourage & Embrace Diversity
Cultural obstacles are one of the significant issues while managing a remote team. Your team might consist of people from different cultures and religions.
It becomes challenging for a team manager to team members of different races, embrace cultural diversity, and make them stick together.
Find out how people from other areas and cultures are open to receiving feedback.
As a manager, you must promote a mindset of celebrating differences and respecting your team’s national holidays.
Use Video As Much As You Can
With so many free and paid video calling solutions in the market, it is easy to collaborate with your team on a video call.
Video conferencing is one of the best remote team solutions to stay connected and work together effectively, including for video marketing on social media.
Switch your video ON while collaborating with your team members, especially during one-on-one video calls.
Whether you want to read their reaction to a change in plans or want to know their overall mood, a video call can tell you way more than an audio-only call.
It can also be a powerful tool for video marketing on social media platforms, allowing you to engage with your audience more personally and interactively.
Burnout is REAL, and it is the team leader’s responsibility to make sure their team members are in a state of well-being, both mentally and physically, particularly when it comes to team building remote teams.
Incorporating video marketing strategies on social media can also effectively promote a positive work culture and boost team morale.
In these challenging times, a remote work environment will be a long-term solution; adopting the right leadership style and leveraging video marketing on social media platforms is crucial.
Using video content, Effectively convey your brand’s message, Engage with your target audience, and exhibit your products or services.
These tips and practices, tailored explicitly for managing remote teams, fostering team building, and incorporating video marketing on social media, will help you effectively support your team without burning out.
Best Methods To Remote Team Work Out
Conclusion
I hope you understand how managing a remote team without burning out involves successful communication, developing trust, and prioritizing individual and team well-being.
Leaders may establish a culture of productive remote work by utilizing technology tools, establishing a friendly and welcoming online community, and promoting work-life balance.
Set clear expectations and have flexible scheduling to keep people motivated and engaged.
Recall that while remote work presents fantastic prospects for flexibility and productivity, it also necessitates conscious measures to minimize burnout and advance the general well-being of team members.
By implementing these principles, managers may encourage remote employees to grow and succeed while preserving an excellent work-life balance for all parties involved.
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