The Covid-19 crisis came suddenly, turning our world upside down and leaving devastating consequences to our health. Not only physical health but our mental health too. The fact is, that we were all overwhelmed by anxiety and fear accompanied by forced isolation and lack of social interaction. Unfortunately, people are still unaware of how far-reaching these negative effects may be. 

However, the workplace shift from the office to home seemed to be the silver lining of this global crisis. Many employees enjoyed working from home, spending more time with their loved ones, without bosses hovering over their heads. 

Despite all the benefits of remote work, numerous people struggled while working from home, experiencing different mental issues like increased anxiety, the feeling of sadness, loneliness, and even depression.

Be as it may, remote work is here to stay and we have to learn how to make most of the good sides and cope with the bad ones. 

Make the Best of the Positives

According to various surveys, one of the major benefits of remote work was the sense of autonomy people get. You can organize your work in your own way, without bosses looking over your shoulder. When being able to organize your time and you know what you need to do, you’ll do it of your own accord, without feeling pressured and stressed.

 On the other hand, a downside of this freedom to work when you want and do things your own way is that people either tend to work overtime or begin to waste their time instead of working. When in this situation, workforce analytics software may be the solution you’re looking for. You can use this productivity tracking tool to see when you’re the most productive during the day and when you start to lose focus. This will help you organize your workday better and boost your performance. 

Switching to remote work will definitely save you time and money. Most workers who support this work model reveled in the fact that they don’t have to waste their time in traffic jams on their way to the office. Namely, a survey showed that employees spend 11 hours each month commuting. Knowing that you can spend this extra time with family and friends, doing things you love is a strong incentive to keep working remotely. 

On the other hand, remote work has brought numerous challenges that many people can’t tackle. One survey showed that around 42% of Americans working remotely have struggled with various mental issues. So, let’s see, now, how we can help you.

Deal With the Negatives

One of the most annoying aspects of remote work is monotony. You can easily feel that you’re stuck in “Groundhog Day” and your days are endless streams of repetitive actions. And you’ll be completely right. 

Spending time at home all day while working can stress you out,  kill your motivation and run down productivity. Try implementing new things that’ll refresh your daily routine. You can go for a morning walk, or exercise before work. 

Make a clear division between the workspace and the rest of your home. By setting clear boundaries you’ll experience fewer distractions and be more focused on your work.

Try pre-preparing your meals to save time during the day. This way, you won’t feel pressured to make lunch during your work hours and then run back to make up the time you spent in the kitchen.

Burnout is a dangerous trap you can fall into when working remotely. People tend to immerse themselves in work, losing track of time and getting overwhelmed easily. This happens because many employees think that they have to work more when working from home driven by some irrational guilt. 

You can fight the urge to work overtime with the help of the employee monitoring and time tracking system. Make a strict schedule and use an app to log work hours, clock in when you start, and clock out when you finish. By having a clear picture of the amount of time you spend at work, you’ll be able to reduce your overtime work, until you start sticking to the regular office hours.

You can often feel lonely and isolated when working remotely. The lack of social interaction is a significant downside of this work model that can affect our mental health. You can fight these feelings by using Google Meet and Slack to hang out with your colleagues. Find some time in a day for having coffee with your friends, even if it’s a virtual one. It will make you more energized and motivated for work.