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Tips to avoid home working burnout and problems

By Fay Capstick

Now that Plan B has been implemented by the UK government, for many of us with office jobs it’s back to home working. During the early parts of the pandemic in 2020 this might have meant balancing a laptop on a coffee table or kitchen worktop, which isn’t ideal.

This time around what can we learn so that we don’t burnout? We’ll round up the best practices to give top tips on how to make this home working period as free from burn out and pain as possible.

How bad is it?

The mental health charity Mind, cites a report by Monster job site that states that 69% of all home workers experienced burnout when working from home during Covid lockdown (https://bit.ly/3IGDKG9). This is obviously a worry now that we are back to home working.

What is burnout?

Mind (https://bit.ly/3IGDKG9) says that burnout is a term that covers a collection of symptoms, including being anxious, unmotivated for your job, being irritable and experiencing physical problems such as stomach pain.

What can help to avoid burnout?

Winter is a struggle for many due to the increased darkness and decreased time spent outside. SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) can result in many of the same feelings as burnout. (For an overview of symptoms see the NHS page at https://bit.ly/3rXWECk). So the timing of Plan B means extra attention needs to be paid to preventative measures.

Here are some things you can do to keep healthy and positive during this period:

Take walks at lunchtime, however short, getting outside will help achieve a sense of normality. Leave your phone at home if you can. A walk will help reset your mood and help motivate you for your next work session.
You might be working in your kitchen, but try and keep to healthy eating and don’t snack more than usual. Carbs and sugar might give a short term boost, but it won’t help you longer term.
Set boundaries. Working from home doesn’t mean that you are available around the clock. Stick to the hours that you would be working in the office.
Try not to work late at night. Bright screens before bed aren’t conducive to a good night’s sleep. If you must work at night consider getting blue light blocking glasses. This will help stop some of the disruption to your sleep. Amazon, amongst other retailers, have a large selection.
Set up a dedicated work area. This time around try not to work from a laptop at the corner of the dining table. See if you can squeeze in a dedicated workspace, however small. This will help to give a perceived work/home balance. At the end of your working session, cover the area so that you can’t see it and be drawn back to do more. You probably wouldn’t drive back to the office in the middle of the night, so don’t start working again once your day is finished.
Make sure your work area is as ergonomic as possible. This will help prevent any musculoskeletal from developing due to poor posture. Ergonomic means that your arms aren’t extended or unsupported, you aren’t hunched over, your wrists aren’t bent, and your spine isn’t twisted. If nothing else, raise your laptop on a box so that it is the correct height and add a separate keyboard and mouse (all of which can be picked up cheaply. I found that a tub of Cadbury’s Heroes was the correct height to lift up my laptop). The New York Times has a good article about ergonomic workstations that can give more advice (https://nyti.ms/3GHEBEt). This becomes even more important in the industry that we supply, IT & Digital, as you may be working from multiple monitors, which will need more precise locating to prevent physical problems. If you do start to get any pain while working, take prompt action to alter your workstation or get advice from an Occupational Therapist. You might even find that a standing workspace is the best solution for you.

Final thoughts

Working from home can be a positive experience. For your well-being try and replicate the work day if you can. Take breaks, eat healthily, go for walks and ensure you have a comfortable working position. All these things will hopefully make it as stress free as possible until you can return to the office.