Don’t Go Nuts at Your Remote Job This Fall With Selzy’s Tips

Is remote workers’ mental health a problem?

According to the latest findings, yes. For example, the study by Integrated Benefits Institute showed that the remote schedule increases the likelihood of depression and anxiety stronger than in-person work.

It’s not the only study with pessimistic conclusions. According to a survey by RSM and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 64% of employers claimed that remote work has become a mental health issue for their employees. Additionally, 69% of middle-market employers claimed that remote work interferes with employee training and development, and 66% said it caused onboarding issues. Also, the Owl Labs report claims that 55% of employees work longer hours remotely compared to in-office — and overtime work is proven to worsen mental health.

We also found an interesting study that does a great job listing almost all the possible remote work stress factors:

• Technical issues — for example, remote desktop software crashes.
• Work-related stressors — working overtime, too many tasks, you name it.
• Non-work stressors — here’s where your lack of work-life balance belongs.
• Communication issues — lack of feedback from supervisors, isolation, and so on.
• Motivation and productivity issues — feeling bound to the machine, boring routines, and so on.

Out of all these factors, technical issues are the easiest to fix. Others take much more time and effort or can’t even be fixed and require acceptance. If some heavier stuff is affecting you, our tips may help!

Tip #1: Put “work” back into “work-life balance”

Remote work creates so-called permeable boundaries. It means that you can do something personal from household chores to engaging in hobbies during your alleged work hours — it’s the work-life blend everybody is talking about. At the same time, your entire day can become your work day with really long breaks and you still sitting at your desk at 11 pm. This permissiveness lowers your job satisfaction, which in turn leads to stress, burnout, and other things you wouldn’t want.

If you have a serious boundary problem, you won’t fix it overnight — but here’s what you can do today to improve it:

• Set a fixed workday ending. Once the time is up, you close the laptop, get up, and move on with your life — no exceptions! And if you fail to do what you were supposed to during the day, it’s the problem you’ll have to resolve. After a number of unmet deadlines, you’ll get used to the boundary and start working during your work time.
• Eliminate the digital distractions. Use blocking apps, browser extensions, or the localhost method to block social media, infotainment websites, and other digital places you go to instead of working. If you’re distracted by your corporate messenger, set up a dedicated time for checking your notifications and answering — and stay offline during deep work periods.
• Set the bare minimum. Create a rule like “Don’t go to lunch break before you finish one work-related task” and stick to it religiously. No matter how not in the mood for work you are, do one small thing before heading out to lunch.

Tip #2: Have some outdoor time

Before, during, or after your remote workday, even a short brisk walk around the block can improve your well-being. Don’t roll your eyes yet, it’s not our invention — outdoor time is a proven destressor for remote workers.

Still no motivation to go outside? Here’s how to make it easier:

• Think of a “task”. Not all people like going for aimless walks. So, if you’re one of them, figure out an objective — for example, taking out the trash, getting a coffee, listening to an audiobook chapter, or visiting a certain place near your house that you like.
• Don’t do it alone. It’s easy if you have a friend who lives in proximity — you can go on stupid walks for stupid mental health together. If you don’t, arrange FaceTime or phone calls with your friends or relatives so you have a virtual company while walking.

Tip #3: Make plans to look forward to

We’ve already talked about the “work” part of work-life balance — however, you won’t be motivated to stick to workday boundaries if you don’t have other stuff to do. So, yeah, get a life, it’s not something that only happens on weekends:

• Start with time-bound plans. Movies, theater shows, concerts, you name it — such evening plans are the most boundary-enforcing. Your friend can forgive you for being late but movie theaters won’t. So, you’ll have to stop working and start living at a certain time!
• Plan something exciting. Your evening plans shouldn’t look like “do the laundry, make dinner, wash dishes” — it just sounds like more work after work. Chores need to be done, yes, but planning at least something small that’s fun, rewarding, and worth waiting for will make your life less miserable. Even watching a new episode of a TV show you recently started counts!

Tip #4: Don’t neglect your surroundings

There are periods of increased workload at any place or position. During these times, it’s easy to get so wrapped up in your Jira tickets that you forget to wash your hair, your dishes, or both. Meanwhile, clutter makes you procrastinate more, so you tackle the workload less effectively.

You may not have enough time for a solid deep cleaning session accompanied by “the everything shower” but here’s what you can do:

• Just do it for 15 minutes. Or 5 minutes, or even 2 — it’s enough to pick up the trash and put it in the trash bag. Or take the dishes to the kitchen sink. The thing is, doing something even ridiculously small every day counts as decluttering.
• Keep one section clutter-free — and that section should be your workstation. At least you won’t have clutter right in front of your eyes!
• Can’t clean? At least don’t make it worse — for example, stick to one-pot dinner recipes so you don’t have a bunch of stuff to wash after every dinner.

Tip #5: Plan “the opposite” leisure

By “the opposite”, we mean something very different from what you’re doing at your job, especially its most tiring aspect. Here are some examples:

• For high-responsibility and stressful jobs — on weekends, do something quiet, simple, and relaxing that doesn’t require talking to many people or making decisions.
• For monotonous and boring jobs — do something intellectually stimulating or creative.
• For jobs without an immediate and measurable result — take up any craft that will give you a tangible fruit of your labor. This one is good for any digital job since we’re all working with phantoms (kind of). 
• For jobs that require a lot of reading/researching — create instead of consuming even more information.
• For writing/editing jobs — do anything but that on weekends, for example, take up photography or drawing.
• For any online job — try spending your leisure time anywhere but in front of a screen (smartphone included).

Tip #6: Speak to your colleagues — and your manager

As we mentioned earlier, the lack of communication is one of the stress factors when it comes to working remotely. So, why not become an icebreaker? Send memes and fun work-related stuff to your colleague on Slack, talk about something other than work, or even arrange dedicated calls for having fun and playing remote games like Drawasaurus.

The icebreaker thing applies to work-related communications, too. For example, asking your manager for more feedback, clearer guidelines, or workflow improvements will drastically improve your attitude to work in the long run.

Tip #7: Try hybrid if it’s possible

Opting for the hybrid schedule is not always possible. Not all companies even have an office, or, if your workplace does, you might not live in the same city or country, and so on… However, one study suggests that both remote and fully in-person schedules worsen employees’ mental health, so hybrid is a great opportunity to try out. 

It’s not surprising since this format still has the flexibility of remote work but is also less isolating and provides more structure compared to the fully remote schedule. So, try discussing that with your boss!