Stress is unavoidable in most jobs. However, when you experience it for prolonged periods, you may experience burnout.
Most of the time, people will commonly prescribe self-care to combat feelings of occupational burnout, especially for those who work from home.
Still, the issue may be more complex than that.
You need to take a closer look at the root of the problem. And sometimes, the answer truly lies within the kind of remote work environment you are in.
So, how can you prevent burnout at work? Here are a handful of tips that might prove useful.
Take Back Control
A common reason most employees experience burnout is the lack of autonomy at work.
When you feel like you don’t have control over your work, demotivation and dissatisfaction will soon follow.
As such, set boundaries early on.
Inform your bosses and teammates about your caregiving duties (if any) so they know when it would be appropriate to contact you.
If you need a specific tool or program to perform your job well, notify your immediate supervisor about it too.
Lastly, enforce your boundaries, especially when you’re going on leave. Let your colleagues know that you would be unable to respond during this time so they can direct their inquiries elsewhere.
Initiate Steps Towards Fairness
Getting recognized for a job well done contributes towards employee satisfaction.
However, some workplaces may not have such a culture, which often results in demoralized team members.
It’s even trickier in a remote work setup due to the lack of face-to-face interactions.
Achievements can be easily overlooked or even credited to the wrong person.
So, when you can, take the first steps towards establishing a sense of fairness in your workplace.
Don’t hesitate to let the right people know of your contributions as well as any significant progress you’ve made at work.
This is especially important for women, so they can increase their visibility at their remote job.
Evaluate Your Workload
Taking on too many tasks at work is neither healthy nor productive. You will only end up stretching yourself thin.
But how do you achieve a healthy balance at work?
Assess your current workload. Which of your responsibilities should be prioritized? Complete the most urgent tasks first so you can tick them off your list.
When you feel like you no longer have the bandwidth for the rest, ask your teammates to help you out.
Not only will you get to finish your tasks quickly, but it’s also an opportunity to grow closer with your co-workers.
Of course, you should also practice saying “no,” especially when there’s too much on your plate. You will only be putting your health -and your productivity- at risk.
Support Your Teammates
A common sentiment echoed among professionals is that they don’t work to make friends, but rather, to earn.
And while that is true, having colleagues who are generally pleasant to be around does help in making the workload feel a lot more manageable.
Still, we can’t always choose who we work with.
What we can do, however, is to be proactive when it comes to building a smooth working relationship with others.
How to Prevent Burnout
Having a self-care routine, getting enough exercise, and practicing mindfulness might help you feel better when feeling burnout. But remember, these things are only short-term solutions for a much deeper problem.
Ultimately, the best way to prevent burnout is to seek out a healthy work environment. (Before committing to one, check if your potential online job has a burnout culture.)
When your workplace meets your occupational needs (such as autonomy, a sense of fairness, a balanced workload, and clear support), then there’s less risk of you burning out.
With remote work, you have more opportunities to cultivate a healthy lifestyle and thus avert any symptoms of burnout.
Intrigued? You might want to check out Remote Staff’s job listings. It is constantly updated and so, you might find a position that might suit your skills.
Remote Staff also advocates for a healthier work-life balance and constantly offers after-hire support to its remote workers.
If this is something you want to experience, then register with us today!
