Are you a workaholic or an engaged worker?

According to a survey of nearly 1,500 people from 46 different countries, the pandemic has caused a decline in workplace well-being for 89% of workers. Key predictors of burnout, like unmanageable workload, the absence of a support system, and a lack of control over one’s life and work, are all exacerbated in the new normal. Most organizations are seeing drastic changes from going remote indefinitely to furloughs and mass layoffs. Sustaining employee morale is undoubtedly a struggle according to two-thirds of human resources professionals.

Overworking is not a new phenomenon. Careers continue to shift and get redefined, almost always in ways that skew favor to workaholism: the gig economy encourages individuals to incentivize every minute of their day; “hustle culture” champions longer workdays and multiple side projects regardless of its detrimental effects to the “hustler.” During the pandemic, the average worker is reportedly performing at least nine hours of overtime weekly, a 150% increase from pre-COVID’s three hours. 

Everyone is Working Longer Hours

As the boundaries between work and life continue to blur, it becomes easier to disregard formalities and send work emails and messages at initially inappropriate hours; perhaps because workers know that they all have nowhere else to be. This constant availability makes it difficult for workers to disengage from their job, and, because cities are in lockdown, they have no legitimate excuse to not be working. 48% of workers attribute lockdown as the primary reason for their increased hours, and many employees are expressing eagerness to return to the office. Additionally, because many organizations are forced to downsize to survive current circumstances, remaining employees are left to pick up more work to help support their company.

Employees are said to be suffering from an effort-reward imbalance, where they exert increased effort but reap fewer rewards. Certain rewards like pay raises may be harder to come by as companies continue to struggle financially. This imbalance can only be dismantled when workers leave these unrewarding jobs, but with the current uncertain job markets, workers may choose to stay despite the disproportionately high demands. 

Job Insecurity Heightens Workplace Pressure

It’s easier to dissolve into invisibility in a work-from-home setup, so many workers use constant digital “presenteeism” to show their productivity to their employers. In the midst of massive layoffs, workers feel more pressure to prove their value and commitment to their organizations, perhaps through agreeing to additional duties, attending more virtual meetings, or being available for longer hours. This increased pressure manifests in a rise in productivity in the WFH set-up, despite initial judgements that telecommuting breeds slacking.

There are also the unsaid expectations of employers that their subordinates must work beyond office hours, which employees may succumb to, again, to prove commitment and productivity. While never explicitly expressed, employers may tend to perceive employees with longer hours as “hard workers.” In reality, long hours are not related to the quality of work, and supervisors can rarely determine the difference between the output of an employee who works 80-hour weeks and one who only has 50-60-hour weeks.

Working from Home is Distracting and Lonely

Aside from their job, workers may be busy with homeschooling and caring for children, which add another strain to their already stressful workdays. Many individuals may also have insufficient equipment or optimal working areas previously provided to them by their offices. Those forced to work in smaller spaces have a higher likelihood of developing high blood pressure than their counterparts with extra rooms at home. And without being together in a physical space, co-workers tend to disengage with one another; life at home becomes about work and nothing else.

What Can You Do to Combat Overwork?

If you’re a manager:

• Consult employees to establish what kind of extra duties they can do. This can help support an organization with fewer people in its workforce, as well as reduce the effort-reward imbalance since employees are comfortable with the extra work they will be doing.

• Open honest discussions about workplace challenges. Statements like “You’re lucky to even have a job” are dismissive of the very real struggles that remote employees go through daily. It also discourages them from ever communicating their needs and the ways they can be supported. It also eases any anxieties they may have about job security.

• Value output, not input. Learn to devalue time spent working and instead evaluate output based on its own merits. Redefine productivity outside of hours worked and let your employees do the same.

• Give employees autonomy over their work. It’s easy to fall into the trap of mobilizing all organizational resources towards increasing employee engagement in an effort to also increase productivity, but it must be acknowledged that workers are humans too, and sometimes the best way to re-energize them from work is to allow them to spend some time away from it.

If you’re an employee:

• Create a routine that enables you to distinguish work from rest. Pre-COVID, commutes used to bookend our workdays and alert us that work is now over. This is a practice you can continue at home to signal to yourself to log off from “work mode”, perhaps by walking your dog or meditating before and after your workday.

• Your wellness habits must not be negotiated. Know your strengths so you are aware of what kinds of duties you know you can accomplish with ease, and know your limits and ways you can recharge. Make time for the latter by including them in your workday routine, and hold yourself accountable for the care that you know you need. You can invite friends to create these wellness habits with you to provide an extra layer of accountability,

• Be deliberate about your goals, and, consequently, your energy. Having a clear sense of what you want to achieve can help you figure out which opportunities and responsibilities to say “no” to, and it helps you align goals with your team. 

• Know that you have a right to disconnect. Despite what the pandemic might have altered in workplace norms, you still have the right to only respond to work messages during office hours. Apps like Forest and Block Apps help limit access to certain apps on your phone.

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