How to Create Balance When Work and Home are the Same

It’s been nearly a year since Covid-19 forced companies to send employees home, armed with laptops and cell phones, to work remotely. And while the sheer scope of the undertaking has brought out the best in many organizations—robust productivity, sharpened efficiencies, and a marked increase in empathy among leaders—there’s one darker development that can’t be denied: workers are exhausted and it’s taking a toll on their health.

The Conference Board surveyed human resource leaders at mostly large companies in the fall and found that while 47% report increased productivity since the pandemic began, it’s come at a cost to employee well-being. The responding companies report that employees say they are working more hours, spending more time in meetings, as well as suffering more burn-out and less work-life balance. Forty percent reported more mental health problems.

“The responses are forcing companies to ask whether employees can keep going at this pace for the long-term,” says Robin Erickson, a principal researcher at the Conference Board and coauthor of the survey’s report. “We have a brewing mental health crisis and leaders are going to have to address it.”

The concept of work-life balance—and the fallout from a lack of it—is certainly not new. But what workers are experiencing now is unlike anything that’s come before. The pandemic has been like a giant eraser, all but eliminating the line between life in and out of the office. If your dining room table is now your desk, or your old childhood bedroom is where you’re spending all your time on Zoom calls, it’s hard to see the delineation between work and a personal life. Add in worry about layoffs as a result of the pandemic, and it’s no wonder why the lines between work and home are blurring.

One marketing manager at a large consumer products company (who asked that her name not be used) says that she now routinely checks emails until at least 11 p.m. each night. “Before the pandemic I could pretty much turn off my work mind when I left the office,” she says. “Now that I work from home, my laptop is in the kitchen and it’s always opened. It’s almost as if there’s nothing else to do but work.”

That kind of nonstop connection to the workday is not sustainable or healthy, experts say.

“I’m concerned,” says Paul Rubenstein, chief people officer of Visier, a human resources analytics platform. “Early on we existed on adrenaline to get us through all the changes that came from working at home. But as we’ve gone on I think the ambient anxiety and stress is up a notch for all workers. Humans can only take sustained stress for so long.”

Given that the majority of workers will remain remote for at least the first part of this new year, the smartest companies are the ones who take the lead in putting in work-life guardrails for their employees. And that message has to come from managers and leaders. Erickson of the Conference Board says companies can consider implementing quiet periods without email and mandating the use of vacation time.

“I’ve heard of companies having 25-minute or 50-minute Zoom calls only, or having no-meeting Mondays or Fridays,” she says. “Make it clear to employees that it’s important for them to eat healthy, take breaks from work throughout the day, exercise, and speak up if they’re struggling with anxiety. The point is that the leader of the organization has to put these things in place to show that they’re important and okay.”

In the earliest days of the pandemic, Rubenstein did a survey of Visier’s employees to get a sense of their work environment. He wanted to know who had young kids, who was taking care of elderly parents, and who might be living back home with their parents. “We wanted to give managers data to understand what was going on with workers beyond what they might see on the screen during a call,” he says.

The next step is taking action from that information, Rubenstein adds. His suggestions:

• Create a rhythm—Encourage managers to have regular one-on-one meetings with direct reports that go beyond the tasks that need to be done. “These are designed to get the manager to ask the simple question: How are you doing,” he says.
• Provide the right tools—Equip managers with the right training and techniques to recognize signs of fatigue and mental health issues. Create an awareness of the mental health resources available if someone is having a tough time.
• Take a macro view—Use network analysis data to see how connected or isolated employees are. “If you see someone working from home who only meets with or talks to one or two people a day, that person might be struggling with isolation,” Rubenstein says. This is especially true for newer employees who didn’t have the benefit of meeting people in person when they joined the company. “Managers need to use a company’s digital footprint to see who’s connecting and who isn’t and might need some help coping.”

None of these steps is one and done, of course. Companies need to continually stress to employees that they understand the importance of well-being and value it across the organization.

Employees, for their part, need to protect their time as well.

“Just because someone Slacks you at 10 p.m. doesn’t mean you have to answer,” Rubenstein says. He encourages Visier employees to block out time on their calendars so that every free minute isn’t taken up with meetings. He also wants them to be purposeful about scheduling into their day focus time that can’t be interrupted. “I understand that when there’s economic uncertainty, people get edgy and scared about their jobs,” he adds. “But when that leads to an erosion of boundaries between work and home it’s not healthy.”

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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