In the early stages of the pandemic, the realities of indefinite remote work were not yet clear to many workers.
At first, the set up may have sounded ideal: no commute, sweat pants all day and a break from heading into the office. But as the pandemic lingers, with no definitive end in sight, fatigue and burnout have surfaced as an important issues affecting many remote employees.
“It’s harder now to compartmentalize our lives — work versus personal. When you work from home, your attention’s split — your dog’s barking, your partner might be working next to you, your children are running around — your concentration demands more emotional energy,” explains Kelcey Stratton, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist at Michigan Medicine whose training focuses on stress, trauma and resilience. “By the end of the day, we’re drained.”
