Zoom fatigue is real; virtual burnout is next. With the massive shift of white-collar workers to work-from-home arrangements during the pandemic, virtual work has become a reality for millions of workers worldwide. According to a recent Gallup report, 51% of the U.S. labor force still works from home, including 72% of white-collar workers.
Even before the pandemic, however, there was a drastic shift toward employees working remotely. An analysis by FlexJobs and Global Workplace Analytics found that the number of people telecommuting in the U.S. increased by 159% between 2005 and 2017. In 2019, International Workplace Group reported that 80% of workers would turn down a job that didn’t offer flexible working options when faced with two similar employment offers. And in April 2021, 1 in 3 professionals said they’d look for a new job if they were asked to return to the office, according to a survey by Robert Half International.
While the flexibility of working from home is desirable for most workers, and studies on worker productivity show that employees working from home are more productive, staring at a screen for 8-plus hours a day can leave employees feeling more exhausted than ever before. With virtual work becoming the new norm, and many companies planning on allowing employees to continue working remotely, concerns about virtual burnout won’t end when the threat of the coronavirus passes.
Yet working from home doesn’t have to be mundane. Here are some simple and fun ways to lighten up virtual work and avoid virtual burnout:
Switch up virtual happy hour
Virtual happy hours are the simplest way to bring your team together, but they can sometimes feel awkward, contrived, and even a bit dull. This time is meant to allow your team to have casual facetime outside of work meetings, but sometimes there isn’t much to discuss. So, instead of just chatting more about work, try incorporating fun ideas that allow employees to get to know one another better:
- Home tours:A peek inside co-workers’ homes is a fun way to add context to your work environment. Try it MTV Cribs style!
- Pet intros:People love their pets, so why not allow them to showcase them to their workgroup?
- “Guess who’s the baby” picture challenge:See who’s changed and who looks exactly the same! Put your detective glasses on and figure out who’s who!
- Lip sync contest:Spice things up with a bit of competition! You’ll be surprised to see the level of creativity this challenge can showcase.
Take a break from the screen
When we jump from Zoom call to Zoom call, most of us begin to feel the effects of all that screen time, and unfortunately, blue light glasses aren’t a fix-all. Here are some ideas on how to lighten up your virtual work environment without staring at your computer screen:
- Dance parties: Schedule a teamwide five-minute dance break, and get people up and focused on something besides their computer screens!
- Recipes and cooking classes:Share a different team member’s favorite recipe each week, and invite your team to share photos of how the dish turned out!
- Book clubs:Get a group together, choose a book, and have a call to discuss the details! This could be a monthly activity your team looks forward to.
- Yoga and meditation:Implement wellness classes or even a group stretch break to allow your team a mental and physical break.
As you make your plans, don’t forget to:
- Make an announcement.Announcing activities in advance will give your team a chance to look forward to something. This boosts morale and keeps everyone engaged.
- Think outside the box.Repeating the same virtual activities is not the way to engage your employees. Mix it up and encourage your team members to contribute ideas as well.
- Keep your employees in mind.Make sure whatever you do is safe and fun for everyone. How do you ensure people feel comfortable and have fun? Get to know them and learn what they most enjoy, and then encourage them to do more of those things as a group.
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Bob Nelson, Ph.D., president of Nelson Motivation Inc., is the world’s leading authority on employee recognition and engagement. He has worked with 80% of Fortune 500 companies and authored over 30 books, including the multimillion-copy bestseller 1001 Ways to Reward Employees.
Mario Tamayo, a principal with Tamayo Group Inc., has more than 30 years of experience in maximizing human performance, working with organizations such as Genentech, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Petco, General Dynamics, and the U.S. Men’s Olympic Volleyball team.
