What is digital exhaustion in corporate? Is it connected to burnout?
After the major switch to online work mode, many people started to apply this term also to a feeling of being exhausted while working from home.
Even though this might seem similar to a feeling of burnout, it has different reasons to occur.
The CEOs point of view
Sometimes for CEOs or executives, it is hard to control the progress of a team, while they are working completely remotely. Especially, for small to middle teams where direct communication is the key to success.
Team leads or executives may find themselves in confused feelings, that even though the tasks are getting completed, it still feels like something is missing.
We have to admit, that sometimes it is not the healthiest way to manage the work attitude for team leads and executives. But, we understand that they are striving for the results, and their first priority is to navigate the team.
This is how we get continuous messages, invitations to a Zoom meeting, and heavy flow discussions on Slack.
The team leads almost unconsciously require us to be present online all the time.
But that would’ve not happened if we were in the office, or a working location collaboratively.
The point of view of an employer
From the other side, it brings a lot of stress to both sides. We know those feelings when you’re busy on your assignment, but the notification screen of your device won’t stop blinking. Hence, we have difficulties completing the assignment.
We feel pressure from a duty that has been set by our team leads to be online. All the time.
Because if you’re not online, means you’re not working fully.
This is a not healthy pattern.
People feel less connected, irritated, tired and tend to end up in burnout even faster than in the office.
We are continuously seeing the popping messages and comments, that remote workers feel the tendency of the Zoom calls to be longer.
This was even proved by Microsoft in 2021. Let’s take a look.
Microsoft proves that digital exhaustion is real
Microsoft has conducted indispensable research among the users of Microsoft 360 products in 2020. Read the full material by Microsoft.
They found out that 40–45 minutes of a video conference call is a comfortable time for workers when they can keep the most focus. Calls that last from 45 minutes are causing difficulties in concentration. And calls from 1,5 hrs. are immensely overwhelming and causing stress.
Even though during the pandemic time, most of the office workers were forced to work digitally, the approach stayed the same. We started to be clung digitally to our Zoom calls online meeting rooms because there was no way for productive discussion of current tasks.
Many workers were forced to attend long calls that were over 1 hrs. last at least. So, basically, they’ve brought their office to their home.
What is the remedy from digital exhaustion? How we can help?
We believe that digital exhaustion is destructive for anybody. We’ve been there too. We were struggling for quite a time of switching between working from home, working in an office, adopting a digital nomad lifestyle.
One of the main reasons for digital exhaustion is the lack of communication between a team and team-leads, executives, or CEOs.
We think, that the solution lays in a different approach to the work-life balance.
In order to regain that connection, we should have healthy working boundaries, and the willingness to come together.
But we can’t come together just to a random place! In distributed teams, many workers are from different countries and places.
Flockin.me has created a way to avoid issues of digital and corporate exhaustion for many workers around the world allowing them to stay connected and productive. Flockin.me offers workation and retreats that are great for independent teams and coworkers from one company or a startup. We put a lot of effort to create a chill and optimized environment for working, networking, re-charging, and re-charging.
Flockin.me is always explicitly bound with the needs of any team.
We fully understand the importance and take care of the following things on your retreat:
- Your team’s size
- Convenient time travel from the airport right to the spot
- Fast, secure, and reliable Internet connection
- Exclusive and dedicated workspace, amazing ergonomics, and inspiring vibe
- Flexible and friendly booking and cancellation policies
- Suitable and convenient working facilities right at the spot
By organizing team venues for every team we help more and more workers to achieve the perfect work-life balance, stay productive, and re-connect with their coworkers in a different environment, create new business connections and bring a lot of experience and memories back home.
Closing thoughts
Trying to establish healthy boundaries and stay genuinely connected with your coworkers is the key to avoid the digital exhaustion from work, and also helps to minimize the risk of emotional burnout.
Even in such hard times, we know there is always a way to rebound and take your time in a new environment that can recharge you.
Or just trying a new lifestyle? It is also a key for many people.
We value the work-life balance, and we are grateful that many than 100 teams already joined Flockin.me on our special venues and working retreats for distributed teams. We are happy to bring this solution to the world.
You can find our upcoming venues here.
Stay safe!
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