4 Tips to Avoid Burnout at DEV-Remote Work
At this point, millions of DEVs have worked out six months or more from home. Many have developed remote schedules that allow them to effectively balance work and life. Teams have implemented workflows that compensate for the lack of in-office contact. However, the specter of burnout remains present.
This summer, our survey found that for a fairly significant percentage of DEVs, workload had increased as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic. In some cases, that workload had virtually doubled. Around the same time, data from an anonymous survey conducted by devjobs.at showed that 36 percent of IT professionals felt obligated to respond to business emails, regardless of the time of day.
By July, 73 percent of respondents said they felt burned out. And as more companies move to a remote model for their employees, it's clear that after many months of hard work in their home offices or kitchen corners, employees may need to take steps to avoid mental burnout. What can be done?
Set a schedule
Sure, you may have hated your old commute to the office. It's not uncommon for many to be stuck in traffic for an hour or two (or longer!) each day. Even in smaller communities, traveling between the office and home every day is only bearable if traffic is normal.
However, the physical commute has one advantage: it helps clearly delineate your home from work life. When you work from home, such boundaries are removed. There's nothing stopping you from debugging code or answering emails from early in the morning until late at night without a break. Combine this with the increasing workload of many tech specialists and it's a good recipe for burnout.
Fortunately, there's a simple solution: make your "work hours" clear to your team and your company, especially if you work in a different time zone than perhaps the rest of the team. By clearly defining when you're available - perhaps even marking the times on a group calendar - you can (hopefully) limit most of your workday activity to standard workday hours.
However, this only works if you can truly step away from your laptop and phone and live with not being up-to-date every minute. Although it's hard to resist the urge to check your email and messaging apps for the latest news, you need to do this if you really want to restore some much-needed balance.
Negotiate your workload
In the early stages of the pandemic, companies sought to radically retool their operations to meet a rapidly changing world. For example, system administrators and other technologists had to coordinate to get everything ready for remote work.
Web app developers, website designers and others building customer-facing products had to quickly adapt e-commerce portals to handle a flood of traffic.
Given this pressure, it was inevitable that many employees would double their workloads and hours. Fortunately, many teams have established a rhythm for working from home, and managers have a better sense of long-term needs.
If you still feel overworked in your remote work, it's time to have a clarifying conversation with your manager about adjusting your schedule. After all, it's not in the company's best interest to let you burn out.
Get involved
It's very easy to become isolated when you work from home. Even the biggest introvert in the world likes occasional interactions with teammates. While some companies have recognized the growing problem of isolation and are trying to address it by scheduling remote team lunches and other gatherings, others have overlooked it. Either way, it's important to take some time with your colleagues, especially if you have a job that doesn't require a lot of video conferencing and phone calls.
Even if everyone's time is precious, the majority of people will look favorably on a quick check-in with colleagues and teams - after all, they probably feel just as isolated as you do. Make sure you focus on how everyone is doing and listen to their concerns. You can also share private news or interesting things you've seen on the internet.
Sleep and exercise
Two important keys to restoring a healthy work-life balance and avoiding burnout: a solid sleep schedule and regular exercise. Make sure you get up from your desk regularly, even if it's just to take a walk around the block. It sounds simple, but it's an effective way to maintain your mental health, especially if your day has been particularly aggravating.
