It’s been an arduous past 18+ months since the pandemic hit, and unfortunately, a lot of employees are growing tired of working from home — or WFH. A recent survey found that 69 percent of employees are experiencing symptoms of burnout caused by working from home, while 59 percent are taking less time off than normal, and 42 percent have no plans to take time off and decompress. Those figures are not good news for company leaders whose bottom line depends on productivity and positive employee morale. So, what can you do about it? Enter virtual events, virtual games, corporate group events, and other team building group activities. But, first, let’s find out what is causing this WFH fatigue.
What’s Behind the WFH Fatigue?
Here are the top contributing factors:
- Lack of social interaction — Social interaction and camaraderie play a huge role in employee morale. Even something as small as a five-minute chat at the coffee pot in the morning can make a huge difference in daily work life. When employees are relegated to their homes with nobody to share workplace experiences with, it can negatively affect them. One survey found that up to 20 percent of remote workers are coping with loneliness.
- Lack of work-home separation — When you use your home as your office, it becomes extremely difficult to separate work and home life. In a WFH world, your computer is always there, tempting you to send one last email or check off one last to-do list item — no matter the time or day of the week!
- Lack of a proper home office — People who have been working from a makeshift home office during the pandemic are likely feeling it — both mentally and physically. A lot of these home setups lack extra monitors, ergonomic chairs, and desk setups, all things that contribute to work-from-home fatigue.
- Overworking themselves — A recent survey found that remote workers log an additional 3.13 hours of work per day. When work is always there, people get sucked into a cycle of constant working and no proper break.
How Team Building Can Fight WFH Fatigue
Team building is an amazing way to switch up your employees’ daily routines and add some fun and engaging ways to connect with their co-workers. Here’s how:
Get Your Employees’ Brain Juices Flowing with Virtual Games
In addition to allowing your employees to put their brain power elsewhere for a while, virtual games are great at bringing out their competitive side and bonding with their teammates. We offer games in the style of popular game shows like Family Feud®, Jeopardy® and the Price is Right® that will have your employees connecting with their team like never before — even from afar.
Combine the Best of Both Worlds with Hybrid Team Building Events
Is your office taking a hybrid approach to work? We’ve got you covered! Remote employees can join in on the fun, regardless of where they are! Some of our fan-favorite team building activities that can be facilitated to the whole group regardless of their location include Survey Says, Charity Bike Build, In It to Win It, and much more.
In-Person Team Building for Those Back in the Office
What better way to welcome your employees back to the office than with some good old-fashioned in-person fun?! We offer a wide range of in-person team building events from Olympics to go-karting as well as charity-focused programs.
Is your team feeling that their networking skills are rusty and not up to snuff after 18 months of isolation? Let them sharpen their socialization skills while reconnecting with their co-workers during our Speed Networking Workshop. The program combines stimulating get-to-know-you discussions with a series of exciting challenges designed to enhance communication and promote teamwork.
Contact Team Building Nation Today!
Are your employees stuck in a WFH lull? Team Building Nation can help! We are a leading provider of corporate team building activities. With more than 20 years of experience, we are responsible for creating and designing some of the most popular programs in the industry today. Our expertise and keen sense of group dynamics give us the innate ability to connect and deliver engaging and impactful programs for your team during a team building or fun employee session.
To learn more about the effects of WFH fatigue and how to prevent burnout, check out this article, Things to Watch Out for While Working Remotely by Nermin Hajdarbegovic.
Editor’s Note: This post has been updated to include further supplemental reading.
