Work-From-Home Stress in Ontario: Finding Balance in Your New Workplace
Working from home in Ontario? Learn how to manage remote work stress, set boundaries, and find work-life balance with practical strategies from Bayridge Counselling.
In this article
Working from home creates unique stressors that can disrupt work-life balance. Remote workers often face blurred boundaries between professional and personal time, reduced social connection with colleagues, and the challenge of managing household demands during work hours. At Bayridge Counselling Centres, our regulated health professionals across Ontario help clients develop practical strategies to manage these stressors and restore balance.
Within a month of COVID-19 taking a hold within North American borders, Forbes published Three Warning Signs That Your Remote Employees Are Starting To Crack Under The Stress Of Working From Home. Now, the question remains as to whether or not this article was a reflection upon what was occurring to date, or a heads up for the wave of the increased workers who quickly were forced to create home offices.
Well, the writer of this article, her friends and her clients, all from various professions, almost immediately discovered the following stressors: Grocery delivery orders arriving too early, and in the middle of appointments. Extra time needed to set-up virtual meetings. Kids and pets, though cute, demanding attention all day and at the most interesting moments. Email exchanges having seemingly to go way past the typical workday schedule. Workspaces being either too dark or too light, and uncomfortable. Not one of these stressors politely immerged slowly. In fact, they all felt as if they descended at the same time.
What Does the Research Say About Work-From-Home Stress?
Research has supported this work-from-home-stress phenomenon. Trent, Smith and Wood (1994) associated a lower level of social support with a higher level of stress for those who worked at home, as opposed to employees at the workplace or telecommuters. In addition, Voydanoff (2005) concluded that “the demands that were positively related to work-to-family conflict and perceived stress were commuting time, bringing work home, job contacts at home, and work-family multitasking.” It is obvious that commuting time is null if one works from home. However, both researchers revealed the other, unavoidable, remaining and common stressors.
How Can Workers Reduce Work-From-Home Stress?
Now, how can workers working from home reduce their stress load and achieve work-life balance?
Organizational Support for Work-Life Balance
Firstly, organizational leaders must be on board. In their article, Drew and Dareth (2009) promoted that management and Human Resources need to:
a) Make sure that work-life balance policies are created and in place;
b) That these policies are known, including via training, to all employees;
c) Lead by example, including admonishing the idea that long hours are the norm towards success and recognition.
Five Practical Strategies for Remote Workers
At the employee level, this writer and counsellor recommend five areas on which to focus, to reduce working-from-home-stress:
- Implementing and continuing daily, self-care strategies, such as exercise, healthy eating and mindfulness practices.
- Sticking to a set work schedule, avoiding overtime and late hours, and including breaks.
- Making sure one is spending time with family and friends.
- Avoid multi-tasking, with work or play.
- Allow time for social and daily connection with work colleagues.
When to Seek Professional Support for Work-Related Stress
Above all and in conclusion, there is a sixth domain which is equally necessary to include: Giving oneself grace, instead of grief, when trying to achieve a work-life balance. In typical days, implementing any change can be challenging. In many cases, people have practiced maladaptive habits for years, and these vices are not undone easily. Now, with the added stress of a bigger, negative force called COVID-19, more patience with oneself is paramount and primary. Remember the famous saying, “Physician, heal thyself.”
If work-from-home stress is affecting your daily functioning, relationships, or mental health, speaking with a registered psychotherapist or registered social worker can help. Bayridge Counselling Centres offers individual counselling and coaching services across Ontario to support clients in developing sustainable work-life balance strategies. Learn more about our coaching services and tools for success.
References:
Drew, E., & Daverth, G. (2009). Living to work…. Or working to live? The role of managers in creating work life balance in Ireland. Irish Congress of Trade Unions, 1-27.
Murphy, M. (2020). Three warning signs that your remote employees are starting to crack under the stress of working from home. Forbes.
Trent, J.T., Smith, A.L., & Wood, D.L. (1994). Telecommuting: stress and social support. Psychological Report (74), 1312-1314.
Voydanoff, P. (2005). Consequences of boundary-spanning demands and resources for work-to-family conflict and perceived stress. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 10(4), 491–503.
