The Covid-19 pandemic has affected not only the dynamics of work relationships, but also the mental health of professionals who are working remotely. According to a survey carried out by the LHH of the Adecco Group, a Swiss human resources company that operates in 60 countries, 38% of the people interviewed said they had suffered from Burnout Syndrome over the past year.
The survey also showed that 32% of respondents reported that their mental health had significantly worsened due to telecommuting. The researchers interviewed 15,000 people in mid-2021, in several countries around the world.
Burnout Syndrome has especially affected the younger generations, especially the new leaders. For 45% of these leaders, who are part of the Generation Z generation (born between 1995 and 2010), remote and/or hybrid work triggered an increase in Burnout Syndrome and the deterioration of mental health.
This rate is 42% among Generation Y (or millennials), born between 1983 and 1999; 35% among Generation X (1961 and 1982) and 27% among the so-called Baby Boomers (1945 and 1960).
For Roberto Aylmer, physician and specialist in strategic people management, he explains that, with the home office, people started to manage work and family issues in the same environment.
“With the increase in pressure from the context of Covid, the resistance capacity that was already greatly impaired is showing itself to be insufficient to face the demands that have increased. Home office demands, which seem simple, but change the work environment, demands to manage families and relationships, among others”, he highlighted.
Aylmer also drew attention to the future scenario, with the decrease in the home office and the long-term effects after the pandemic period.
“The expectation is that with the end of the pandemic, the level of concern will decrease, but the effects of the impact of this two-year period will continue to appear. Post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety and phobic symptoms tend to appear. And all of them are part of a context that will lead to burnout, if not treated or managed properly”, he pointed out, noting that if these situations are not looked at carefully, the tendency is that mental health in the coming years will get even worse. most.
The survey also showed that remote work has often increased people’s workload, which can and should contribute to a worrying future scenario. 40% of respondents say they have produced more than in the pre-pandemic period. Already 42% said they were worked as much, even performing their tasks remotely. In addition, 63% of respondents said they are working 40 hours or more per week, and 43% stated that they would likely have to continue performing work tasks more than 40 hours per week to complete all the required demand.
Maiti Junqueira, talent development manager at LHH, said that leaders increasingly need to pay attention to the mental health of workers and create spaces so that the issue is not treated in the background.
“These data oblige us to look at health in an integral way (physical, mental and even spiritual) and not just physical, as is usual in the corporate world. The pandemic created a space for talking about mental health and I see this as an opportunity for leaders and professionals in general to better understand the topic and put it as an agenda for discussion. Each one can, in addition to creating awareness, create new habits and take care of themselves”, he highlighted.
Burnout is a psychological disorder of a depressive nature, with symptoms similar to those of stress, anxiety and panic syndrome, but, according to experts, it is triggered by professional burnout. It causes problems such as insomnia, difficulty concentrating, irritability and physical symptoms such as body aches.
The syndrome, which was included in the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019, in a list that will come into force in 2022, if left untreated it can progress to diseases such as hypertension, gastrointestinal problems, deep depression, coronary problems. and alcoholism.
Source: CNN Brasil
