The Neuroscience of Work in a Remote Environment

Category: Technology

We cannot deny that COVID has transformed work permanently. A lifetime of change has been forced upon every individual, and every organization, within the span of two years. Digital transformation is no longer just a buzz word; it is a requirement for survival! Everyone of us is trying to adapt and embrace the change, but what about the long-term effects? What are the best strategies to cope and thrive in this new environment? I had an opportunity to sit down and talk with Dr. Noel Amaladoss, a leading psychiatrist and assistant professor of Behavioral Neurosciences at McMaster University in Canada. He specializes in conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, and the intersection of mental health and technology; giving him a unique perspective about this topic. The objective of this article is to help you understand the impact of remote work on stress and how it contributes to attention deficit disorders. It will also outline some simple strategies, that can help both leaders and employees of organizations, to mitigate these factors. In addition, I want to educate you on the ways emerging technologies can be harnessed to dramatically improved engagement in a remote meeting environment. The New Normal Here is some hard data to consider. Within the span of two years, remote work has transformed every type of business in the world. Before COVID, only 5% of employees worked from home for an average of three days a week. A very small segment of the population was truly remote full-time. As of April 2020, 37% of the workforce is fully remote. More and more organizations are allowing employees to move to a permanent remote full-time job. A recent survey of US workers revealed that 54% would leave their current job for a remote work option. However, there are a lot of drawbacks to this approach. Anxiety and stress, as well as feelings of loneliness and disconnectedness are also on the rise. Another recent survey revealed that 46% of workers in the UK experienced loneliness while working from home. Pandemic Versus Syndemic There is a term that epidemiologists use to describe the current situation. It is not just a pandemic, but it is a syndemic. A syndemic is a confluence of pandemics that disrupt the fabric of everyday life. As an example, the COVID syndemic is not just the viral pandemic but it is also a pandemic of job losses, mental health issues and other socio-economic factors. Within the span of two years, not only have we witnessed millions of people losing their lives, four out of ten people in the United States have reported significant loss of income and job losses. In addition, there is a mental health pandemic where tens of millions of people are struggling with anxiety, stress, insomnia and even depression. One of the most profound impacts of this syndemic is related to loneliness. Either due to our lockdown separation from family and friends or due to detachment from remote workers, this loneliness impacts every business and employee. Challenges with WFH Yes, there are many benefits that can be attributed to remote work. But a lot of us are forgetting the challenges. Lack of boundaries, inability to focus, the procrastination and the anxiety of missing something or standing out for the next promotion. Physics says that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Meaning there are a lot of reactions that we are not considering. Remote work is based on our ability to video conference. Due to the pandemic, most video conferencing platforms saw a dramatic rise in utilization with an increase of over 250% from the previous year alone. Many different papers have been published on the effect of screens and our ability to learn and focus. Research has shown that digital screens are inherently more distracting. When we compare how our brains learn from reading a book or an e-book, the research shows that our brains process information differently.