Most employees working from home and juggling their jobs with the demands of children doing distance learning are struggling, according to new research from Eagle Hill Consulting.
According to the 2020 Eagle Hill Consulting COVID-19 Employee Burnout Survey, 65% — more than two-thirds — of employees with kids at home doing remote learning report feeling burned out.
Adjusting to a full-time remote work environment was already a stressful transition for many. With the vast majority of US schools offering remote-instruction only during this phase in the pandemic, both kids and their parents are spending a lot more of their waking hours under the same roof.
"These findings shouldn't be surprising to employers. Families and workers were burnt out even before the pandemic," says Melissa Jezior, president and chief executive officer of Eagle Hill Consulting. "This isn't an easy situation for employers to resolve, with work life balance taking on a whole new meaning during this health crisis."
Employees working from home suddenly have to split time between their own computer screens and their children's, effectively doing two jobs at once while still running a household. No two employees' situation at home is the same, so Eagle Hill recommends employers work closely with employees to determine the right balance for their individual needs, whether that includes adjusting work hours, workloads, or expectations.
"Our research makes clear that employers have got to find a way to make the situation manageable for employees because the pandemic isn't going away anytime soon. Otherwise, companies will suffer financially and risk harming their brand," Jezior says.
When asked about the source of their feeling burned out, the responses from working parents with kids doing remote learning ran the gamut, including:
- 45 percent attribute burnout to their workload.
- 42 percent say it's balancing work and their personal life.
- 33 percent indicate it stems from a lack of communication, feedback and support.
- 32 percent point to time pressures.
- 28 percent say it's a lack of clarity around expectations.
- One quarter (25 percent) say it's performance expectations.
The survey polled more than 1,000 respondents from a random sample of workers across the U.S.
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