For many years, forward-thinking employers attempted to build culture and address workday stress with fun distractions like Friday drink carts, massage chairs and scheduled social outings. But that changed as the pandemic forced many companies to move to a remote setting. For many employees, the change has been liberating. Remote work cut back on commute time and costs and increased flexibility.
However, there have been unintended consequences. The line between work and life gets blurrier when your office is your kitchen or living room. Burnout for remote employees is happening rapidly, with 69% of employees working from home reporting burnout symptoms. Burnout can feel like low energy, a lack of motivation, difficulty meeting deadlines, trouble sleeping and many physical symptoms. In short, it’s not a good way to work.
Since its inception, Look Left has been a remote company, so we’ve been learning how to balance our mental well-being. Below are a few things we’ve found work well.
Schedule Sunshine and Stepping Out
If you’ve ever found yourself hunched over your laptop at 6 p.m. in the dark and with no idea what happened, this tip is for you. Schedule some movement or outdoor activity daily. It’s too easy to torpedo your time into endless work tasks, but scheduling some time to take in some sunshine or step away will release endorphins and take your mind off stressful work tasks.
Here are some of our favorite activities:
- Walking and hiking
- Playing sports like tennis or pickleball
- Tending to yard work or gardening
- Going to the gym
- Kayaking
- Taking up ballroom dancing (really, someone did that!)
Pets, Pampering and Guilty Pleasures
There’s no right way to do self-care. Although it’s often marketed as post-work cocktails, face masks and lying in your bathtub, there are hundreds of ways to unwind, and here at Look Left, everyone has their way of doing so.
Our employees love:
- Cuddling with our pets
- Meditating
- Engaging in family time
- Cooking
- Traveling
- Binging television shows (then hitting the Slack channel)
- Making art
- Learning photography
Self-care is about taking the time to do something that YOU love. It’s also about open communication. Employees need to take time for themselves and be able to have open, empathetic conversations about taking care of their mental health.
Great Power and Greater Responsibility
Here at Look Left, we foster a people-first culture. Our teams consist of people with diverse interests, passions, responsibilities and lives. We’re encouraged (and support each other) to attend kids' activities, coach sports teams, take language classes, move homes, plan weddings and take vacations.
Look Left also offers a learning stipend for employees to boost their superhero skills in writing, languages, graphic design, dancing and everything in between. We also offer a competitive benefits package to ensure our employees are healthy and happy. We have the power to lift each other every day.
If this sounds good, check out our Careers page. We could be perfect for you, and if not, we’re happy to help you find a place that may be.
