According to job characteristics theory from the 1970s, the degree to which employees respond to job features such as autonomy and feedback is influenced by their personal need for accomplishment and development, referred to as “growth need strength”. Employees with higher growth need strength may respond more positively to increased autonomy and more negatively to reduced feedback in remote work environments than those with lower growth need strength. The adaptation of technology within organizations has been studied under adaptive structuration theory, which suggests that the use of technology evolves based on both the intended purpose and how individuals choose to use it in practice. Remote work introduces a social structure that both enables and constrains communication compared to traditional office environments. For example, whereas in-person norms typically encourage face-to-face interaction, remote settings require alternative forms of interpersonal exchange.

2.6. Cluster 6—Productivity and Sustainability in Teleworking

• This shows that longer working hours can cause further problems regarding work-life balance, increased stress levels, fatigue, and ultimately burnout for remote workers.
• Schedule some time during the workday for a short meditation session, walk, or workout session.
• Remote work fatigue is a complex condition that goes beyond long working hours.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reshaped the landscape of work, accelerating the adoption of remote and hybrid work models across sectors and regions .

Subsequently, the fact that more people are working remotely these days means that remote work burnout is also more prevalent. According to several psychological theories, burnout stems from an imbalance between demands (too much work, pressure, or expectations) and resources (social support, rest, remote work fatigue autonomy). Remote work burnout happens when the flexibility of working from home blurs into pressure, fatigue, and mental exhaustion. Unlike short-term stress, burnout builds up gradually until everyday tasks feel overwhelming. My goal is to look for a full-time, data analyst remote position with benefits.

• Whether you’re at home or traveling, practicing good security habits keeps your systems safe and your computer performance stable.
• While it is true that remote work offers more flexibility when it comes to work schedules, that in itself is not always a good thing.
• Remote work burnout can affect anyone, regardless of their job or experience level.
• In remote work environments, sharing information typically requires more deliberate effort and proactive communication.
• Whether it’s a virtual coffee break with a colleague, participating in online communities, or attending social events, make sure you maintain regular social interactions.

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Remote work fatigue isn’t laziness — it’s your brain and body saying something needs to change. Listen early, reset often, and build in recovery just as intentionally as productivity. You should also designate a specific area of your home as your “work zone.” If possible, create a dedicated workspace separate from where you relax. This helps you mentally separate work from personal life, reducing the feeling of being “on” all the time. Your brain is constantly processing information and managing tasks without the usual face-to-face interactions that break up the day.

The co-word analysis corroborated these findings by revealing the centrality of terms such as mental stress, social isolation, COVID-19, and telework, emphasizing their thematic relevance and conceptual interdependence. The interrelations suggest that loneliness and isolation must be understood not as isolated phenomena, but as deeply embedded within broader psychosocial, technological, and organizational systems. Overall, the results of this bibliometric review reveal the increasing complexity and multidimensionality of remote work. While it offers substantial benefits, flexibility, cost savings, and autonomy, it also introduces significant challenges (RQ2). Loneliness and isolation repeatedly emerge as central mediators, impacting not only individual mental health but also team dynamics, organizational innovation, and long-term sustainability.

Fatigue is part of life — but if you’re working remotely and still feel exhausted after 8 hours of sleep and a light workload, something deeper may be happening. Remote work fatigue creeps in quietly and builds up over time, often going unnoticed until you hit a wall. Whether you’re a jobseeker, solo freelancer, or part of an agency, we are here to support you in creating a sustainable and fulfilling remote work experience.

Perceived stress and burnout affected employee mental wellbeing, thus reducing professional efficacy. An intensified prevalence of boundary violations and undesired professional disruptions during the COVID-19-related demanding work environment amplified job stress and burnout, negatively affecting work engagement and occupational identity. Remote work fatigue can manifest in various ways, often affecting both physical and mental health. Common signs include difficulty concentrating, decreased motivation, irritability, and a sense of isolation. Physically, remote workers may experience headaches, eye strain, and musculoskeletal discomfort due to prolonged periods in front of a screen without proper ergonomic support. If you find yourself feeling constantly drained or struggling to disconnect from work, it’s time to take action and prioritize self-care.

Associated Data

Distributed work is the term used to explain team members who are not in the same physical location when working on a project. There are many differences, similarities, benefits, and obstacles between these two types of work. In order to distinguish between collocated and distributed work, it is necessary to go into more detail. These key concepts are important because they help differentiate between collocated and distributed work. Organizational management is the “practices by which management activities are part of shaping the fundamental premises for collaboration without proximity”

Take care of physical and mental health

In some countries, such as Romania, national labor inspectorates have been tasked with verifying that remote work environments meet regulatory requirements for health and safety. Remote work allows employees and employers to be matched despite major location differences. A study of workers in 27 countries surveyed in mid-2021 and early 2022 found they would on average be willing to sacrifice 5% of their pay to be able to work from home two to three days per week. 26% would quit immediately or seek a new job if they were required to work five or more days per week. Remote work may make it easier for workers to balance their work responsibilities with their personal life and family roles such as caring for children or elderly parents. Remote work improves efficiency by reducing travel time, and reduces commuting time and time stuck in traffic congestion, improving quality of life.

How do you come back from total burnout from working at home?

Companies are moving employees from underutilized offices into “space as a service” options with utilization data. But COVID-19 forced nearly everyone to work remotely — even if they didn’t want to. Tools like Donut make it easy for co-workers to get together casually like they would in the office. They’ll be randomly matched with a colleague and can chat about anything they want. We also have a #donut-be-strangers Slack channel where teammates can share their Donut experiences.

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Task significance refers to the degree to which work has a substantial impact on others within or outside the organization. While remote work may not inherently alter these job characteristics, their presence remains important in shaping remote workers’ attitudes and work outcomes. While working in an office presents its own set of distractions, it has been argued that remote work may involve additional or different types of distractions. A study identified children as the most common source of distraction for remote workers, followed by spouses, pets, neighbors, and solicitors. Access to appropriate tools and facilities has also been cited as a potential challenge for maintaining focus during remote work,better source needed though coworking spaces and short-term office rentals can help address this issue. Motivator-hygiene theory differentiates between factors that contribute to job satisfaction (motivators) and those that can prevent dissatisfaction (hygiene factors).

⃣ The Rise of Digital Fatigue (And Why It’s Worse in

Additionally, although the review studies come from 40 countries, the concentration of research in North America and Western Europe, particularly in the United States, reveals an uneven global distribution. This suggests a need for expanding the geographic scope of future studies, especially to underrepresented regions in the Global South, where telework dynamics may differ significantly. Loneliness in professional settings often diminishes employees’ commitment and sense of belonging to the organization . In telework scenarios, Ref. highlights the impact of poorly adapted technological tools, noting that when ICTs are not aligned with task requirements, professionals are more likely to experience loneliness and underperformance. Conversely, technologies that demonstrate task–technology fit can mitigate these negative effects. A temporal analysis of publication trends (Figure 2) illustrates a marked increase in research interest from 2020 onward, with a publication peak in 2022, reflecting the heightened relevance of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ref. distinguishes between emotional loneliness—stemming from a lack of affective bonds with colleagues—and social loneliness—resulting from infrequent workplace interactions. Remote work burnout is best defined as a continuous state of chronic fatigue, both mental and physical in nature, accompanied by decreased levels of productivity and work efficacy. As the name suggests, it affects remote workers and results from spending prolonged periods of time in a remote working environment. Research on the relationship between remote work and productivity has produced mixed findings. Some studies have indicated that remote work can increase worker productivity, with remote employees receiving higher supervisor ratings and performance appraisals compared to on-site workers. As with job attitudes, the amount of time spent remote working may influence the relationship between remote work and job performance.