Signs that Your Colleagues are Struggling while Working from Home

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It’s certainly no longer news that there are more remote workers globally than there was a year ago. Necessity births invention and the remote work culture is how humankind and companies (big and small) are adapting to the coronavirus invasion. While working from home is certainly more of a trend than a fad, certain unsightly details about it have quietly slipped under the rug.

Are workers coping as mainstream media reports are suggesting they are? Perhaps, it’s time to put your ears close enough to the ground to hear how your co-workers are writhing under the pain of remote working. The silent struggle of your colleagues could potentially result in titanic losses for you and your company.

The advantages of working from home are always mouth-watering. There’s zero traffic to contend with, and you’re at absolute liberty as to what to wear while working. But, a person also needs to switch on their brain to embrace this new way of working.

A clear example is a difficulty separating what’s “work time” and “home time” because everything now happens under one roof. It’s important to be able to transition between work and being available for your spouse, children, or domestic chores.

It becomes extremely difficult when you cannot unwind and switch off. There’s no room to prepare for these tasks mentally, so your performance suffers expectedly.

Some support groups may include online chat groups at work to help every employee stay positive. But more than being available to uplift a co-worker, these groups can serve another salient purpose: to pick up subtle signals that someone might be enduring a rough patch and is only putting up a steely front.

Signs that Tell You that Your Colleagues are Struggling

So, what signs suggest that your colleagues are most likely struggling while working from home Physical cues are great for keeping an eye on colleagues, according to Tracy Groombridge, an Oz Help Tasmania workplace trainer. Remember, quarantines and lockdowns have ensured in-person contact is limited.

Working in the same building allows you to observe changes in their routine, for instance. Though not everyone handles stress the same way, the following cues will help you spot a colleague who might need some help. It’s time to be that proverbial “brother’s keeper.”

#1 – Physical Cues

More work communication now happens via video conferencing. If your company isn’t using it yet, it’s a great way to catch up and, more importantly, observe how your teammates may be holding up.

These are subtle cues, but they are highly important. While they’ll most likely dress differently than when they show up at work, notice any jarring changes, especially in line with their personal preferences.

Burned out remote worker

Another thing to pick up on is their facial expressions. We can’t emphasize enough how body language says more than the words we speak. Momentarily forget their words and check out their facial expressions to see if there’s a match.

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Is your co-worker usually chatty? It may be trouble brewing if they appear detached and don’t engage as much as they typically will.

#2 – Are They Communicating? How are They Doing it?

Ms. Groombridge goes further to highlight the importance of observing their communication.

Some of your colleagues could be the email-loving types? Do they suddenly stop sending emails? Others may prefer to go social, posting at every opportunity. Have they stopped? Or if they didn’t do much social media, and suddenly ramped up their posting game, their posts may hold cues about what’s going on in their lives.

Another thing to consider is the tone of their emails or phone conversations. How quickly do they reply? Black Dog Institute’s Dr Aimee Gayed says you can get a sense of what they may be trying hard to conceal from anyone else.

One employee at a writing consultancy in the UK says she’s less chatty and is uncomfortably more direct in her messaging when she’s going through trying times.

#3 – General Attitude and Productivity

Dr. Gayed points to their productivity and attitude towards work as critical pointers to employee struggle. Research shows that there are greater job satisfaction levels with working from home. Yet, it’s usually easy to see their productivity taper interestingly into something that impedes more than their performance. Their attitude also nosedives and becomes more unappealing.

However, Dr. Gayed suggests that productivity fluctuations may stem from all the workplace changes that have followed the coronavirus. So, by itself, it may not be a definitive indicator of anything concrete. But, it does well to solidify your observation from other cues.

Without proper mental functioning, Ms. Groombridge suggests the outcome is as good as when there’s some physical impairment. Physical illness can hamper productivity.

Many of your colleagues will struggle with switching off from work leading to more fatigue at night than during the day.

#4 – Trust Your Instincts

If you had a good relationship with your co-workers or at least took a genuine interest in observing them, you’ll understand their default inclinations and pick up when they’re straying wide off the mark.

If you ever feel your colleague is struggling, start to look for more cues right away. It’s worth mentioning that those you feel can take care of themselves end up proving us wrong. The negative effects of working from home can impact anyone. Refuse the lure of making assumptions that cause you to dismiss your gut feelings.

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How to Help Your Struggling Colleague

Now that you have a fair idea that working from home takes a toll on your colleague, you need a way to resolve the issue. After all, it’s not enough to diagnose the problem; a cure is paramount.

Groombridge agrees that it can be difficult approaching a colleague about such a personal challenge. It’s natural to wonder if you’re going to say the right things and go beyond your boundaries. She suggests that it can be as simple as telling them.

“Hi, you’ve been on my mind lately. Also noticed you weren’t yourself today.”

She prescribes open-ended questions as the best option for these situations. They give your colleague a chance to express themselves and, hopefully, say things they weren’t planning to tell anyone. So you can use “How did things go on the Cheshire contract?” instead of the more limiting “Are you OK?”

Dr. Gayed believes you can ask questions such as how things are at home to prevent your colleague from taking away from what you believe the problem might be.

Sometimes, your prior relationship with your co-worker doesn’t give you leverage to ask Gayed’s kind of questions. You can discuss (not gossip) the issue with someone else on the team close enough to the struggling colleague to do so. Managers are often in a great place to ask these questions. As long as your concern is genuine, discussing it with someone else [in a position to help] is not inappropriate.

A few companies have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in place that your colleague can use. When you’re absolutely unsure how to help your colleague, you’ll always be right to contact the EAP for advice.

Conclusion

It’s advisable to deal with your concerns about a colleague struggling while working from home sooner than later. Your inaction may trigger a series of small conflicts that may eventually culminate in bigger frustrations. These may affect how you deal with your colleague.

Author and team effectiveness adviser, Liane Davey, urges that you never let things build up and deal with them as soon as you can ask, “Hey, what’s up?”

Tiffany Harper
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