Remote work has led to increased workloads but lower levels of anxiety for most employees, according to a new survey by IT security firm Kaspersky.
The survey provides insight into the ways the pandemic-induced shift to remote work over the past 18 months has impacted the global workforce.
Kaspersky polled 4,303 IT workers and found that 54% said they had heavier workloads after they began working at home than they did in the office. Of those workers, 33% reported a significant increase in responsibilities and 66% reported a slight increase.
Only 9% of employees said their workloads had decreased, while 37% said their responsibilities remained the same.
Despite most employees reporting higher work demands, 67% said they either felt more comfortable working from home or hadn’t experienced an increase in anxiety. In addition, the majority of employees said they didn’t feel more fatigued at the end of their workday, with 36% claiming they felt more energetic following a shift at home than they did at the office.
According to Kaspersky, the uptick in employee comfort and energy levels could be attributed to reduced commuting times and improved work-life balance.
While remote working has been a positive experience for most employees, the survey found that 39% of workers said they suffered from feelings of isolation, 35% from fatigue and 33% from anxiety.
To help ease these mental health issues, some companies are embracing hybrid work models, which offer employees the flexibility to split their time between home and the office.
According to the survey, 45% of employees work part-time from home, while 19% work remotely on a full-time basis.
The survey also found that 80% of employers are seeking ways to reduce employee burnout, such as investing in core skills training courses, offering paid time off and providing access to online well-being courses and consultations.