1 in 2 Professionals Dread Work Every Morning
For those who dread going to work on Monday morning, you’re not alone. Mental health is a pressing concern as Americans remain isolated away from loved ones and support systems. On Blind, an anonymous professional network, with 3.6MM verified users, we asked one question: Do you dread work when you wake up?
Key Findings(DATA) as 8/05-8/07(2,000 Responses):
- 56% of professionals dread work when they wake up
One LinkedIn Employee posts, “Every night I dread waking up the next morning to work. It’s a combination of toxic team culture, bad manager and unexciting work. I’m on a visa and just can’t quit.”
See raw data here.
How to mitigate the feelings of dread:
Try waking up a bit earlier and make room for things you enjoy
If you roll out of bed and head straight to a job you dread towards, you’re bound to feel sluggish all day. Instead, wake up earlier to separate your day from the things you enjoy, from the job you do. Try making your favorite breakfast, working out, or pleasure reading. Exercise and meditation are wonderful habits to master in the morning, energising and grounding you, reducing stress, and increasing happiness and wellbeing
Stay organized
When you live in your office, it’s important to keep your workspace tidy, and decorate it if it’s possible! If your desk is cluttered and messy, then it’ll just contribute to that negative feeling. Instead, try cleaning it up at the end of each day! Also- try to get as much natural light as possible.
Be In The Moment
Dread is usually caused by thinking about the future, hatching ideas of the negative outcomes that may arise. Try to take control of your thoughts by practising mindfulness and being present. Keep your thoughts on your current activities.
These feelings of dread have real implications on employee’s emotional well being. Blind, we gauged the platform’s emotional well-being in terms of their anxiety levels, feelings of loneliness, and productivity during social distancing in late March. With Negative emotions in the U.S. surging during the first week of June, we asked the platform the same questions last month.
Key Findings as 6/15-6/23 (3,279 Responses):
- Are you experiencing increased loneliness during work from home and social distancing?
- Loneliness is up by 11%
- 64% of professionals answered yes; compared to 53% in March
- 70% of Amazon professionals are feeling increasingly lonely
- 67% of Apple professionals
- 66% of Microsoft professionals
- Are you experiencing increased feelings of anxiety during work from home and social distancing?
- Anxiety is up by 5%
- 61% of professionals answered yes; compared to 56% in March
- 93% of Indeed.com professionals are feeling increasingly anxious
- 79% of Salesforce professionals
- 67% of Amazon professionals
- 63% of Microsoft professionals
- 93% of Indeed.com professionals are feeling increasingly anxious
- 61% of professionals answered yes; compared to 56% in March
- Have your productivity levels been impacted due to changes in your mental health while working from home?
- Productivity has been impacted by an additional 5%
- 58% of professionals answered yes, compared to 53% in March
- 70% of Facebook professionals have had their productivity levels impacted
- 66% of Google
- 62% of Amazon
- 70% of Facebook professionals have had their productivity levels impacted
- 58% of professionals answered yes, compared to 53% in March
As the “new normal” settles in and we accept this new reality, deeper and previously ignored emotions become more prevalent. One Amazon professional writes, “I’ve been feeling really low these days, and that took a toll on my performance too”. Blind wants to use its platform to amplify the voices of the everyday professionals who are working through a very difficult time and help bring meaningful change to their careers, teams, and companies.
The truth is business will remain muted, and much of the population will continue to operate from their homes for the foreseeable future. With more than half of professionals feeling increasingly anxious, lonely, and struggling with productivity, the same questions we had in March are relevant today. What can we do as peers, colleagues, friends, and bosses to help make this “new normal” emotionally healthy? What could the pandemic mean for professionals in the short-term? Do these sentiments require a re-evaluation of work/life priorities? And the final question looking forward: in the post-COVID-19 world, what moments will gain new emotional resonance, what will matter to professionals?