While telecommuting has led to a decrease in burnout, there is a new and growing threat to worker welfare in Finland: boredom.
A study by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) has found that the novelty of working from home is beginning to wear off for many people, and as enthusiasm disappears it is being replaced by apathy.
"According to our long-term study, boredom has increased more than burnout. The spark and meaning from work can get lost when stimuli and human contact are lacking," FIOH research professor Jari Hakanen told Yle.
A previous FIOH study during the spring suggested that telecommuting was leading to an improved sense of well-being at work as the core symptom of burnout, chronic fatigue, decreased.
Visits to the doctor and sick leave also declined during the telecommuting era, according to private medical providers Mehiläinen, Pihlajalinna and Terveystalo.
Winter will bring new challenges
Telecommuting has become the 'new normal' for many people for about eight months, and government's continuation of the recommendation to work from home -- combined the onset of the long, dark winter season -- will bring new challenges for employers, employees and occupational health care professionals.
FIOH says that new ways of helping people to cope must be found, and will undertake a follow-up study during November and December.
"I look forward to the next follow-up study and learning how the dark season is affecting people. On the other hand, there are good sides to the season. When the rain falls, one is able to concentrate on work," Hakanen said, adding that he expects the reporting feelings of boredom to increase further.
To combat the negative effects of working from home, the City of Joensuu is trialling a project in which employees combine remote and on-site work.
"Until the end of August, we had a more permanent telecommuting policy and then it was relaxed. Now there are between one and three days a week of teleworking," design engineer Antti Rytkönen told Yle.
Rytkönen added that alternating between remote and on-site work has proved to be a refreshing option alongside solely working at home.
"This suits me very well, because I still need a work community and things like eating lunch together. It’s not nice to watch motionless masks in [Microsoft communication platform] Teams all day," Rytkönen said.
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The city of Joensuu employs 2,700 people, and there are currently more than 400 working remotely.
By arranging the rotation between remote and on-site, the city wanted to give employees the opportunity to meet colleagues for at least for some part of the working week, the city's HR Director Sari Lempiäinen explained.
"This has been a really welcome arrangement," Lempiäinen said. "Employees clearly have a pent-up need for encounters with the wider work community."
The return to telecommuting "surprised" many
The return to telecommuting after the summer has proved difficult for many people, according to Terveystalo's occupational health psychologist Jyrki Talvitie.
"After the summer, people started dreaming of returning to work and now they have to be at home again. It may come as a surprise to many," Talvitie said, adding that people should remember and learn from the techniques that helped them during the spring.
"You may want to make a list of the things that helped you survive the spring," he added, citing as examples a scheduled work rhythm, proper food and coffee breaks, as well as outdoor activities and exercise.
Susanna Paarlahti, Service Manager of Occupational Health Psychology at Pihlajalinna, said that while telecommuting has many challenges, there are also some advantages too.
"With 60 percent of the population moving to telecommuting, stress-related illnesses have decreased. For example, it has reduced the stress that arises from the morning rush hour," Paarlahti said.
She also emphasised the importance of outdoor activities, especially during the coming winter season.
"It's a good idea to get outside when possible. Yes, an employee can and is allowed to organise his or her work day to spend time outdoors," Paarlahti said, adding that common rules should be agreed in the workplace so that new practices become accepted.
"For example, to be able to sleep for a longer time in the morning, to stop work earlier or to go for a jog in the middle of the working day. Commonly agreed rules can help to streamline work," she said.