How working during this pandemic has taken a toll on our mental health and why it’s okay to tap out
One of the many distinct characteristics of the novel coronavirus pandemic is its disruptive power that has distorted our sense of control. The past year had set off a slew of unprecedented situations that forced us to make adjustments and scramble our priorities, including what work meant in our lives.
Having a secure job that allows us to safely work from home became a top priority. More than anything, we had to stay put (and stay on the job) in order to survive. And yet at the back of our minds, we knew we also had to prepare for the worst.
But not everyone was fortunate. The International Labor Organization (ILO) reported an estimated loss of 255 million full-time employment jobs in 2020, with around 140 million (55 percent) coming from the Asia and the Pacific region. In the Philippines, the first two quarters of 2020 brought out a job separation rate of 11.4 percent, which meant that for every 1000 individuals employed, 114 either quit their jobs or were laid off.
While the majority of that number was the result of businesses taking mitigating measures, there were still those who chose to let go of their jobs on their own terms. This poses the question: Why are people resigning during the pandemic when work arrangements are more flexible and jobs are relatively scarce?
What Code Red Feels Like
When the lockdown started in March 2020, everyone worried over how they would continue to work. The cases were rapidly increasing daily, and anyone could be susceptible to the virus. As companies enforced flexible working arrangements, the safety worries were slightly alleviated. It seemed like the sense of control lost over work had been regained. The time, energy, and mental fortitude lost in traffic, chatting with colleagues over lunch, dealing with office bureaucracy. and other external factors could be alloted to more rest, time with family, and other personal responsibilities.
This also resulted in higher engagement from employees. According to Gallup, the average employee engagement from 2020 reached an all-time high of 36 to 40 percent in June to July. It turned out that this was a direct reflection of employees’ gratitude for their job security, flexible working conditions, autonomy, and the sense of purpose to keep things afloat.
Source: Gallup
However, the engagement score also reflected the looming fear and anxiety felt by employees due to layoffs, furloughs, and other repercussions of business leaders’ efforts to stabilize their company’s financials. Employees, as a result, were left to pick up the pieces and deliver regardless of the extraordinary events they were experiencing. Because of this, employees started working beyond their capacity. Meetings became longer, more frequent, and consecutive — disregarding the need for breaks or preparations in between. Responses to chats and emails became more urgent, with employees expected to be online 24/7 and to respond within an average of five minutes. Deadlines for projects became more urgent and more demanding, requiring employees to work beyond official working hours, including rest days.
Source: Microsoft
Companies constantly remind their workers to unplug or take the time off, putting the blame on the employee for being overworked when in fact the workload being demanded of them gives them no other choice but to be present around the clock. On top of that, most company leaders are too preoccupied with keeping their businesses afloat that they fail to recognize and reward their employees properly for their work, much less consider their mental well-being. The occasional certificate or pizza and drinks end up falling flat, when behind each token is the directive to continue going the extra mile at the expense of their own physical, emotional, and psychological welfare.
All this has been happening while the world is collectively going through a health crisis and consequential grief and anxiety.
As the demands of both personal and professional life increased, so did the time and opportunity for rest and recuperation go the opposite path. This cycle went on for months, to the point that people had unconsciously adjusted to the situation and accepted this as the new normal — leading to the false belief that we had regained control over our lives.
With this newfound “control,” we carved out the time to get on social media trends and pick up hobbies to distract us from the external demands of our lives. One of those trends has been migrating in-person events to virtual drinking sessions, birthdays, hangouts, and even funerals. This increased online presence has required an additional amount of mental fortitude and energy to make sure that the people on the other side of the screen felt our presence. The more we attended these online events, the more we realized the loneliness we were collectively experiencing. To quote Dr. Vivek Murthy, former US Surgeon General, “It can deepen our loneliness and lead to what I think of as a social recession as we plunge further and further into isolation. The longer and longer we’re apart, and in that way it can deepen a problem that was already quite bad before COVID-19 [italics added].”
This prolonged isolation has forced many on a downward spiral of cynicism and doubt. Described by Christina Maslach, a professor of psychology from University of California, cynicism at work is a negative feeling about one’s job and their colleagues. Couple this with the increasing expectations to deliver more despite the pandemic and you’ve got a telltale diagnosis: burnout.
The Burnout Phenomenon
Burnout, as described by the World Health Organization, is the result of simultaneously feeling two or more of the following: exhaustion, cynicism or alienation, and professional inefficiency, such as doubt. This phenomenon can physically manifest through a high blood pressure, headache, or a herniated disc, to name a few. In the current workplace context, it is the result of the year-long adjustments, increasing pressures, and lack of support that one needs to survive and thrive in a pandemic.
Left unchecked, burnout can lead to full-blown mental health issues that require medical attention. Kaiser Family Foundation reported that as of January 2021, 4 out of 10 adults report symptoms of anxiety, depressive disorder, or both. The majority of this come from the groups aged 18 to 24 and 25 to 49.
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation
With their mental health compromised, a lot of people have started introspecting and reframing the situation. Concerns over safety and security during the start of the pandemic have become a worn-out excuse. The question has shifted toward the payoffs: Is it really worth it to continue putting in an excessive amount of effort into their jobs?
Many have decided to rearrange their scrambled priorities and focus on their own set of goals for the future, entirely independent of any company’s. While the percentage of those who simply cannot afford to leave their jobs during the pandemic remains high, there are still those who are given the opportunity to take the common recourse — either by transferring to a new job, taking a complete break from work to recover, or redirecting their focus on their passion projects or their family.
How to Tap Out
Resigning from a job in the prepandemic setup followed the usual process: You submitted a resignation paper to your manager or left it on the HR’s desk and expected to receive a reply within the day. Attending the exit interview and communicating with your HR, despite the initial awkwardness, was easy since you could see their reactions and read their body language.
Resigning during the pandemic is vastly different. Now that communication means have become majorly virtual, an employee has to exert more effort than usual to engineer a smooth and graceful exit.
Before submitting your resignation letter, it’s important to give your employer a call. Your intent to resign can be easily misconstrued and a quick call can help to avoid this. Resigning during the pandemic is tough for both you and your employer, so it’s best to be honest and straightforward about your decision.
Once you’ve submitted your resignation letter, make sure to leave with a clean slate. Overcommunicate with your HR officer about the separation process and make sure to properly turn over any accountabilities. Leaving on a positive note gives you the opportunity to form a network with professionals that can be helpful to your career in the long run.
Take the time to rest and recuperate. The importance of being prepared is one of the biggest takeaways of this pandemic. Part of the stress of adjusting to a work-from-home setup was that nobody saw it coming. It would be much easier to adjust to a new job once you’ve taken the time to clear your head and prepare for what’s coming ahead.
Lastly, make a list of your negotiables and nonnegotiables, and compare it with the job opportunities you have. The plus side of resigning during the pandemic is that you’re able to get a picture of what you really want out of a job. If it’s not being offered, then demand for better work arrangements like defined work boundaries, work flexibility, and better pay and benefits.
The past year has been a roller coaster of unprecedented circumstances. If leaving a job during this time brings reprieve, then do it. It’s never wrong to prioritize one’s mental health. After all, we only have ourselves to depend on.
Roace Alfonso is an HR and Management Practitioner for an overseas company located in Makati, Philippines. When he’s not occupied with work, you’ll see him binging on books, movies, art, and anything that captures his interest. In his free time, you’ll catch him working out and meditating to prepare for what tomorrow will bring him.
