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| Gettyimages |
By Lee Hae-rin
Three out of every 10 employees who telecommute are experiencing "work-from-home (WFH) syndrome" as the pandemic rolls on and the boundary between work and life blurs.
According to a survey of 910 remote workers conducted by recruiting platform Job Korea from Sept. 3 to 10, 32.1 percent of the respondents said they have experienced the WFH syndrome, experienced as physical and emotional stress.
Where multiple answers were allowed, 54.8 percent said they experienced the feeling that they were still working even after work hours, similar to 46.2 percent who answered they felt a nervous and stressed all day.
"In a from-home working environment, the physical distinction between work and home life is pretty vague. I think that's why I can't get my mind off of work even when my computer is turned off and feel like I'm working all day," said a 28-year-old employee in Seoul who asked to be identified only by her surname Kim.
Other negative aspects of WFH syndrome reported in the survey included "stress from non-face-to-face communication" at 31.5 percent and "weight gain from a sedentary lifestyle" at 22.3 percent.
On the pros of remote working, 78 percent answered the stress from relationships with colleagues has dropped.
As to why they felt less social stress in a home working environment, 81.3 percent said "there was no need to engage in unnecessary conversations with colleagues, which is less emotionally draining."
Other stress-relieving features of WFH included that it "helps concentrating on work" at 53.4 percent, "replaces in-person meetings with written reports" at 20.6 percent, and "eliminates staff dinners after work" at 11.8 percent.
