BENGALURU : Many professionals are complaining about burnout, loss of sleep and excessive use of screens which has taken a massive toll on their physical and mental health. Here’s how some companies are dealing with digital fatigue
As work from home came to be called as the new normal, people across the globe were pushed to embrace a digital transformation. In the IT industry, professionals are bound to spend long hours in front of the screen to cater to the needs of their clients. However, many are complaining of burnout, loss of sleep due to excessive use of screens. This is affecting them mentally and physically.
“As IT professionals, we have to constantly monitor data and check our client’s mail to meet the daily target. To reduce screen time, our manager urges us to schedule breaks in equal intervals of time,” says Rajshekhar Choudhury, a data analysis engineer at Bosch.
“Our company has a fitness club and various sports activities for the employees. My colleagues and I often go cycling to keep our mind calm. This helps us in combating digital fatigue,” he adds. Joyjit Bhattacharya, a senior IT professional, says, “Our company encourages us to take an hour-long break every day so that we can interact with our colleagues and find time for recreation. The company also conducts yoga classes once a month to keep a check on our mental health.”
Companies are also working towards extending support to their employees by introducing techniques and recreational activities to tackle mental health issues in these unprecedented times. “Sitting for long hours in front of the screen causes problems in positioning. We were introduced to ‘ergonomics’ which helped us maintain the correct posture during hectic working hours. The office hosted a few talk shows where we could interact with renowned psychologists and express our concerns.
It also held musical evenings for recreation,” says Sudipto Roy, a product manager at Tata Consultancy Services. While technology is all around, whether at work or at home, it is important to refrain ourselves from using digital devices all the time. “We’re so much more connected today than we could ever have imagined. It is now possible to make ourselves immediately available to anything that needs our attention but the work-life boundary has become ambiguous,” says Anindita Adya, clinical psychologist at Heart It Out. She adds, “It has become necessary that we learn to clearly communicate our boundaries with our co-workers, highlighting our working hours and availability. It’s important to be aware of and learn to recognise the early signs of burnout.”