“Home fever” — when remote employees lose their motivation to work due to prolonged time spent working at home alone — might sound like another employee engagement catchphrase, but it’s a real medical condition that HR leaders should pay attention to, according to new research from Carleton University’s School of Engineering and Design.
Essentially cabin fever in an employment context, home fever sets in over long periods of time, with real symptoms that include anxiety, irritability, restlessness and loneliness, as well as a powerful urge to stop working and go outside, said PhD candidate Farzam Sepanta, co-author of the study.
“Teleworking before the pandemic was not as prevalent – everybody’s trying to adopt it, everybody’s enjoying it for different reasons, and it’s a new landscape,” he told Canadian HR Reporter. “So, this new landscape requires new and innovative solutions, and I believe human resources, once they become conscious about it, can come up with their own strategies.”
