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Productivity stress in a Pandemic By Swarna Gollapudi

Updated: Jun 1, 2021



During the pandemic of SARS COVID-19, all the corporates have closed their offices, extending work from home, and all schools and colleges have closed down conducting classes online. Both the youth and the working class have to work and study from home for around a year now. It almost sounds utopian that people do not have to attend schools, colleges, or go to the offices, but has it been a happy experience, as it seems? Since it is a possibility that the WFH situation may extend for another year and schools may not start with traditional classes for a long time, it has become imperative to look at mental health reprieve from the stressors and create implementable mental health management plans.


Interpersonal relationships have been affected, because of mere online contact or zoom calls. People are unable to gather the tone and understand the character of the conversations, which may lead to difficulty in conflict resolution in certain situations. Working parents find it strenuous to create a balance between professional scenes and putting their children to study online, as the children do not have the same attention span as they do in a classroom setup. This problematic scenario may even lead to excessive consumption of caffeine and alcohol. Some of these causes may lead to decreased work productivity, trouble in interpersonal relationships, anxiety, and depressive symptoms caused by ‘isolation’.

What is productivity stress in a pandemic? The anxiety of producing results in less amount of time and under self-created deadlines. It could be the pressure instilled by the corporates offices, or merely the pressure of missing out on the classes. The stress of self-created deadlines can be associated with immense anxiety and fear of losing out on personal goals. In the pandemic, professional has become personal.

The World Health Organization defined Burnout as an Occupational Phenomenon. It is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It can be further explained via three symptoms: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job or negative feelings toward one’s career, and reduced professional efficacy. ( Departmental news, WHO, 2019).

To cater to this universal mental health problem, the first step is to acknowledge that a problem exists.

  • Acknowledge that there is low mood, excessive exhaustion, inability to reach deadlines, anxiety before finishing goals, inability to resolve conflicts (professional or familial), et al.

  • Do not Avoid, ignore or displace the anxiety onto other sources, as it will induce guilt and instigate more reasons for depressive symptoms.

  • Interact with family, friends, and close connections about personal and mental issues, and form a plan of action.

  • The plan of action may include talking to a psychotherapist or a mental health counselor.

  • Create work boundaries, and if it is difficult, then take help from the Employers Assistance programs to ask for mental health leaves.

  • If possible, take EAP assistance in enforcing stricter time, and workload boundaries.

  • Try not to dwell on work-related stressors, as productivity is not a race.

It is important to understand that mental health issues are global phenomena in the times of a pandemic. And dealing with personal mental health does not make a person weak or vulnerable. In eventuality, to remain healthy physically or mentally is a basic human right.

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