Do you feel a little bit exhausted after battling through the last 16 months? You’re absolutely not alone. 

Psychologists have reported a rise in ‘pandemic burnout’ and many organisations, including dating app company Bumble, are taking steps to help counter the effects that the pandemic has had on their people. 

And even though things are opening up, new variants, delays to the full unlocking of society and continued workplace insecurity for many are prolonging the weariness. 

As one excellent post that did the rounds on social earlier in the year put it;

"You’re not imagining it, nobody seems to want to talk right now.
Messages are brief and replies late.
Talk of catchups are perpetually put on hold.
Group chats are no longer pinging all night long.
It’s not you. It’s everyone. We are spent.
We are tired of saying “I miss you” and “I can’t wait for this to end.
So we mostly say nothing, put our heads down and get through each day…"

A powerful post and, whilst written from a personal perspective, elements ring true across our workplaces too - be they physical or digital. 

Many of us are jaded, frustrated, concerned and… knackered! Resilience is down, and mental health issues are rising. 
But how can we battle pandemic fatigue as we enter the most recent final stretch of the pandemic? 

Nurture resilience 

We may be nearing the apparent end of the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to start nurturing resilience amongst your teams. It will stand your organisation in better stead for the future, too. 

The amount of resilience we have is fed by how supported we feel, how we feel included and how informed we are of our positions, future and direction of travel. 

Getting through periods of adversity can build that resilience, and it can absolutely bring teams together. But leaders shouldn’t expect that to happen without some nurturing. Indeed, for some of us, the pandemic may have actually broken some of the resilience we have built up over our careers. 

Communications are key here. Leaders’ messaging needs to be optimistic and reassuring - yet always realistic. 

One sure-fire way to beat the resilience out of people is to make promises you can’t keep. False hope does to resilience what charred kale does to a cake – it ruins it and leaves only bitterness behind.

We also need to remember that, for remote workers, the tone and content of our internal comms are even more critical.

Share a vision for the future of work

We have to communicate with our people that this current working environment isn’t here to stay and to share what the organisation’s visitation for a post-Covid workplace looks like. What is the light at the end of the tunnel? What can workers have to look forward to?

Many of these questions will be answered by renewed attitudes and policies surrounding flexible working. I would imagine the last thing your people want right now is to have worked through a pandemic, enjoying a little bit of flexibility for the first time (likely as remote working), only to be told their new most favoured benefit is being taken away. Just look at the furore of Apple employees as a case and point. 

But beyond where work happens, we’ve also seen a big acceleration in the take-up of workplace mental health initiatives as organisations have quickly spotted the emotional drain that the last year and a half has taken on us all. 

Whatever workplace 2.0 looks like at your organisation, get your internal comms hats on and make sure that vision is well communicated, leaving space for feedback too. 

Show appreciation 

The power of employee recognition is well researched and documented and showing your appreciation for your people in times of adversity is even more critical. 

How have workers’ efforts benefited the business? Have your staff accepted working reduced hours to cut costs through the darker months? Did they adapt quickly to remote working, and have they worked far harder than your managers thought they would from their box rooms and kitchen tables? 

If you don’t have a dedicated employee recognition program in place, then over a year of working away from our colleagues has cut the opportunities for appreciation to take place. Do your people know how much you appreciate their grit and drive since the start of the pandemic? 

If you haven’t told them, then they probably don’t. Not feeling appreciated can contribute to feeling burnt out. Feeling undervalued can quickly disengage and de-motivate. 

We all hope that the end really is in sight now, but the work will continue for organisations as we look to learn the lessons from the pandemic and implement new ways of working for the future.