With lockdowns and distancing mandates becoming commonplace over the last couple of years, COVID fatigue is becoming a very real and common problem in the workplace. Our team at Epoch has put together a list of some of the events and methods you can use to try to alleviate COVID fatigue on your team. 

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Diagnosis 🩺

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What is COVID fatigue and how does it happen? While there is no concrete definition for COVID fatigue, it is generally thought of as a form of burnout, courtesy of the global pandemic. People from all walks of life are getting tired of wearing masks, physically distancing, and being cooped up at home. The symptoms of COVID burnout can include:

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• Difficulty concentrating
• Negligence to self-care
• Struggling to be productive
• Irritability and impatience
• Lack of motivation
• Increased emotions of hopelessness, detachment, and isolation
• Changes or worsening of health conditions

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Who is affected the most? While COVID burnout will definitely have an effect at your in-person offices, employees working remotely will be the ones most affected. 

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Treatment 💉

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We have put together 7 ways you can alleviate COVID fatigue among your team, including some of our very events and methods we have used to avoid burnout at Epoch! Here are some ideas that can get you started on improving the mental health of your employees:

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1. Staying Active 💪

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• Host exercise and work out events to get your employees moving
• Allocate time for your employees to be physically active during the workday

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2. Practice Mindfulness 🧠

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• Invite external guests to host meditation or yoga events
• Host seminars that teach your employees the importance of mindfulness and the best ways to practice it
• Encourage your employees to take frequent breaks, check their emails less and work with them to mitigate major stressors from their work life

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3. Stay Positive 😊

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• Lead by example by maintaining a positive attitude in the workplace
• Acknowledge and validate the successes and achievements of your employees: this can be done through small announcements to show that you value their contributions

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4. Show Transparency 🚪

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• Keep your employees in the loop; maintaining any sort of certainty will help your team feel more involved
• Provide clear expectations and make sure that all employees understand and follow them

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5. Provide Support 🤝

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• Constantly touch base with your employees, make your team aware that you are there for them and care about their mental wellbeing
• Provide accessible mental health resources for your employees

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6. Support Work-Life Balance 💼

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• Keep workloads fair between employees and deadlines reasonable
• Encourage everyone to take their breaks and lunches away from the work environment, whether it be in-person or virtual
• Keep work hours reasonable
• Limit vacation carryover to encourage your employees to take a break for their physical and mental health

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7. Mental Health First Aid Program 🏥

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• Having mental health first aiders on site can help employees who are having a mental health crisis

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While not a physical ailment, COVID fatigue is a very real psychological threat to you and your employees. Hopefully, this blog got you thinking about steps you and your team can take to achieve better mental health throughout these troubling times. What are some other ways you can help your employees combat COVID burnout?