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Working From Home Amid COVID-19: Longer Hours, Sore Backs And ‘Zoom Call Fatigue’

Whether they like working from home or not, Canada’s new army of remote workers need new tools to grapple with new workplace issues ― heavier workloads, longer hours, physical strain and “video call fatigue.”

In a new study of Canadian remote workers from global staffing firm Robert Half, 54 per cent of respondents said they work on weekends, and more than a third reported putting in more than eight hours a day.

And nearly half of respondents in an earlier survey ― 44 per cent ― said they are suffering from “video call fatigue,” with 15 per cent saying they found video calls “inefficient and exhausting.”

Watch: Those working from home less likely to call in sick. Story continues below.

“Video calls often require more energy than other communication means such as phone calls or email,” said David King, Canadian senior district president at Robert Half, in a statement.

“With many employees already managing heavy workloads, limiting them to those that are necessary can help reduce meeting fatigue and increase focus time for employees.”

But “video call fatigue” doesn’t mean workers are enjoying being disconnected from their colleagues.

In an informal survey of its networks across 27 countries, including Canada, remote work software company Working Den found 32 per cent of workers said a lack of interaction and sociability was their main issue with working from home.

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