Setting personal boundaries to beat burnout

Experts say work days can feel longer in such a stressful time. Be sure to take steps to avoid burning out while you’re working from home. — Nicolas Armer/dpa/Archivbild

Without the commute to the office or lunch hours with colleagues thanks to Covid-19, the boundaries of a work day are blurring, leaving employees less sure of when to take breaks or log off at the end of the day.

A recent study from the US National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) found that the average workday around the world is 48.5 minutes longer than before the pandemic. The study examined how work email and meeting patterns changed in the two months following a government-mandated pandemic lockdown in 16 cities.