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Bubble worker syndrome: what it is, symptoms, and how to fight it

Let's look at the characteristics of bubble worker syndrome and how it affects people

By Nouman ul haqPublished 2 years ago 4 min read
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The high competitiveness and the great demands of the labor market that exist today make it difficult to reconcile personal and professional life, which is why the psychological and physical problems that derive from these conditions have increased considerably.

The bubble worker syndrome is suffered by those people who are not able to completely disconnect from their work and, therefore, during their free time they are usually continuously connected to their electronic devices to carry out tasks associated with work or looking for new ideas. related, so they experience serious problems separating professional from personal life.

In this article we will explain in more detail what the bubble worker syndrome consists of and its main characteristics.

What is bubble worker syndrome?

The bubble worker syndrome is a fairly recent concept that has begun to sound more and more strongly in recent years due to the high demands that some jobs have, being increased with new technologies. In these times, people can continue to work from home or wherever they cover up, so many of them have a hard time completely disconnecting from their work.

When we talk about the bubble worker syndrome, we refer fundamentally to those people who constantly feel that they cannot completely disconnect from work , since during their free time on a daily basis and even when they are on vacation, they are usually continuously connected with their electronic devices to carry out tasks associated with work or trying to find new related ideas, so they experience serious problems in separating professional from personal life.

How to detect this problem?

Among the main characteristics of people who suffer from bubble worker syndrome , the following should be highlighted:

  • They often experience stress, feelings of fatigue and mood problems due to social isolation.
  • They spend too much time in front of the computer and mobile phone.
  • They are very dependent on the internet connection service and if it fails, the stress increases considerably.
  • They frequently use applications related to their work and those used to carry out banking operations.
  • Their high dependence on technology makes them resort to it even to carry out the simplest tasks.
  • They have difficulty distinguishing between the time they should spend at work and the time they should spend at home.
  • This excessive attachment to work has caused a disorder in their schedules and has made it impossible to reconcile the family.

Tips for bubble worker syndrome

Both the bubbling worker syndrome and the rest of the labor syndromes are suffered by a large number of people around the world and, as we have described previously, all of them can have a series of very negative consequences for all those people. who suffer them, as well as for their loved ones and even for the companies they work for as a whole.

That is why it is essential that companies use resources and put in place means to be able to prevent and also detect this type of syndrome as early as possible with the aim of making the work environment positive and calm in the most stable way possible and in this way it is reflected in the mood and mental health in general of the entire company staff. If these types of measures are implemented effectively, this will be translated into an increase in the performance of the workforce and, therefore, in the profits of the company.

As we mentioned earlier, the generalization of teleworking in recent years and hyperconnectivity through different electronic devices have favored the increase in the number of cases of the bubble worker syndrome, for this reason it is important that measures are taken to avoid it and that employees stop to have the feeling of being linked to their work throughout the day and thus be able to carry out recreational, cultural, sports and/or educational activities, both within the workplace and personal, social and family.

To do this, companies should make an investment to create prevention programs that encourage healthier habits both within the company and on a personal level, some group therapies that facilitate the development and maintenance of a healthier lifestyle may be useful. , promote the safety and self-confidence of employees, and that all this helps to generate a positive climate among workers.

In addition to therapies or group sessions within the company, it could be useful to implement a positive leadership system that helps inspire employees, listens to them, teaches them, supports them, and is clear about the goals that should be set for them. business level. In large companies, a cabinet or department of health or clinical psychologists could also be implemented who can provide psychological support to all workers when they need it.

For those people who have trouble recharging their batteries during their leisure time and vacations, some talent management or human resources departments of various companies have implemented a series of measures that encourage digital disconnection outside of work in order to prevent or address cases such as those that occur when a person suffers from bubble worker syndrome.

Some of the tips that can help digital disconnection during the holidays and the days off that you have weekly are the following:

  • Try to plan our vacations in advance and try to choose the period of the year to be able to enjoy them.
  • Leave all pending issues closed before taking vacations.
  • Take vacations during the periods in which the activity of the job itself is less affected.
  • Notify us in advance of the days in which we are going to be on vacation so that they do not contact us.
  • If someone contacts us on those days, let us know that we are on vacation.
  • Try to carry out pleasant and playful activities on vacation that allow us to disconnect.
  • Avoid as far as possible the use of electronic devices during the holidays.

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Nouman ul haq

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