The ‘Pandemic Brain’ is real, can we ever recover from it?

The big and abrupt change in lifestyle when the pandemic began, matched with isolation and the uncertainty on when it will end, exposed people to small but constant doses of stress that messed with parts of the brain that control executive functions, learning, and memory, explained neuroscientist Tina Franklin in an interview with The Atlantic.

The thing with the pandemic brain is that nobody is safe. Even people living and working in relative comfort can still experience these consistent waves of stress that usually come from the repetitive and isolated nature of living during the pandemic. Just waking up to do the same things at the same place already feels heavy and adding even a little bit of work can be overwhelming.

Perhaps one of the most concrete manifestations of how people reacted to the pandemic brain is the global mass resignation trend. Employees who can no longer stand the stress are forced to look for companies that offer more work-life balance. Those who stayed with their employers despite the unaddressed stress experienced major drops in productivity.

The good news, according to the experts, is that people are starting to recover their pre-pandemic sharpness as vaccinations ramp up and quarantine restrictions loosen. The bad news, however, is that recovery may take time. It does not mean, though, that we can’t do anything to aid in this process.

Here are some ways business leaders can help their people recover from the pandemic brain.

1. Initiate fitness programs

Physical activity is always good for the brain, but the pandemic has certainly disrupted most of our daily physical routines. There was a long period when quarantine restrictions prohibited people from going to gyms, and just the fear of catching COVID-19 may have scared many of us from doing outdoor exercises, like jogging around the village.

Having actual instructors lead fitness sessions will be a big help to speed up the people’s recovery from the pandemic brain. For organizations with a hybrid workforce, fitness programs can be done both virtually and physically, albeit in limited capacity. Alternatively, you can also initiate mindfulness and meditation activities for those who would prefer this than intense workouts.

2. Access to mental health professionals

There will be times that managers would not be competent enough to address work-triggered mental health problems among the employees. It’s normal because managers are only trained to handle people professionally up to a certain extent, and mental health problems should be addressed by licensed medical professionals.

Regularly checking up on your teams and providing access to a roster of mental health professionals will help you mitigate some problems that can be out of your control. It will also make the people feel safer working with your organizations, knowing you have got their backs even in times they are mentally and emotionally struggling to function.

3. Mount fun office events and activities

Work can be monotonous, and monotony is the favorite food of the pandemic brain. In times like these, people can use some break to help them keep their focus. You can start by having “Fun Fridays,” where you dedicate a couple of hours before work is over by just catching up with everybody and playing virtual games with small prizes.

If you have the proper resources, you can also initiate regular team building activities at the office. It can be weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly. You can even arrange out of town activities to help people relax and recover from the otherwise overwhelming amount of work they do every day. Just be sure that everyone is vaccinated and following health protocols.

4. Outsourcing

Businesses are working extra hard these days to recover pandemic losses. But with a pandemic brain, employees may feel overwhelmed and may have a hard time keeping up with the amount work needed to be done. Some leaders would look for highly qualified people to augment the workforce only to be hampered by the global talent shortage. This is where outsourcing may come in handy.

Outsourcing allows organizations to tap partners who have global access to talent that best fits their requirements. And it’s not just about access to talent because the right outsourcing provider provides flexibility that allows companies to do all the above-mentioned activities to aid in the pandemic brain recovery. It’s like hitting all birds in one stone.

Some outsourcing partners even provide offices that are structurally designed to promote work-life balance and reducing work-related stress. These are collaborative workspaces with recreational areas and even gyms. On top of all these, organizations would also have huge savings through outsourcing in countries with lower costs of living.

The bottom-line is people would have different ways of coping with the pandemic brain. Some would be more resilient, while some would struggle. What is important is that as business leaders, we do our part to take care of our people amid these challenging times. Taking care of the people is taking care of the business. This is the cure to the pandemic brain.