Having trouble detaching from work? It might be time to think about how you recover 

In the sporting world, the term ‘recovery’ is widely used to describe the physical recovery from the sport itself. That traditionally may take the form of active or passive rest, massage, ice baths, physiotherapy and more. But the idea is that if you’re a professional athlete, you spend time recovering from your endeavours so that your body is ready to go again when the time arrives.  

The same philosophy can apply to working life. Yet, in practice, many of us do little to actively ‘recover’ from our working day. And yet, when we don’t, the ability to detach from work is diminished, our sleep is compromised, our on-the-job performance dips and our mental health and wellbeing suffers.  

So, how do we recover from work?

Professor of Work and Sports Psychology and leading expert in employee sustainable performance Dr Jan de Jonge, says that “detachment from work should encompass cognitive, emotional and physical absence from work.” In other words, you need to be able to disconnect the mind, the soul, and the body from your work.  

Generally speaking, de Jonge says, the best approach is to engage in a recovery activity that is a ‘mirror’ of your work.  

“For instance, an employee whose job requires high emotional effort would be better off avoiding engagement in recovery activities that put high demands on the same (i.e. emotional) systems,” de Jonge says.  

“Similarly, a construction worker with a highly demanding physical job would be better off avoiding engagement in recovery activities that put high demands on the same (i.e. physical) systems.” 

What does this look like in practice? Simply put, if your job uses physical energies, you may find you recover better when you spend your out-of-work time engaging in more cerebral activities, like reading, watching television or social interactions.  

Similarly, if your job involves sitting at a screen all day, you may find that engaging in a more physical activity, like going for a run or gardening, might help you switch off.   

The role of joy in recovery

Joy, de Jonge acknowledges, plays a critical role in recovery as well (for employees and for athletes).  

“Our research shows that pleasure in recovery activities is more important than the type of activity,” de Jonge says.  

“People should spend recovery time on activities that they like most.”  

That means if you spend all your work time at a screen, but you get true joy from watching arthouse cinema, you shouldn’t let what you did all day stop you sitting down to a film – as that joy may be just what you need to best detach from your work.  

It also means that while doing something like reading may be beneficial to a physical worker, if it’s not something you enjoy, it’s probably worth thinking about a different joyful non-physical activity to help you detach.  

How long do you need to dedicate to recovery to truly detach?

“It’s important to explore recovery opportunities during and after working hours,” de Jonge says, suggesting that 5-10 minutes of rest can be quite effective when used as actual ‘recovery’ time. Regular breaks throughout the working day can go a long way to supporting recovery and reducing work stress.  

For example, de Jonge suggests that if you are engaged in heavy or tiring work, taking a structural break every hour for up to five minutes is very beneficial. Even toilet breaks can be considered micro breaks, and a chance for a small reset. Research also shows that employees who took micro breaks had an energy and mood boost that translated into better performance. 

One of the factors seriously impeding our ability to recover from work stress is what is often termed our ‘new way of working’.  

“Working flexibility, along with IT development, has increased more and more over the past few years,” de Jonge says.  

This new-found flexibility, he acknowledges, can enable boundary-less working hours, which implies less recovery time and keeping people mentally occupied with work during non-working time. 

Yet, de Jonge adds, “research shows that fully detaching from work after work is most effective”. This, he concludes, can be because complete detachment during work hours is often more difficult , given interactions with colleagues and work can still occur.  

Moreover, research indicates that psychological detachment in the evening positively predicts next-day job performance via higher sleep quantity. And a higher state of being recovered in the morning promotes daily work engagement and daily job performance, including task performance and personal initiative.  

How do we turn off amid ‘always on’ technology?

For those who don’t have a physical space to distance themselves from, the act of switching off for recovery can be more difficult.  

Being intentional about managing technology, de Jonge suggests, can go a long way to supporting recovery. For example, you may want to consider: 

• Turning off email and smartphone alerts  
• Only checking email at fixed times of day (e.g. at the end of the morning) 
• Addressing emails directly, and then moving them out of the inbox  
• Filtering news items, and blocking irrelevant emails from contributing to your ‘inbox burden’ 
• Efficiently using out-of-office answers – de Jonge suggests being clear on when you’re not available, and when you’re not answering emails in your time off  
• Not checking email or work phones on the weekends or holidays 
• Not having your work email on your (private) smartphone  
• Not using your phone during meetings. 
  

What can leaders do to support recovery?

“Managers and organisations play an important role in on-job and off-job recovery,” de Jonge says.  

“They should create a work climate in which working beyond regular work hours is not ‘business as usual’” he says, again acknowledging that this ‘always on’ approach can seriously impede recovery and sleep processes, and ultimately impact job performance.  

Managers, de Jonge adds, have an important role to play in modelling recovery.  

“Managers should act as role models by not being available during non-work time and should not contact their employees during this time as well (e.g. via phone, email etc),” he says.  

Ultimately, they need to be doing what they can to actively encourage their employees to include recovery activities in their working and private lives for the benefit of their mental health and wellbeing.  

Finally, de Jonge acknowledges, it’s important to remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to work stress recovery.  

“Different employees need different times for recovery, and benefit from different types of recovery activities. What characterises successful recovery periods and activities is that they enable and are accompanied by specific psychological experiences and internal states.” 

Ultimately, he suggests spending recovery time on activities you enjoy the most can be the best first step to detaching and reducing work stress.  

Want to learn more? Unpack recovery further and learn practical strategies to help protect your mental health and wellbeing in three related workshops: When switching off is the goal: How to relax and detach from work; Health reset: Making healthy habits part of routine; and Setting boundaries: Drawing a line between work and home.

The post Having trouble detaching from work? appeared first on Transitioning Well.

By Justine Alter

Women are deeply aware of the ‘Motherhood Penalty’ throughout their careers. Women are penalised in remuneration and perceived competence when they become mothers, while men experience the opposite effect, the ‘fatherhood bonus’, once they become fathers.

New research published in the 2023 State of the Future of Work Report found that not only are Australian workers experiencing high rates of burnout and exhaustion, but men, too, now face limited career opportunities once they become working fathers.

The report found 40 percent of working caregivers believe their career opportunities are limited. Working carer-givers are also more likely to be dissatisfied with their jobs and consider quitting more than non-caregivers.

As an organisation that helps people navigate the messy intersection between life and work, including when becoming working parents, this isn’t news to us. Of course, new fathers need more support in the workplace, but we still haven’t gotten it right for working mothers.

Co-author of the report, Professor Leah Ruppanner said: “Caregivers are working harder than before the pandemic, and they’re at risk of workplace attrition. We often focus on women caregivers, but our report finds that caregiving men are also exhausted, less productive, and seeing fewer opportunities for advancement.”

It’s a trend we’re seeing on the ground too. At a practical level, more men are taking parental leave, yet the systems around leave are failing them. One recent example is a new father we coached who opted to take his parental leave one day per week over a period of 6 months. Like many other workers who work four days per week, he performed the same amount of hours compressed into a shorter period. As a result, he struggled to manage his care and work responsibilities, and worried constantly that parental leave would negatively impact his career.

Many organisations fail to appropriately implement the HR processes around parental leave and know what needs to happen at a managerial and systems level to support working parents. It’s great we’re seeing companies being more family-friendly when it comes to parental leave, but what we’re seeing is that leaders will say, “Sure, take time off, or have all the flexibility you need,” leaving the onus to make it happen on the worker, who is already overwhelmed experiencing life as a new parent.  

What organisations can do

Transitioning from ‘worker’ to ‘working parent’ can be particularly challenging. Managers can play a crucial part in ensuring that their team members continue to feel engaged and valued while on leave, while working flexibly, and on their return.  

Spouse and family support is important, but organisational support is vital. It helps to maximise mental and physical health of the individual worker, resulting in increased productivity, boosted staff morale, and higher levels of staff retention. 

Along with practical challenges, new parents often report a decline in physical and mental energy levels. Businesses must recognise the challenges faced by new parents as they transition back into the paid workforce, and encourage this group to be open about these challenges and their genuine concerns around a viable life-work balance.

Creating policies and procedures, and communicating these effectively to staff, and leading by example, can ‘normalise’ the parenting journey and encourage workers to share the mental and physical load. Listening to staff and their needs, and explore how to create sustainable change. Flexible working hours are only one component of a bigger picture. Businesses can redistribute or redefine particular roles and tasks, and demonstrate that they value their team members, all of which can assist individual workers AND their employers effectively navigate the transition from a ‘worker’ to a ‘working parent’. 

Businesses should initiate conversations and create an environment where new parents can feel comfortable sharing their experiences while remaining confident that they will retain their current status within the team.

It is also essential to consider their duty of care in ensuring that staff can create and manage a sustainable work-family balance.

As an organisation, we recognised the need to support all working parents from very early on. This has led us to develop our evidence-based parental leave support program. Delivered by experienced workplace psychologists, the program provides organisations and individuals with the tools and resources to navigate this messy transition.

The program consists of individual coaching, facilitated meetings between the new parent and their manager (as appropriate) and supporting digital resources. Aimed towards expectant and new parents (including non-birthparents), the program helps shape the transition from ‘working person’ to ‘working parent’. Find out more here. 

We’ve also partnered with The Fatherhood to deliver educational and compelling workshops and tailored content to organisations looking to improve their family-friendly work practices, assist their workers to maintain good relationships, and in turn improve outcomes for all genders. 

Book a call and learn how our practitioner-led support can impact your leadership’s approach to working parents.

The post Why Parental Leave Coaching Matters appeared first on Transitioning Well.

Updated March 2025

Original article by  Leah Ruppanner, The University of Melbourne; Brendan Churchill, The University of Melbourne, and David Bissell, The University of Melbourne

While the “great resignation” dominated headlines in the US during 2021-2022, Australia experienced a different workplace phenomenon. Rather than mass resignations, Australian workers faced what experts called the “great burnout” – a widespread condition of exhaustion and disengagement that continues to affect the workforce today.

The Great Burnout: Then and Now

A landmark 2022 study of 1,400 employed Australians revealed trends that have shaped our current workplace landscape:

• 50% of prime-aged workers (25-55) reported feeling exhausted at work
• 40% experienced decreased motivation compared to pre-pandemic levels
• 33% found it harder to concentrate due to responsibilities outside work
• One-third were actively considering quitting their jobs

These statistics represented the “quiet quitters” – employees who remained in their positions but experienced significant burnout. Three years later, research shows these challenges persist, indicating burnout rates haven’t gotten better despite workplace adaptions.

A recent study highlights just how much burnout and unmanaged workplace stress is affecting people:

• Nearly 40% of Australian workers expect stress levels and burnout to be harder to manage in 2025 compared to the previous year, while only 20% believe it will improve.
• Two in five employees are beginning the year already burnt out.
• 90% of Australian workers feel that burnout is ignored until it becomes critical. Over half say the warning signs are identified too late, while 39% believe they are outright ignored.
• More than half of Australian workers would take burnout leave if it were available. However, workplace culture remains a barrier: 8% fear being judged for taking burnout leave, and 7% say their workplace simply would not allow it.

The signs of burnout can include:

• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
• changed sleep patterns
• loss of appetite
• irritability
• brain fog and reduced professional efficacy
• disinterest or a lack of participation in work or activities that you previously enjoyed
• feelings of negativity and cynicism related to your job
• a general feeling of detachment.

Why Aussie Workers Continue to Burn Out

The COVID pandemic triggered unprecedented disruptions to working life, but even as pandemic restrictions have disappeared, burnout factors remain:

• Lingering trauma: Many workers never fully recovered from pandemic-related stress
• Increased workloads: Staff shortages in key industries have led to heavier responsibilities
• Economic pressure: Rising living costs and inflation have created additional stress that affects workplace performance
• Digital overload: Remote and hybrid work arrangements have blurred boundaries between personal and professional life

Women and caregivers continue to face disproportionate challenges. Industries with high female representation – healthcare, education, and social services – report the highest ongoing burnout rates in Australia.

Flexible Work: The Proven Solution

Despite the emerging political debate around flexible work—with the opposition leader recently stating a Coalition government would require public servants to work from the office five days a week—the evidence supporting flexibility remains compelling.

• Flexible workers reported higher energy levels and motivation
• 40% of flexible workers felt more productive compared to 30% of non-flexible workers
• 75% of workers under 54 said lack of flexibility would motivate them to seek new employment

This data contradicts the narrative that in-office work universally improves productivity. Global workplace research continues to suggest that flexible arrangements can positively impact:

• Employee retention and loyalty
• Overall productivity and efficiency
• Workplace satisfaction and wellbeing
• Reduced symptoms of burnout and stress

What solutions help reduce workplace burnout?

The research identified flexible work arrangements as the most effective solution for reducing burnout among Australian workers. As organisations plan for the future, two critical insights remain relevant:

1. The workforce remains vulnerable to burnout. Acknowledging this reality and implementing targeted support systems is essential for maintaining productivity and retention.
2. Pre-pandemic work models were inherently flawed for many. They disadvantaged parents, caregivers, people with chronic illnesses, and those with long commutes. Creating new, more inclusive work arrangements is not a bonus but necessary.

Effective strategies include:

• Workload management: Setting realistic expectations and proper resourcing
• Support programs: Offering meaningful mental health support beyond token initiatives
• Skills development: Providing training to help employees manage stress and set boundaries
• Leadership training: Equipping managers to recognise and address burnout symptoms

Other potential solutions include acknowledging the ongoing impacts of workplace trauma, creating more inclusive work environments, addressing the specific needs of caregivers, and developing sustainable work models that don’t disadvantage vulnerable groups.

The Future of Work in Australia

“It’s important for all business leaders to be on board with mental health policies and practices, communicating them effectively with their people and ensuring that they are also looking after themselves and walking the talk. Now more than ever it is important that leaders are well so that they can lead well,” says Transitioning Well co-founder, Dr. Sarah Cotton.

Rather than thinking (like politicians) ‘when will we return to normal?’ the conversation is shifting to ‘how do we create better working environments that prevent burnout in the first place?'”

For workers and employers, the answer increasingly involves reimagining workplace structures to prioritise wellbeing alongside productivity – creating sustainable models that can withstand future challenges.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Need expert guidance on addressing burnout in your organisation? Book a call to learn how our practitioner-led support can impact your leadership’s approach to workforce wellbeing and productivity.

The post The ‘Great Burnout’: Why Workplace Exhaustion Persists in 2025 appeared first on Transitioning Well.

In Harvard Business Review’s hybrid working study, over 5,000 knowledge workers around the world were asked what they wanted from their future of work arrangement. 61% of employees said they would prefer if management allowed team members to come into the office when they need to and work from home when they need to – in other words, autonomy.

Whether you’re asking your people to be in the office one, three or five days a week, hybrid workplaces are still the norm and offer a range of opportunities to organisations and employees. They aren’t however, without significant challenges. With some planning and preparation, organisations can mitigate the risks and capitalise on the opportunities of hybrid ways of working.

Common Fairness and Equity Challenges

• Socioeconomic

• Domestic duties,
• Caregiving responsibilities,

• Gender,

• Personality differences,
• Neurodiversity

Equity and Support

Visibility and career progression can be a challenge for employees who prefer remote working. To make it fair between remote and in-office employees, make sure recognition, feedback, rewards and promotions are distributed fairly across the organisation.

1. Shift to outcomes rather than hours

To make the most of remote work, teams should focus on outcomes rather than hours. Where possible, support your organisation in making this switch.

2. Ensure teams and employees are supported to set up productive office spaces

Creating a productive home office requires a time and money investment. Ensuring your employees are supported to do this will pay dividends in the long run.

3. Pay attention to fairness and equity

Not everyone will respond to a hybrid workplace equally. Organisations need to consider the role of domestic responsibilities, socioeconomic factors and personality differences when setting up hybrid workplaces.

4. Make employee wellbeing a priority

Everyone will respond and adjust to hybrid work differently. Consider how you are checking in on people and what resources are available for them

5. Invest in training

Consider what training is needed to help employees’ transition to a new way of working. This could be learning new software or upskilling managers to lead virtual teams. It’s important all employees feel equipped and supported to work in this new way.

Book a call and learn how our practitioner-led support can impact your leadership’s approach to hybrid work.

The post 5 Strategies to Make Your Hybrid Workplace More Inclusive appeared first on Transitioning Well.

First published on Michael Mauro. Republished with full permission

By Michael Mauro

Apologies for stating the obvious, but the pandemic changed a lot of things. 

None more so than the business world. What once pulled the strings of our everyday lives, has now been relegated to a small laptop at home. 

While remote working has been a blast for most, it’s been a real drag on others. Some remote workers have been experiencing loneliness, weakened social ties and feelings of isolation. Going into an empty office doesn’t offer much respite from these feelings – unless you enjoy the company of tumbleweeds.

To help prevent these unwanted feelings from getting out of control, anchor days were invented. If you’re wondering what the hell anchor days are, then we’ve got you covered. If you’re pondering whether anchor days even work, then you’re in for a treat as well.

What Are Anchor Days?

Anchor days are when remote employees come into the office on certain mandated days to work together face-to-face with their teams. This can include team meetings, collaborative sessions, training, or even an excuse to socialise and catch up.

They can be weekly, monthly, or quarterly – whatever fits your team or organisation.

Their main goal is to encourage teams to spend time together.

Sounds pretty wholesome, right? But anchor days aren’t just about chumming it up, they actually serve as points of connection, both with each other and the wider organisation. They help create stability in choppy waters, and that includes maintaining relationships and preventing organisational silos from running rampant.

The Problem with Anchor Days

First off, anchor days come with some preconceived notions that just won’t cut it in today’s business world. These usually are: 

• Everyone works in the same geographical location so commuting to the office is no hassle!
• Getting teams into the office on the same day won’t be an issue as everyone has the same schedule – especially those with kids!
• Being face-to-face is guaranteed to improve collaboration.
• It’s a great way to get people who don’t usually work together to socialise.

Of course, expecting everyone to live within commuting distance of the office is not realistic anymore. Also, trying to force everyone into one fixed timetable when many employees are juggling childcare and other personal matters is like trying to herd cats. Albeit far less cute.

Collaboration, on the other hand, is a bit trickier. Putting two people in a room together isn’t a guaranteed recipe for results. Collaboration is built on trusting your team to find their own approach to being creative together. Trying to force it on them is never the answer.

The last assumption is the most forgivable. Working remotely has stopped colleagues who didn’t necessarily work together from casually socialising at the – apologies for the cliché – water cooler. Now if you want to speak to someone you have to set up a very formal online meeting, which is just not the same.

But the problem with anchor days is that they ensure employees will never meet anyone in a team that rotates in on different days. Not the best approach if you want to prevent organisational silos. 

Creating natural opportunities for cross-team interactions won’t be so easy, and leaders will have to step their game up or see their silos deepened.

Are They Worth it?

I haven’t really sold anchor days to you, have I?

But don’t get me wrong, I believe anchor days can aid collaboration and help you create a livelier office culture with remote workers.

With remote work making it almost impossible for new relationships to be developed naturally, we need as many tools as possible to help build and nurture these weakening connections.

While I’d love to give you a definitive answer to whether anchor days are worth it, the answer is a resounding yes and no. Anchor days, by themselves, are not the solution to creating connections in your organisation. They are, however, a key part of it. If they’re handled correctly that is. 

11 Tips for Creating Effective Anchor Days

• Food makes everything better – “Those who eat socially more often feel happier and are more satisfied with life, are more trusting of others, are more engaged with their local communities, and have more friends they can depend on for support.”

• Plan in advance – give people enough notice so they can organise travel or childcare.
• Focus on each other – Encourage people to clear their schedules and not have any meetings with people outside the office. 
• Be transparent – Explain to employees why you want them to go through the hassle of commuting and lay out the benefits you want to reap.
• Get everyone together – Try and get your team in the office the same day as other teams.
• Think about space – Make sure you’ve got a big space to work in so you can also comfortably work together.
• Make it an official process – Put anchor days in your company handbooks, communicate it to new starters and in your recruitment activity and just make sure everyone knows it’s part of the job expectations.
• Get feedback – You don’t want your team to resent anchor days. So make sure you’re constantly adapting them to cater to your team’s needs. 
• Be flexible – Don’t create a rigid agenda for the day. Plan a few activities but mostly let people do their thing.
• Spotlight new starters – Being a new starter in the remote working age can be a lonely experience. Get them in for anchor days and organise some 1-on-1 time with people outside their team. 
• Plan some training – Training, workshops or even coaching are great activities to plan into your anchor days.

Conclusion

Hybrid workplaces work well for individuals – not so much for teams. 

However, anchor days can help. They can be a vital part of your organisation’s efforts to establish more sustainable ways of working in this remote working age. 

But – and this is a big but – they can’t be implemented haphazardly. A lot of thought needs to go into making sure they’re actually useful for your team, not just a waste of time. 

Remember, putting a load of monkeys into a room won’t necessarily mean you’ll get Shakespeare.

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