After the pandemic disruption of the past 1.5 years, remote working is starting to become a mainstream way for small and medium businesses, even corporations. When it comes to the mental challenges of remote working, imposter syndrome is usually ranked top 5 on the list.
We believe that imposter syndrome is going to reflect differently on people working remotely when compared to their counterparts working in offices. Today we’re going to share everything you need to know about imposter syndrome and how to mitigate imposter syndrome while working from home.
Imposter Syndrome in a Remote Working Environment
According to a study undertaken by the productivity tool Asana, imposter syndrome has been experienced by 69% of individuals. What’s most interesting about the results of this study is that 45% of people state that working in a remote environment has caused this to worsen. While there are many advantages of working from home, the lack of social interaction and positive reinforcement for work achievements makes this a huge challenge in the remote working environment.
Kelifern Pomeranz, who previously worked at Stanford’s Mental Health Clinic, states that between 70% and 82% of people experience imposter syndrome at some point in their career. Due to working remotely, the percentage is very likely to increase.
How to Mitigate Imposter Syndrome While Working From Home
The good news is that there are certain tools and techniques to mitigate imposter syndrome while working remotely. These are the easiest ways to overcome this issue and start rebuilding your confidence when working from home.
1. Retain Social Interaction With Your Colleagues
One of the reasons many of us find ourselves feeling increasingly anxious working from home is that we are isolated from our work colleagues and we have reduced visibility. This can quickly lead to people underestimating their abilities in the workplace. However, you can always:
Try to keep active in any communication channels, like Slack or WhatsApp. Bravely share visibility of your small achievement to the wider group, and shout out for others' achievements that you know from 1:1 conversations.
Some companies even set up water cooler chat channels where people can share their cute pet pictures. This can help you enjoy more casual interactions that will foster trusting relationships. The next time you are struggling with a project, you’ll feel more confident about approaching someone for help.
Proactively invite your peers to a happy hour game session, and promote ice-breaker games like Jackbox to make the team feel closer to each other.
2. Focus on Your Work/Life Balance
There’s no denying that the idea of a work-life balance has gone out the window for many remote workers.
One of the reasons for needing to mitigate imposter syndrome while working remotely is that we are stuck overthinking about work 24 hours a day. Find a work schedule that works best for you, and try to be realistic about how much you can achieve in a day.
Stop overthinking everything you need to do, and if you find yourself unable to fit everything into your contracted working hours, speak up to your manager about your heavy workload.
3. Don’t Overthink Communication Online
We all know that communicating online is very different from chatting in real life, so try to avoid overthinking someone’s tone of voice on a video call or a text message. If you are unsure about what someone means, simply ask them for clarification. This is often the root cause of overthinking and imposter syndrome but is often simply a case of misunderstanding.
4. Use Boardit for Improved Communication
If you are looking for a way to improve your communication with your team and bring more transparency to conversations between peers and management, use Boardit. It's way easier to explain ideas and ignite conversations through time-approved whiteboarding, and you’ll find that there’s less insecurity about your own capabilities due to imposter syndrome. It’s the ideal tool for businesses operating in any type of industry, and you’ll find that Boardit is a great way for both you and your team to mitigate imposter syndrome while working from home.
By following these top tips listed above, you can start to take control of your thoughts and reduce your feelings of anxiety and imposter syndrome when working from home.
Imposter syndrome is something that we are all likely to go through at some stage in our lives, but by equipping yourself with the tools you need to overcome it, you’ll find that you become more confident in your abilities once again.