Remote work has fundamental differences from in-person collaboration. After weeks of working from home, engineering teams are feeling the impact of Zoom fatigue. The dissolution of work-home boundaries leaves many feeling “always on,” leading to burnout. In response, some managers are giving more space and time for employees to recharge. But what happens to those already feeling isolated?

A typical workday has so many agenda-heavy meetings—project kickoffs, internal reviews, town halls—that we tend to see manager/dev 1:1s as casual check-ins.

The socially distanced year of 2020 has unveiled workplace truths and obstacles in endless ways. We’ve ditched the office, discovered new meanings of “work/life balance,” and adjusted business in the time of great uncertainty.

After weeks of shelter-in-place policies, states are developing their transition plans back to (some version of) normal life. Even as certain states attempt to reopen business as usual, swift backlash from public health experts—and the general public—raises concerns about how we safely and successfully enact this next phase.

Shelter-in-place policies quickly—and significantly—changed the way we live and work. Now that our workday has traded cubicles and conference rooms for eight solo hours at the computer, we’re spending more time than ever on screens. It doesn’t help that our after-work activities often involve more screens, from video chat socializing to Netflix. Cue eye strain, sore neck muscles, and a host of other side effects from this sedentary lifestyle.