MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Managing Stress and Emotions When Working Remotely

Eight practical tips for a new-for-many mode of work.

As COVID-19 continues to spread around the globe, more and more of us are starting to make changes to the way we work. Google, Microsoft, Trader Joe’s, Gap, and United Airlines are among a growing number of U.S. companies that have already acted to address their workers’ most immediate employment concerns stemming from the pandemic, including recommending or requiring employees to work from home, offering more paid sick leave, or maintaining wages in spite of reduced hours.

We’ve spent the past four years studying the science of emotions and their intersection with our lives at work. In our research, we’ve spoken to thousands of remote workers around the world, and from these conversations — and our own personal remote work experiences — we can attest that feeling isolated is common when working from home. Living with uncertainty in the face of a pandemic makes the current situation even more stressful. Here, we’ve pulled together our top tips for both tackling the challenges of remote work and managing stress and difficult emotions.

About the Author

Liz Fosslien is head of content at Humu, a company that nudges people toward better work habits. Mollie West Duffy is an organizational development expert and consultant. They are the authors of the book No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram.

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