The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way that the world does business. Whether your team is working remotely or is essential and is still working from the workplace, everyone’s work environment has changed.The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way that the world does business. Whether your team is working remotely or is essential and is still working from the workplace, everyone’s work environment has changed.  

The new demands and changes to your employees’ work environment can bring on more responsibility, a higher demand for multitasking, and is coupled with the stress that the pandemic has brought.  

Working from home has proven more stressful to many than it first appeared. Remote work can often cause blurred lines in your employees’ work-life balance with a digital learning curve for many, never ending virtual meetings, and long hours.

Essential workers that are still in the workplace face their own stresses as well. This is especially true for essential workers in the health care and health science space.  


There are new processes and safety measures in workplaces, but essential workers are constantly faced with the uncertainty that they can contract the COVID-19 virus simply from being at work. This added in with their day-to-day stresses can contribute to a high rate of overwhelmed employees.

“There cannot be a stressful crisis next week. My schedule is already full." — Henry Kissinger

How to Tell if Your Employees Are Feeling Overwhelmed

How well do you know your team? Do you know if they are feeling overwhelmed?

Oftentimes, employees will not recognize if their behaviour has changed. As a leader in your organization, it is your responsibility to watch out for red flags and signs of overwhelmed employees.

Research has shown that employees who attempt to balance too much at once are less productive and do not produce their best work. It is important for the culture of your organization that your employees do not feel overwhelmed and are well equipped to perform their duties. Signs that your employees may be overwhelmed are changes in behaviour such as tardiness, missed deadlines, an increase in errors, or decreased productivity. If you have noticed this in your employees, it may be time to have a conversation with them to understand how they are feeling.  

5 Ways to Help Your Overwhelmed Employees

If you suspect that your employees are feeling overwhelmed, there are a few tools that you can use to help them.

1.      Discuss Priorities

Setting priorities on projects can help to lighten that employee’s workload. Helping your employees free up their schedules by understanding what should be considered a priority and what are “nice to haves” can save time and alleviate the stress of having too many small projects on the go.   

2.      Schedule Check-Ins

Scheduling one-on-one check-ins with your employees can help you to better understand the challenges they are facing and how they are dealing with them. By setting time to meet and check in with your staff, you will have a better understanding of what they are dealing with and how you can help.   

3.      Emphasize Importance of Employee Wellness

Talking about employee wellness and the value placed on it within your organization is important. This can help employees recognize if they are feeling overwhelmed and let them know that there are resources available to them if they need it.  

4.      Schedule Uninterrupted Work

If your employees are feeling that there are too many virtual meetings or other priorities taking away from them doing their work, encourage them to schedule blocks of time in their calendar for uninterrupted work. Setting times marked as busy to get work done can help to reduce stress and focus on priorities.  

5.      Set Limits on Emails

To help promote a better work-life balance, set limits on emails. Encourage employees to only send emails during working hours and avoid sending emails after hours to prevent from working long hours.

"I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once." — Jennifer Yane

These are just a few examples of how you can approach improving your employees’ work experience and help them to feel less overwhelmed. It is important to understand your employees’ needs and what works best for them. 

BluePrint helps early-stage life science firms digitize their businesses and ensure that staff are well trained and engaged to maximize the financial value of their business. Book a consultation today to find out how we can help you create an environment for your employees to thrive.   

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