WFH Increasing Levels of Phone Anxiety in Health Workers
Anxiety disorders are unfortunately common for people of all ages. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America estimates that around 6.8 million adults suffer from a generalized anxiety disorder. These issues can cause all kinds of issues and a lot of different factors can lead to anxiety problems.
You might not think about talking on the phone as something that would be heavily affected by an anxiety disorder. However, growing evidence is showing that this is becoming a problem for many workers. The issues have become more common among people working from home. Even people in the healthcare sector have been affected by this issue.
Healthcare Workers Experience Phone Anxiety While Working from Home
Nearly a third of health workers who have worked from home in the past 12 months say it has increased their levels of anxiety when dealing with phone calls.
And 60% of those say their anxiety has been so crippling it’s stopped them from answering work calls.
These are just some of the findings in a new study commissioned by telephone answering provider Face For Business.
The study was conducted independently surveying 250 office based health workers.
Like in many industries, working from home has become more prominent in the health sector.
But it seems that many of those now working remotely at least part of the time have been left feeling isolated and lacking support when it comes to dealing with calls, according to Face For Business’ research.
And this increasing phone anxiety (a fear of dealing with phone calls) is not an issue restricted to just younger workers.
While just over a quarter of 18-34 year old health workers say their level of phone anxiety has increased since switching to more remote working, around the same proportion of 35-54 year olds say the same.
Why is WFH increasing phone anxiety?
Most health workers who have experienced increased levels of phone anxiety in the last year due to working from home, say the lack of immediate support is the main reason for their increased fear. Unfortunately, it is difficult to get help for anxiety issues.
Others say they are more afraid of dealing with a confrontational caller when at home, while nerves about not being able to help a caller or pass them onto a relevant team member are higher among staff working from home.
Commenting on the results of the survey, Andy MacGregor, managing director at Face For Business, said:
“It’s clear from our research that there’s a significant proportion of health workers who are experiencing higher levels of phone anxiety because they’re working from home and are lacking any immediate support.
“Working from home has become normal for many employees, but while it does have its benefits, it may require providing additional support and resources to help employees feel more secure in their work, especially in an environment where it’s easier for them to feel isolated.”
Health Workers Must Deal with Anxiety Issues
A lot of issues can lead to anxiety problems. Health workers are starting to experience anxiety as a result of working from home. One of the problems has been that it has caused people to have trouble answering phone calls for work. They should seriously consider taking the steps to get the help they need, so it doesn’t create issues in their daily lives.
