Employee Says Having A Remote Job Is Like Working With Cyberbullies Who Treat You Like An AI Bot
Working remotely is seriously impacting her mental health.
Prostock-studio / Shutterstock Ever since the pandemic, working remotely has majorly increased in popularity. When given the opportunity, many people would choose to cut their commute completely and work from the comfort of their own homes.
One woman, however, does not feel this way at all and expressed an immense amount of anxiety about her remote job.
One employee shared what she believes to be the difficult truth about working remotely.
Ciara Ruffalo, whose TikTok bio proudly proclaims, “I hate the nine-to-five life,” made a video in which she discussed the reasons she doesn't like working remotely.
“The best way I can describe working remote is, like, working with cyberbullies who treat you like an AI bot,” she said.
Ruffalo went on to describe how stressful remote work can be, explaining that because you're behind a screen your co-workers "don’t actually care about you." As a result, "they ask you to do tasks all day, and they want it done within the snap of a finger, and if it’s not, they’re going to constantly bug you until it is,” she said.
“And then they’re going to tell your superiors that you’re not doing anything because you can’t get 20 million tasks done in a matter of two minutes,” she added.
Ruffalo said that, when working from home, she felt like she had to be working every single minute of the day. “If you leave your desk to go grab something you’re going to feel anxious just because ... if you’re not actively working at your computer then you’re feeling like you’re unproductive and you’re going to get in trouble.”
She did admit that working from home is preferable to working in an office, but that it gets more hype than it deserves. “Obviously, disclaimer, I would rather be home than working in an office, but I’m just saying this is not all it’s cracked up to be,” she stated.
There is an emotional downside to working remotely.
The Integrated Benefits Institute recently analyzed the impact of the pandemic on mental health. They found that “fully remote (40%) and hybrid work (38%) is associated with an increased likelihood of anxiety and depression symptoms compared to in-person (35%).”
This follows what Ruffalo expressed in her TikTok. “I am just so anxious every day, and this is really taking a toll on my mental health, and that’s just not fun,” she explained.
Ruffalo is far from the only person who feels this way about remote work.
Other TikTok users who commented on Ruffalo's video agreed with her feelings on working remotely. “I’m stuck in fight or flight all the time,” one user wrote.
“I go into the office four days a week now [because] I cannot handle the anxiety of being perceived as not working if I am working from home,” another person shared.
A third user commented that it had become too much for them. “I feel this way right now and I’m [going to] put in my two weeks on Monday,” they stated.
While there are benefits to working from home, like increased flexibility and more time to devote to productive pursuits, for some people, the pros do not outweigh the cons.
Everyone has their own opinion on the best environment to work in, and for some working from home isn’t a good option — just like working from the office isn’t for others.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.