Out of a group of 500 people surveyed by Quest, 57% said they felt tense but were still able to manage. Another 10% said they worried a lot or felt like they were “running on empty.” In a comparative survey in April 2020, only 3% said they were running low on energy.

Less than a quarter of respondents in 2021 said they felt strong and in shape, compared to 42% in 2020.

Women appeared to be more affected with 14% saying they felt like they were “running on empty” compared to just 5% of men, possibly a sign that they are shouldering a greater burden in the running of the home.

Younger employees under the age of 30 also felt more affected.

Nearly half of respondents said they felt colleagues had withdrawn or were isolated, 42% agreed that boundaries between work and private life were becoming blurred, with 40% also saying their workload had increased. This number was markedly higher among women (47%) than men (33%).

A third of respondents said they believe working from home has led to productivity gains, but one in five said they remained sceptical this was actually the case without seeing any hard evidence to prove it. Another 19% said more efficient workflows were being confused with productivity gains. For 12% productivity gains were true initially but have eroded over time.

While 42% of respondents said the crisis had forced their company to adapt and develops solutions and products important for the future, around a third also said that internal culture and values had declined.

Respondents reported unequal and unfair distribution of workloads, concentration and productivity issues, loss of engagement and involvement, job insecurity and bad communication from management among “critical phenomena” they have observed.

The most commonly cited leadership challenges post-pandemic were accepting more flexible working patterns, adapting to new attitudes and mindsets and recreating internal office culture.