Have you noticed that you have been dreaming about work more often while working from home? If so, you are not alone and interestingly it seems that people are dreaming a lot about the office during the pandemic and this could be for a few different reasons.
A Survey
This was something which was recently researched by banner printing specialists instantprint, who surveyed 1,000 UK office workers who have switched to WFH during the pandemic about their workplaces dreams (and nightmares!). The study revealed that as many as 4 in 5 of people had dreamed about work since March with more than half stating that they were dreaming about work more often and as many as 75% stating that they have had workplace nightmares.
Dream Themes
So, what kind of dreams have people been having? Here are what the results found:
- 17% being unprepared for a task
- 17% just a regular day at the office
- 15% getting lost at work
- 11% getting trapped at work
- 11% showing up late for work
- 10% being unfairly fired
- 6% getting a huge pay rise
People Are Anxious About Employment
It is interesting that people are dreaming more about the workplace while working from home during the pandemic, but it actually makes a lot of sense once you begin to scratch beneath the surface. Obviously, the pandemic has changed how people feel about their employment and people are more likely to be anxious about losing their job with so many people being furloughed, unemployment on the rise, and businesses closing.
On top of this, people may have anxiety about returning to the workplace as many people will be going back into the office soon which could cause some stress and anxiety, especially while the threat of the virus remains.
The Switch to WFH
In addition to this, the switch to a WFH environment could also be contributing to the rise in workplace-based dreams by making it harder to separate your home and work life. Dr. Sarah Jane Daly, a senior lecturer in social psychology at the University of Huddersfield explained:
“For many of us, Covid-19 has brought work into our personal spaces. We think of home as a place where we can relax and shut out work-day stresses and strains. The fact that many people work from home now, means that our homes have become literal places of work. Kitchen tables, coffee tables, beds, sofas – all places that were once stress-free are now sites of work-production. Getting away from work has never been so difficult.”
It is interesting to see that so many people are dreaming about work during the pandemic and it is clear that work and employment is something that is on people’s minds right now which is perfectly understandable.
