Employee Burnout is often the result of continual workplace stressors which can negatively impact the mental as well as physical health and wellbeing of your employees. Common signs of employee burnout include chronic absenteeism, dip in productivity, behavioral changes in employees including greater irritability and disengagement in previously motivated employees.
Exhaustion, chronic stress, inefficacy, there can be a multitude of reasons behind employee burnout. But with 23% of employees feeling burned out often or always and a 44% feeling burned out sometimes, this is no longer an issue that can be ignored by organizations.
Here are a few ways managers can help avoid employee burnout:
- Monitor the workload of individuals as well as the team
Managers often tend to delegate the lion’s share of work to their best employees. It is important to recognize that they too have their limits and as such, it is important to balance the workload well between the team without overburdening a select few.
- Constructive Feedback
A lack of direction can be quite demotivating and can lead to disengaged and burned out employees. Your employees need to know what they are doing right and their areas of improvement too.
- Encourage Teamwork
Coworker relationships are important not just because teams are often interdependent but also because they can be a great source of emotional support for struggling employees. Team-building activities, shared team goals, and greater collaboration opportunities are all great ways to encourage teamwork.
- Keep reasonable work hours
Work-life balance is not just a catchword but an important consideration when deciding policy or yearly goals. Employees should be encouraged to maintain reasonable work hours and definitely not be penalized for also prioritizing their personal lives.
- Encourage vacations and a chance to unplug
Excess work without any breaks can be a prime reason for employee burnout. Your employees should be allowed a reasonable amount of vacation time each year to give them an opportunity to unplug, refresh and rejuvenate themselves.
- Provide ample tools and resources.
A lack of appropriate tools and resources can make everyday tasks tougher for your employees, leading to frustration and burnout. Ensure that there are ample tools and resources for your employees for them to function at their optimum productivity.
- Workplace flexibility
More and more employees are now looking into job opportunities which allow for some amount of remote work. This could be to cut long commute time or to help with childcare. Whatever the reason be, as long as employee productivity is not impacted, providing workplace flexibility can help with employee burnout.
- Focus on Employee Strengths
Playing to your employee strengths and assigning them related tasks can lead to greater productivity, better results and happier employees.
- Cultivate leadership and management skills
One of the major things that candidates look for are opportunities for career growth. Companies that provide ample growth opportunities and cultivate leadership and management skills tend to have happier and more productive employees.
- Show Appreciation
Appreciating your employees, recognizing their efforts and rewarding them are great ways to encourage and motivate them. When employees feel that their efforts are appreciated, they tend to work harder and smarter to help with the company’s growth.
Most of these are low to no-cost solutions to reduce workplace stress, motivate and engage your employees and make for a healthier workplace environment. With a little planning and foresight, you could implement these suggestions at your workplace and see the change in your employees.
