Burnout is a word many have heard lately either in the news or within their workplaces. Burnout can cause employees to become disengaged, cynical, more likely to miss work, or even quit. It takes a significant toll on a person’s mental and physical health, and some industries are more likely to experience the feeling of “burnout” than others. Around 2 out of 3 full-time employees say they have felt burnout in their careers.
What is Burnout?
Burnout is an emotional overload from a workplace that can cause the symptoms of extreme physical and emotional exhaustion. The WHO (World Health Organization) describes burnout as a result of “chronic workplace stress.”
Symptoms of burnout in the workplace include:
- Stress and anxiety
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Loss of Motivation
- Feeling a Lack of Control Over One’s Work
Employers recognize that burnout can take a very negative toll on their company and the attitude of a team. Symptoms of burnout can take weeks and even years for someone to recover fully from, so it is essential to try and prevent it as much as possible.
If you are worried about the possibility of burnout amongst your employees, here are some tips to help you prevent burnout in your workplace:
Communicate With Employees
Creating a support system for employees can drastically reduce employee burnout. One of the most crucial and first steps to take, if you have not begun to foster an environment to minimize burnout, is to have frequent check-ins with your team members. Schedule meetings regularly with your employees and see how they are doing. In these meetings, you can address workload concerns and offer assistance if anyone does report feeling overwhelmed or exhausted. One of the symptoms of burnout, “feeling a lack of control” over one’s work environment, can be addressed in check-ins, and solutions can be found to combat any emotional distress that may be occurring.
Help Employees Set Boundaries
Often, people don’t even realize that they are burning the candle at both ends. We are in a society that has numerous stressors, and sometimes work can be a place to distract. Help your employees by setting up good boundaries for themselves in the workplace. You can approach this concept in many ways. Still, some easily approachable suggestions are encouraging them to take their vacation days, letting them know it is okay to be disconnected from work after work hours, and encouraging them not to work excessive overtime. When employees feel they can step away from work when appropriate, it will help reduce stress and anxiety.
Keep Employees Engaged
Planning and executing fun and enjoyable activities for employees to enjoy in the workplace is an excellent way to reduce stress. Scheduling quarterly outings, weekly lunches, and encouraging mentor relationships are all some diverting and unique ways to build connections amongst employees. By implementing more monotony breakers in the workplace, you help employees to disconnect from their workload and help reduce stress. Engaging employees and building team morale helps employees with communication, creating happier employees who are less likely to develop burnout.
By encouraging employees to connect with their peers, offering workplace distractions, and helping them set healthy boundaries, you are leading an environment that will reduce burnout. Fewer workplace stresses will mean happier employees who are satisfied with their careers and increased job satisfaction.