Burnout is detrimental for several reasons. While most companies focus on productivity losses or reduction in work quality, the harm to employee mental health should also be a major concern. Falling morale and waning motivation can be signs of more serious situations, including the onset of certain mental health or stress-related conditions.
Luckily, companies are in a position to make a big difference. By learning how to prevent burnout, employers become an active part of the solution. Plus, not only will the wellbeing of your workforce improve, so will productivity.
If you want to keep your employees from burning out, here are some helpful tips that you can start using right away.
Tips to Avoid Employee Burnout On Your Team
Embrace Empathy
One of the simplest places to start when you want to prevent or address burnout is empathy. Empathy is the act of putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and examining a situation from their perspective. The idea is that, by understanding their viewpoint, emotions, and opinion, you can make decisions with that context in mind.
Often, organizations struggle with empathy. Many decisions are made on a grander scale, not at the individual employee level. As a result, there can be a significant disconnect as choices aren’t made in accordance with each worker’s needs.
When empathy is part of the equation, it’s easier to envision how decisions and situations impact individuals. At a company level, this can be empowering, as it creates opportunities to intervene and, subsequently, enhance the individual employee experience.
Create Safe Spaces
Many professionals do their best to put on a brave face, even in the midst of burnout. They may worry that letting their feelings be known will harm their reputation or career. As a result, most employees avoid expressing their frustrations.
The trick is, without insights from employees, reducing or eliminating burnout can be practically impossible. That’s why company leaders need to create safe spaces where workers can express their genuine thoughts, feelings, and perspective.
Managers should welcome any feedback about the employee experience. Additionally, they should solicit insights, both on the individual and team level. Ask how workers are doing, and not just on the task level. Find out about their mental and emotional state, as well as whether their professional responsibilities have become overwhelming, frustrating, or burnout-inducing.
Further, make it clear that feedback will be used to improve the current climate. After actively listening to concerns, embrace a solution-oriented mindset. Work with employees to identify pathways for relief. Above all, examine how you can meet their various needs and put plans in place to make it happen.
By working together, you can identify solutions that will enhance the employee experience. Once you do, the company typically experiences gains as well, including rising work quality and productivity.
Ultimately, burnout management takes effort. But based on the results it can provide, it’s worth undertaking.
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If you would like to find out more about how you can reduce burnout in your workforce, the staff at TempStaff can help. Contact us today.
