You’ve probably experienced burnout at least once in your life. Feeling overwhelmed to the point that you struggle to get things done and lack support from those around you. In this fast-paced world, the rise of burnout in the workplace can be easily observed.
Have you ever felt so exhausted by the end of the day that you could hardly move? You may be suffering from burnout if you feel like you’ve been working 80-hour weeks. One of the first signs is feeling physically and emotionally exhausted. According to research, burnout is primarily a job issue, while depression is a whole-life issue that can also affect your job.
The difference between stress and burnout in the workplace is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a syndrome caused by chronic stress at work that has not been addressed successfully. Taking action to reduce employee burnout is imperative for employers before it adversely affects productivity, performance, mental health, and other employee factors. Burnout in the workplace is more a result of how people are managed rather than expectations for hard work.
In April, more than 4 million workers left their jobs, the highest number reported to date by the U.S. Department of Labor. There is a range of psychological stress signs associated with burnout, such as momentary indecision or confusion, fumbling movements, missed tasks, nonstandard verbal responses, loss of situational awareness, and unclear tone of voice.
Gallup discovered in their study that burnt-out employees are 63% more likely to take a sick day and 2.6x more likely to be actively looking for a new job. Therefore, burnout can have a very significant impact on organizations.
Here are five effective ways managers can prevent employee burnout:
1. Listening to employee concerns
Employees need to feel heard and seen. As the manager, you must convey to the employees that problems will be addressed and valued as individuals. You, as a manager, need to give your employees attention, time, and awareness.
Ongoing conversations and frequent employee check-ins are simple yet underused tools. Burnout is less likely to occur for employees whose managers are always willing to listen to their work-related problems. It’s important to make employees aware of why is self advocacy important and how to do it correctly.
2. Teamwork
The best managers create environments that foster teamwork. Success is celebrated as a team, and hardships are overcome together. Managers should strive to build committed, undivided teams. An aligned team is an essential support network.
3. Everyone should have a voice
Open dialogue and asking for employee input can have a positive impact. The more opinions are welcomed, the more employees feel included and eager to take on responsibility for their work and performance. Allowing employees to voice their opinions and ideas promotes a sense of ownership, which minimizes employee burnout, as they feel control over their work rather than being controlled by it. Shared ideas can lead to creative problem-solving and innovative ideas, all of which can positively impact the organization’s success.
4. Always have a purpose
To feel fulfilled in their careers, people need more than just a paycheck. They need to have meaning in what they do. Otherwise, just working for a paycheck will feel like a surreal continuous state of burnout. However, the probability of employee burnout is significantly lessened when employees can connect their purpose with the company’s mission and vision in ways that make them feel passionate about their role. Therefore, it would be best for you as a manager to cultivate a sense of purpose among your employees by demonstrating how each employee’s role contributes to its success.
5. Feedback is key
In contrast to seeing the work as a burden, employees who have the opportunity to use their full potential become more engaged, more effective, and more passionate about creating and performing their best work. Recognize and reward employees regularly for their productive work. Acknowledge the employee’s strengths, praise them, and help them pursue roles and responsibilities that maximize their abilities.
One of the best strategies for beating burnout at work is having a strong emphasis on manager development. In Gallup’s research, direct managers have the most significant impact on employee burnout.
In addition, the report found that 70% of employees feel that their employers are not doing enough to prevent or alleviate burnout in the workplace. When employees are running low on high-performance fuel, so is your organization’s decision-making, customer service, quality control, and innovations. Lingo Live is here to help you empower your managers to be effective leaders and help your company increase employee engagement.
