Employee burnout and how to prevent it
There are many ways to describe 2020. One of those adjectives: exhausting!
Regardless of how the pandemic has affected your business, most people are sharing a collective sense of weariness from months of negative news. Look no further than your employees, who are feeling this morale-sapping “burnout” at worrying rates.
What is employee burnout?
The phrase ‘burnout’ was first used in psychology in 1974 by psychotherapist Herbert Freudenberger in an article entitled ‘Staff Burn-out’. From this article spawned a whole new field of psychological study that focused on the impacts of occupational stress on mental health. Burnout has been described by psychologists metaphorically as ‘a drained battery that can no longer hold its charge.’
Workplace burnout can be caused by unclear job expectations, being over worked, feeling underappreciated, lack of work / life balance and boredom in a role.
A way to respond to a high likelihood of burnout is to ask staff what changes they’d like to see to reduce burnout. We suggest:
- Clearly communicating with employees about performance and expectations
- Being supportive of employees’ work-life balance
- Connecting employees with co-workers to encourage collaboration
- Providing opportunities for employees to complete personal tasks and responsibilities
So, what are some easy to implement examples to avoid employee burnout you can establish in your workplace? When you’re at work there are all kinds of routines, habits, and structure that create a healthy workday, and an enjoyable workplace:
- Use your daily commute to warm up and wind down each day. Enjoy a positive podcast, or mood enhancing music. Avoid listening to the news. It’s the same as yesterday!
- Ensure you set a time to leave work. Unless imperative, most tasks will still be there the next morning.
- Connect with friends at lunchtime. Take time to chat to your colleagues in the kitchen and hallways and check on their wellbeing. Helping others takes your mind off your own worries.
- Get outside and get some sunlight. Take a walk an enjoy some fresh air.
Just because you are okay, does not mean that everyone else is. Everyone’s lives are in different states right now based on a variety of factors depending where they live, who they live with, health challenges, and how their job is affected by the economy.
By taking time to talk about employee burnout, and helping them navigate the challenges unique to each of your team member’s situations, you can prevent or help in reversing work burnout.
At GCBizHub we have created a harmonious work environment to avoid any sort of burnout. Our offices are light and bright, with areas to relax in including our private balcony, Google pod chair as well as our Shiatsu massage chair. Come and see our facilities for yourself.