Do you often find your employees struggling with Monday blues, losing motivation mid-week or working only for a paycheck? Well, all of these could be serious alarming signs of burnout- a combination of physical and psychological exhaustion that occurs due to unmanageable work pressure and consistent stress.
But, how exactly employee burnout appear at the workplace, and should leaders be worried about the same? To help you find the answers, in this article we will discuss what is the employee burnout along with the top 6 effective strategies that will address, resolve, and prevent the issue.
What is Employee Burnout?
Just as the name suggests, employee burnout is a state of complete exhaustion that leaves the worker of any organization unproductive, anxious and unhappy. Common signs of burnout include:
- Depression
- High irritability
- Cynicism
- Sickness or errors associated with assigned tasks
While companies often overlook the signs of burnout at an early stage but if not addressed effectively, this can have a lethal impact on the overall growth and development of the company.
So, the question that arises now is- how to tackle employee burnout and reinforce positive workplace culture.
Tackling Employee Burnout at the Workplace
1. It all begins with a perfect balanceAny organization would want their employee to be high-performing, motivated and self-driven individuals, right? However, the truth is that a large part of this is influenced by the values of the organization. Think about it, if employees are more enthusiastic about the difference that they are making, and the efforts that create significant changes, the less will be their chances of experiencing burnout.
To achieve this, begin with a good act of balance, where every employee receives equal attention and is backed by a competent manager who can help them in the event of a crisis. This can boost employee morale and confidence while reducing pressure to a dramatic extent. Further, with this, you are able to build trust among the employee and the employers.
2. Be open to discussionsThe moment you notice that employees are not able to be themselves or something seems wrong- a sudden change in performance or attitude, take the initiative to discuss things.
You can discuss what has been bothering them or try to get clarity on the issues that they have been suffering from. Once they start to open up, take the responsibility to assist them in solving the problem. With this, you easily decrease the rate of employee burnout and ensure their mental health isn't degraded or ignored at the workplace.
3. Give optimal scope of autonomyOne of the main reasons why employees fall into the trap of burnout is that they feel like they have lost all control over their work. Now, this can be avoided by introducing autonomy. Provide employees with the control to choose their work, along with a maximum amount of time that can be taken for its completion.
Let's say, there is a project that the company can afford to complete within a period of 7 days then let the employees who specialize in the particular department decide who would be a suitable choice for the same. This improves employee engagement. But remember, autonomy is a tricky process that demands robust planning to benefit both the organization and the employees.
4. Show appreciation for every milestoneIt's no surprise that work can be tiresome at times. Your employees might get drained or frustrated by heavy loads of work now and then. In such a scenario, the one thing that saves the day is the appreciation for work that has been properly executed. Thanks to this, employees feel valued and recognize that their hard work did pay off extremely well.
You can show employee appreciation using different methods such as providing exclusive food coupons, paid time leave or more that will make all those hours of work worthwhile.
5. Bust excessive stress innovativelyWho said stress and work should go hand-in-hand? Even though unprecedented stress has become an inevitable aspect of an organization but that doesn't necessarily mean you can't manage it.
Reduce those high amounts of stress using practical and innovative approaches, including:- Provide a more concise objective or goal to employees about their duties and responsibilities for much-needed clarity.
- Let employees enjoy a break in-between cumbersome work hours to get some fresh air.
- Ensure that your employees get adequate training through a professional and reputable corporate team building company in Gurgaon.
- Handle emotional and mental health problems using specialized programs that are designed to tackle them.
6. Always take one step at a timeAt the workplace, employees have to manage the immense pressure of multitasking. Here, as a leader, you shouldn't overwhelm the workers with a zillion of tasks at the same time. And, if in any case, you find they are full, try to segregate the work and always be mindful about the tasks that are on top priority.
The idea is to set realistic targets, and then take one step at a time to make the entire process of working as efficient and comfortable as it can be.
Bottom LineBurnout has been plaguing organizations across the globe. Fortunately, Team Builders India is here for the rescue. Adopt simple, result-oriented and employee-centric preventative measures for burnout using our best team building programs in Gurgaon can help in creating a fulfilling, sustainable and healthy work environment.