Protecting Your Workforce from Dangers of Burnout

There’s a delicate balance faced by many leadership personnel and ambitious employees transfixed on productivity. The truth is, less isn’t more — as poetic as it sounds. Whether B2B or B2C, market expectations are through the roof, and there’s plenty of impetus for pushing personal limits to well-past exhaustion. In some workplaces, this diligence and endurance are highly lauded and lionized.

Yes, those organizations would claim they value their employees’ quality of life. However, when push comes to shove, it’s all about squeezing every last drop of productivity from each individual. Even at its most functional level, the above notion is dangerous for any organization and not conducive to long-term positives. More specifically, it virtually guarantees a burned-out workforce.

What exactly is Employee Burnout?

Burnout may be accompanied by a variety of mental and physical health symptoms. If left unaddressed, burnout can make it difficult for an individual to function well in their daily life. It’s as dangerous as it sounds and doesn’t only affect employee productivity but also his well-being.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), unmanaged chronic workplace stress results in burnout. Plus, the American Psychological Association (APA) cites that companies without a framework to combat burnout are subject to the following pitfalls:

- Increased turnover

- Hindered productivity

- Skyrocketing healthcare costs

There’s a takeaway from the APA’s explanation: burnout rests on the lap of employers, as further discussed by the Harvard Business Review. Trying to solve the problem on an individual basis means you’re ignoring the big picture. Neutralizing this issue is comes down to culture — meaning it rests in leaderships’ hands. Most important is a given workforce’s well-being. Subjecting your team to burnout leaves its members vulnerable to many health problems. It causes insomnia, depression, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other adverse health outcomes.

What Leads to Burnout?

The previous section discussed on a broader level what causes employee burnout — but the devil is in the details. As such, here is a list of the top causes of burnout, according to a Gallup survey :

1. Unfair treatment at work — employees who feel mistreated at work are 2 to 3 times more likely to experience a high level of burnout than their colleagues.

2. Unmanageable workload — even the most optimistic ones will feel hopeless when there is just way too much to do.

4. Lack of communication and support from their manager — employees strongly supported by their managers are 70% less likely to experience burnout regularly.

5. Unreasonable time pressure — employees who say they have enough time to do their work are 70% less likely to experience burnout.

3. Lack of role clarity — 40% of the workers admit that they got no clue what the expectations are towards them and their role. It may cause exhaustion simply because of the struggle with figuring out what they are supposed to be doing.

As you can see, everything comes down to pushing your employees too far or manage them in the wrong way. Now, it’s critical to examine company-wide burnout prevention methods and philosophies:

How to Prevent Burnout:

Establish Reasonable Goals

Carla Manly is a Ph.D. who points out that employees become overwhelmed or disengaged without reasonable corporate or individual goals. Give employees a pathway to success and self-worth with attainable goals. Beyond that, acknowledge

those accomplishments with anything from a pat on the back to a full-on celebration. These small — but thoughtful — efforts help prevent burnout, according to Manly.

Designate One Day with No Meetings

When employees have a day with no meetings scheduled, they can catch up on their to-dos. This tiny implementation can vastly reduce stress levels and help improve your team’s focus and attention to all projects.

Trust Your Team

One way to make employees feel mistreated (a damaging catalyst to burnout) is through micromanagement. Today’s era of workplace culture has placed culture on a pedestal. Unfortunately, many companies forget about it and proceed to invigilate their employees daily. Trust your team to do their job, and they’ll remain fresh and energized. Otherwise, it may lead to trauma.

Soothe “Time-Off” Guilt

Conscientious employees have a hard time turning off, even if they need to for their own sake. Thus, when they have a few days to relax, they feel guilty and don’t recharge. Establish that time off is essential to productivity and support your team when they need breaks — even if it’s just for an afternoon.

Use EmployPlan

One of the many features that EmployPlan provides is a skill tracking tool. It helps you easily distinguish if the employee is doing what he’s passionate about, or maybe he’s stuck in a nightmare. Early detection of this “occupational phenomenon” may neutralize the risk of burnout and prevent employees from suffering.

Combatting workplace burnout should be at the top of your priority list. Follow these tips, and you’ll be well on your way there.