All About Employee Burnout
Oh burnout. It’s one of the trickiest topics for employers & their employees. Approximately 3 out of 4 American employees reported experiencing workplace burnout in 2020. As employers know, stressed employees lead to high turnover rates, lower quality work, and overall financial loss. Luckily, there is lots employers can do for their employees to keep them happy and healthy.
How to Recognize Employee Burnout
Employee burnout does not only impact the individual employee; it affects the entire company. In fact, burnout can dramatically lower morale in the workplace and create tension among teammates. Employees who are burnt out are more likely to:
call out of work.
struggle to find motivation or stay motivated.
create tension in the workplace.
perform poorly, especially in comparison to previous months.
What Causes Employee Burnout?
Employees may begin to experience burnout if the workplace has become a stressful or exhausting environment. A few common causes of workplace burnout include an excessive workload, poor work/life balance, tension in the workplace, and micromanaging.
In turn, burnout impacts a person’s motivation, energy levels, mood, and overall wellbeing. It can become a very serious issue, leading to problems like depression, substance abuse, and relationship problems. Burnout is often caused by feelings of stress and overwhelm.
How You Can Prevent Employee Burnout?
Taking good care of your business’ employees is the best way to take care of your business. Employees who are happy and healthy will provide your business with the highest quality work. Understanding how vital your employee’s wellbeing is to the success of your business may lead you to wonder just what you should do to care for it. There are many steps you can take to keep your employees happy and healthy, including:
Communication. Ensuring that each employee feels as though their voice matters in your company will prove to be a great way to keep them happy. You can help your employees feel heard by listening to and giving their ideas consideration, showing them appreciation for their hard work, and making sure to focus on the positives in their work before giving them constructive criticism.
Encourage a healthy work/life balance. Set and follow clear boundaries for work hours, break time, time to go home, and time off. Encouraging your employees to have a healthy work/life balance will help reduce stress, improve their mental and physical health, and increase their motivation and drive for their work.
Set attainable goals and expectations. Setting goals for your employees that are too difficult to accomplish will create stress and decrease their motivation. Feelings of accomplishment can increase your employee’s motivation, so creating goals and expectations that employees feel they can reach can prove to be beneficial to everyone.
As employers, we strive to create a healthy, happy, and productive work environment for their employees. If employees are thriving, business will, too. If you’re interested in learning about more ways to support your team’s mental health- please reach out!
