Employee Burnout is REAL!

3 Ways Caring Employers can Reduce Burnout Amongst Staff

I had a conversation with a client last week and asked how everything was going in the company. He reported to me that everything was fine, productivity was up and everyone was adapting to the new ways of working.

A few days later, I reached out to a couple of the staff members and asked the same question. They both said, how stressed they were, how trying to balance work, home life and homeschooling was stretching them to the point of burn out.

Same question.... two different responses.

Employers....Your staff will NOT always tell you that they feel stressed or burnout, worried or frustrated. This does not mean that they are NOT burnt out.

Burnout and stress have increased to the point where the World Health Organization has officially recognized it as an occupational phenomenon!

Gallup surveyed more than 7,500 full-time employees about burnout.  23 percent of those workers said they felt burned out more often than not.  An additional 44 percent reported feeling burned out sometimes.  To put that into context, nearly two-thirds of full-time workers are dealing with burnout at some point while at work. 

Having delivered a number of training solutions for companies that want to support the growth and development of their team, a number of issues arose and I want to share 3 of them here with you.

1.Reinforce job roles and expectations

COVID has completely destroyed what ‘normal’ worklife ever was. Before COVID, employees and workers knew what was expected of them since then, roles have evolved, changed and have been depleted. The boundaries of expectations have been blurred. The lack of clarity can cause some employees to overwork in fear of losing their job or they feel a lack of control over their future.

2.Ensure that staff have clear boundaries set between work, family and play

Have set times when work begins and when work ends. It’s also common practice to ensure that lunch breaks are maintained. It's all too easy for employees to work continuously when they are in the comfort of their own home and not realise that it starts to have an emotional impact on their health.

3.Measure team wellness and actively encourage self-care 

Take it one step further and ask staff to share once a week what they did to put ‘themselves’ first. Create huddle sessions on a weekly basis, probably on a Friday and ask people to share their self-care activities. Try asking staff to score their wellness between 1-5 (one being the lowest) on how they are feeling.

Jump on a 15min assessment call with me here  https://michelle-raymond.youcanbook.me