Understanding and Preventing Employee Burnout

The World Health Organization defines burnout as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”. Although it’s not classified as a medical phenomenon, burnouts need to be taken more seriously by employees and more importantly, their employers. As the boss, you must ensure that your employees work in a comfortable environment to produce their best work as well as maintain good mental health. 

If you’re wondering how to go about this, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to find out more.

Indications of Employee Burnout

Burnout can happen due to many reasons. Some of the common ways to spot an employee who’s suffering from burnout include low energy, pessimistic attitude towards work and the workplace, anger issues and irritability, cynicism, difficulty in concentrating, lack of interest, and reduced productivity.

Causes Behind Employee Burnout

A survey of employees indicated that 75% of workers experienced burnout. Employers must be aware of the root causes of why their employees have to go through such stress at work.

These are the reasons why your employee might be experiencing burnouts:

1. Work pressure 

Burdening your employees with more workload than they’re capable of handling can cause intense stress. Overworking your employees to meet deadlines can lead to frustration and poor mental health.

2. Poor Workplace Culture

When co-workers aren’t supportive or understanding, employees may feel dejected and let down. Consistently being around people who have low morale can lead to employee burnout. 

3. Lack of Work-Life Balance

Employees need to set boundaries between their work life and their personal life. The intermixing of these two often leads to chaos in both spheres and ultimately, burnout.

Tackling Employee Burnout

A study revealed that 36% of employees felt that their company didn’t do anything to help out with employee burnout. As an employer, these are some of the steps that you can take to prevent your employees from suffering from burnout:

1. Communicate 

Talk to your employees when you notice any signs of mental distress or burnout. Let them know that you’re empathetic of what they’re going through and discuss what problems they’re facing at work. Do your best to help them sort out these issues and follow up consistently.

2. Flexible Work Schedule

Let your employees take breaks when they don’t feel like working. In fact, they can be more productive when they can be flexible with their work, thereby producing good results for the organization without jeopardizing their mental well-being.

3. Show Your Appreciation

Appreciate your employees’ efforts. This can greatly help boost morale as well as their enthusiasm to work.

Conclusion

The best way to tackle a burnout situation is to prevent it. As the employer, it is your responsibility to make sure that the workplace is a safe and comfortable space for your employees. You mustn’t overload your employees with work, especially during times of poor mental well-being. We hope this article has given you more clarity on how to deal with burnouts!