In a recent Forbes article, burnout was declared to be ‘a worldwide problem’, impacting 63% of the workforce. Burnout, even on a small scale, can considerably harm your productivity and efficiency while also putting employee well-being at risk, meaning that it’s an issue that must be addressed sooner rather than later.
What is burnout?
By definition, “burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.” In the workplace, burnout is the product of being overworked or overburdened. Over time, it can wreak havoc on the quality of work you produce and your employee retention rates.
With that in mind, here are some simple ways in which you can prevent burnout.
Use Software To Free Up Time.
There are many advantages associated with using technology during your business operations. However, the right software can also reduce burnout by automating tasks that would otherwise be time-consuming or laborious. For example, you could use HR software to assist when it comes to managing employee timetables, holidays, and working hours. This way, this data does not have to be inputted manually. You can find out more about HR Software and get answers to your questions, such as How does HR software work? on the Peninsula website.
Hiring more staff.
If your employees are showing signs of burnout, this could be a clear indicator that it is time to hire more staff. After all, it makes sense for your team to grow alongside your customer base – otherwise, burnout will become a common fixture in your office. For example, having more staff to hand can make your home-based business more efficent as customers receive responses to their queries at a much quicker rate, improving their satisfaction level.
Promote a healthy work-life balance.
By now, you are probably well aware of just how important it is to ensure your days contain a healthy balance of ‘life’ and work. However, for the sake of yourself and your employees, it’s important you view a work-life balance as a reality, as opposed to a fable. You should always encourage employees to value their health and wellness above all else, even if this means they turn in a project a little later than planned. Where possible, discourage employees from taking work home with them. In many cases, leading by example can do wonders when ensuring every member of the team has a healthy work-life balance, if they see you working late each night, they may feel obligated to do the same.
Set up an employee wellness program.
Putting together an employee wellness program is a great way to ensure that your employees are well-cared for. For example, you should curate a list of well-being resources that they can look over should they feel they need extra assistance. If possible, you should also find ways to bring wellness into the workplace. For example, some offices host yoga or exercise classes during breaks, which are said to be a great way to reduce stress and anxiety in the workplace.
