Some of the Best Ways to Prevent Workplace Burnout

Workplace burnout is a genuine mental health concern, where employees are left on their own devices to manage the stress and very demanding work environment. It can affect their productivity and motivation. Sadly, work burnout is sometimes overlooked because of the other stressors that need managing, both internal and external. But the more you overwork your employees, the more stressed out they might feel. That’s why it’s necessary to exercise preventive measures as a manager to avoid burnout in the workplace. Employees who are experiencing this problem are 2.6 times as likely to seek another job actively.

There are many ways you can prevent employee burnout. Some of them are easy to implement, while others will need some changes in the policy or an overhaul in the various aspects of the work environment. Here are some of the tips you can follow to improve your workplace setting.

Provide Flexibility with Schedules

One way to prevent employee burnout is by providing a more flexible work environment. One good example is allowing them to leave an hour early, especially if they have been doing their tasks and solving problems the whole day. You can even adjust the start and end of their shifts to accommodate their personal family time, like when they have a dentist appointment before work or after.  You can also allow an extended day off, so they don’t need to think about work on vacation. The little things create a significant impact on them, which can motivate them even more.

Improve Managing Techniques

As a manager or supervisor, you should always see if your techniques are working. About 57% of employees reported that they had left their jobs due to their managers, and about 32% considered leaving their jobs because of their bosses. Some of these managers lack empathy, professionalism, and respect. So one way you could improve these is to make sure that you are consistent with your expectations. Also, don’t leave them a sense of unpredictability because it can cause chaos at work.

Listen to your employees and take their issues seriously. One way to improve yourself is by allowing your employees to speak out. Of course, active listening takes practise, but that’s one skill every leader should have. 

On-Going Training is Key

Inadequate training and lack of resources is one main reason why there’s stress in the workplace. You can’t expect all of your employees to finish their tasks efficiently when they had improper training. In addition, limited support can cause mistakes, which is how problems begin. So at the beginning of their onboarding process, you need to remove these stressors as soon as possible by providing them with ample training. You can start by reviewing your onboarding process and materials if these are enough for the employees to use in the field.

You should also encourage new hires to ask questions. You might learn a thing or two on how to improve the training process in the future.