At the end of the day, most hardworking employees are tired, but those in a healthy state of mind return feeling refreshed in the morning. Unfortunately, everyone doesn’t bounce back so quickly.
Burnout is real and it can happen at any workplace. There are a myriad of side effects associated with this condition, including decreased productivity, conflicts with co-workers, low levels of job satisfaction, increased absenteeism and turnover.
It’s much easier to stop burnout from happening than to bring an impacted employee back from the brink. Use these four strategies to prevent this condition from infiltrating your workforce.
Create a Supportive Culture
A cutthroat work environment might produce results for a while, but it’s a breeding ground for burnout. When the heat is turned up too high on employees, they feel a tremendous amount of pressure to push themselves to unhealthy levels. Help employees develop a healthy approach to work by creating a culture built on teamwork and understanding. Encourage people to help one another and let their manager know when there’s too much on their plate.
Ban Work During Off-Hours
Some employees happily head home at quitting time and don’t think about work until the next day, but others will push themselves to the core if you allow it. Help overachievers avoid burnout by requiring everyone to leave the office by a certain time each evening. Take it a step further by barring people from sending work emails during off-hours, effectively forcing them to focus on something non-job-related. Of course, during busy periods you may have to temporarily lift the ban, but reinstate it as quickly as possible.
Allot Time for Creative Projects
Opening up the creative part of the mind is a great way to combat stress. Fight burnout by allotting your staff a few hours per month to work on passion projects. Allow employees to use this time to take on ventures relevant to their jobs that fall outside their standard responsibilities. Trying something new helps people feel inspired and there’s a good chance the finished product can be put to work at your company.
Volunteer as a Team
Close up shop for the day — or a few hours — and volunteer together as a team. Poll employees to choose a local organization they want to help and opt for the one with the most votes. Taking time to give back to those in need feels amazing and it allows people to put things in perspective. Volunteering as a team is special, because it’s a fantastic experience employees get to have together. Try to do this as much as possible, as it will help people bond, while simultaneously reducing stress.
Searching for motivated new hires in the Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan region? Wood Staffing can help you find bright, enthusiastic professionals excited to be part of your team. Contact us today to discuss your needs!
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