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8 Simple Ways to Prevent Employee Burnout

According to a study by Gallup, 23% of workers have experienced burnout in the workplace at one point. That means almost a quarter of your colleagues have experienced periods where they are not performing at their best and are at an increased risk of health issues such as diabetes, heart disease and poor mental health.

Here are seven simple ways to prevent employee burnout.

Check-in With Your Team

If you’ve noticed signs of burnout, it’s important to reach out and ask how they are feeling, if they feel overwhelmed with workload and if they need support.

It’s important to keep regular contact with 1-2-1’s or informal conversations so you get to know your employees and are able to notice changes in energy.

This is especially important during the covid-19 pandemic where lots of people are working remotely and it is harder to spot changes. When employees are working from home its important to establish structured check-ins. This can include weekly meetings, one-on-one calls, and daily work reports. It’s important that this is done regularly to give employees a sense of normalcy.

Provide a Comfortable Working Space

Your office environment has a massive impact on your employee’s physical and mental well-being. Fortunately, there are several cost-effective ways to enhance your workplace.

For one, freshening things up with paint can make a bigger difference than you think. For instance, white walls reflect light and make office spaces feel bright and airy.

To improve your employee’s moods and enhance the overall air quality, you might want to add plants. You can also have a flexible workspace if you have the means, such as standing desks and sofa seating areas. This allows your employees to spend some time away from their desks and enhance their productivity.

Meanwhile, remote employees can make their home office more comfortable by getting a standing desk, ultra-comfy chair with back support, and an anti-fatigue mat. If they’re using a laptop, then they should also consider investing in an external mouse and keyboard.

Promote Work-life Balance

Without the right safeguards in place, employees can fall into the trap of over-working to complete tasks on time.

One simple way to help promote work life balance is to make sure employees are taking regular breaks and holidays. And don’t forget senior leadership! It’s especially important that senior titles are taking regular breaks, not just for their own wellbeing, but to create a culture where everybody feels encouraged to do the same.

For remote employees, it is easy to blur the lines between work life and personal life. Hence, it is imperative to have a separate workspace so you can:

Avoid distractions while working
Draw the line between family time and work

Aside from having a dedicated workspace, it’s important to have an established communication process with team members to make sure you are able to manage your work day effectively.

Introduce an Incentives Program

Who doesn’t love a little extra?

Whilst many employees are working from home, it’s important that benefits and rewards reflect the new work situation. Ask your employees what it is they would like and adjust as necessary.

When it comes to recognition, one way to recognise employees while remote working would be sending remote weekly emails to give shout-outs, and offering digital rewards (like gift cards on Amazon).

Break Up Your Calendar With Fun Activities

Creating an environment that’s all work and no play increases the chance of employee burnout.

That’s why you need to ensure that your company is filled with fun activities penciled throughout the year. This doesn’t have to be huge- but it should break the monotony of the work day with activities to energise.

For remote workers, virtual fun and social activities should also be encouraged. This is to prevent workplace isolation and still establish a sense of support and friendship among remote employees.

This can be as simple as using digital chat platforms to talk about things unrelated to work. This can be about a common hobby, the latest Netflix series, or how you spent your weekend. Other ideas could be hosting a remote dinner party, holding virtual happy hours, or an online TV party.

Avoid Unreasonable Workloads

One of the main reasons why employees experience burnout is unrealistic and unachievable workloads.

So, ask yourself if the deadlines that are set are realistic? Or do your employees have to work overtime to complete them? Also, see if work is equally distributed amongst your employees. Make sure you know what other tasks they have to do and check in regularly to adjust deadlines and reprioritise tasks as necessary.

Encourage Frequent Breaks

Encouraging small, frequent breaks not only refreshes the mind but improves productivity.

To avoid burnout, try encouraging these habits. You can even encourage employees to set an alarm to remind them to get up and take a short break.

Make Sure Proper Support is In Place

Are your employees getting enough support? Do they have the resources they need? And are there an adequate number of people to complete the task? Make sure you are asking your employees these questions on a regular basis.

Over to You

There are several things that you can do to avoid employee burnout. If you start seeing some signs of burnout, the good news is, burnout is not inevitable. You can prevent or even reverse its effects by identifying its source and following the steps above.

About the Author: Raymond Chiu is the Director of Operations for MaidSailors.com, the leading office cleaning services in NYC. Maid Sailors take pride in providing outstanding office cleaning services at affordable prices. Maid Sailors help workplaces transform into spotless places.