How to Prevent Burnout in Employees
What happens when your employees are stressed?
We already know that mental health can completely alter a business. Along with the expected irritability, overworked employees may have some other issues. They may suffer from physical ailments, like high blood pressure, chronic pain, as well as other health problems.
Burnout happens for several reasons and can occur with your best employee. Sometimes life circumstances or a physical illness contribute to burnout, but what are other reasons? Work overload, lack of praise or feedback, lack of proper equipment, and favoritism in the office to name a few.
What you want to know is how to prevent employee burnout, right? After all, all business-owners want their company to be successful. That often means you help employees feel like they are important and like they are contributing to that success.
Below are a few tips to help your colleagues flourish in their productivity and boost morale at the same time.
Lend a Listening Ear
This means giving your employees your undivided attention. Whether you set aside time to talk with them, or leave your door open so they can approach you anytime, that’s up to you. If you have an “open door” policy, be sure to stop working altogether once a person needs to talk. But, the point is to listen and try to understand what’s going on with your employees entirely.
Maybe they need to talk about something that’s happened at home, or they need to share some insights with you that may help increase productivity. Sometimes people need to know that someone is in their corner cheering for them.
It may be a good idea to make notes after your talk too.
Favoritism in the Department
This is can be a big issue that plagues the office.
It’s no secret that some types of personalities “click” and others don’t, but that doesn’t mean that you should show favoritism at work. When workers see that the boss acts differently with everyone and doesn’t treat all the employees equally, they feel less valuable to the company. This sets the stage for feelings of bitterness and resentment with you, as well as the other team members.
Research shows that these feelings hinder your employee’s productivity and ability to work efficiently. It’s understandable that you are friendlier with some than others in the office, but it’s imperative as an employer to keep your work friends private. For more information on how emotions affect the office, take a look at this article by University of Pennsylvania.
How is the Office Equipment Running?
It’s bad enough that your employees handle difficult clients or suppliers who are running behind on payments. When the printer is jamming every other day, and the fax is not sending correctly, there’s undue stress that your colleagues are dealing with.
As a business owner or Department Manager, it’s your responsibility to make sure that all the office equipment is operating at optimal performance. This means scheduling regular maintenance for your machines.
In the modern age every office relies on computers to some extent. Ensure that your office’s computer update regularly. This prevents shutdowns and other internet and electronic problems that can come your way. Even though there are unexpected things that happen, employees should know their boss is doing everything possible to run the office smoothly.
Give Your Employees Constructive Criticism
If you see that they are doing something that you think they should do differently, quietly call them aside and discuss it with them. Ask questions and find out why they are doing their job a certain way. Then, discuss options for improvement. This is a great way to show your team that you want them to grow professionally and thrive on the job.
It’s important to follow up and provide feedback because it lets them know that you listened.
Are you looking for other health benefits for the office, both mental and physical? Passport Health can help! Give us a call at or fill out a contact form for more information.
Written for Passport Health by Sabrina Cortes. Sabrina is a freelance writer with a Bachelor’s Degree from Georgian Court University. She currently lives in the Smokey Mountains of western North Carolina.
