Employees are the greatest assets of your company, and hence, you cannot wriggle out of your duty to provide them with everything that hits the ground running. The workplace environment is harsh across the board – strict deadlines, long hours of work, sparse vacations, and unexpected layoffs. Your company will give you the push if your work is not up to scratch, but unfortunately, there is no other way than to be resigned to the pathetic work culture, which means faster burnout.
The success of a business heavily relies on your employees’ creativity and skills. It is paramount that your employees are motivated enough to work with you. Burnt-out employees will simply run on empty and, as a result, your business will go downhill. So, what should we do to prevent employee burnout?
Ways to prevent burnout among employees
Before you do anything, you will have to treat your employees as beings who get mentally exhausted, zonked and bored. You just cannot treat them as robots which can indefatigably work all day and night. Here are a couple of steps you can take to prevent your employees from being burnt out:
- Allow remote working
Your employees do not have only one job. They have to manage between work and their personal responsibilities towards their kids and elderly parents. Giving them a bit more freedom will help them stay motivated and productive. Remote working is a great gesture to show you respect work-life balance.
Many companies have kept remote working clauses even after the pandemic, and the reason why they did so is that they found employees to be more productive. Remote working also allows flexible working hours, which means no need to take the day off if you come across some urgent work. You can compensate for those hours by splitting your shifts.
- Offer them perquisites
In addition to the salary you offer to them, you should consider a few other benefits too. You may have a workplace pension scheme, but your employees may also need other perquisites to keep themselves motivated.
For instance, you can provide free training courses. Preparing them for advanced work culture will benefit them as well as your company. When employees see that you are helping them grow by honing their skills, they will more likely stay with you. Employee retention is the most common problem in corporate, which you can avoid by providing a lot of extra benefits to your employees.
In fact, some companies also help their employees with financial counselling. For instance, if you are concerned about your piled-up bad credit loans and figuring out a way to get out of them, you can take the help offered by your company.
As an employer, you need to think of what benefits you can offer to your employees that they will appreciate. It is quite crucial to set yourself apart from other companies. Do something to make your employees work for you. A good organisation is always the one whose employees do not want to leave.
- Connect with your employee
Many employers find it hard to understand how to set up a bond with employees. For many, it is just similar to keeping an eye on them and tearing them to pieces if they fall short and saying nothing when their work comes up to snuff.
Of course, you are the boss, and it is your duty to get things done on time, but at the same time, you should appreciate their efforts. Chances are they are overwhelmed by lots of work and are in a whirl. Leaving them high and dry will affect your business in the long run.
You should take some time out to reach them and ask if everything is fine. Have a meeting with them one-on-one and encourage them to share problems they are facing, which can be anything from multiple project commitments to unrealistic deadlines.
Have a sympathetic ear so your employees can express their demands clearly. Make sure you understand their concerns rather than hold them against them. Find out if your employees are actually working under a lot of pressure. If so, ease off that burden.
Acknowledge their loyalty and work. When they do something going above and beyond their usual standards, you should reward them. A quarterly or annual award ceremony should be conducted to appreciate their performance.
- Give paid time off
Pay heed to your paid leave policy. Be generous while offering paid leave to your employees because they cannot stop them from being productive, and there is no way your business will be affected. In fact, paid leave will help them take a break from work when they are exhausted. They can go on a trip and “recharge their batteries”.
You can fix a couple of days off for all of your employees when you do not have much business to do. For instance, if you keep your company open during the last week of the year until New Year’s Eve, you can declare a full week off.
When you find that your employees are burnt out, you should encourage them to take a few days off. It will help them wind down and come back in high spirits.
- Small gestures can mean a lot
It is not necessary to let your employees take paid leave to prevent them from burnout. Instead, you should make efforts so as not to push them to it. For instance, you can offer your employees a treat from time to time. You can host a lunch party for them or offer some virtual gifts to your remote employees. These meaningful gestures pave the way for socialising. It is intrinsic to connect with everyone to lift people’s spirits.
The bottom line
Employee burnout can affect the productivity of your business. You should always ensure your employees do not feel burnt out because it can be difficult to get them out of it. Connect with them to know if they are facing any problems, address them, and improve their working conditions by acknowledging their successes, giving meaningful gestures, and offering some perquisites.