When you support employees who are experiencing burnout, you lower the chance of them quitting their roles. Studies have found that burned out employees are 2.6 times more likely to be job hunting. Burnout is a common problem that affects 63% of workers. As an employer, you shouldn’t sit back and watch your employees battle this debilitating syndrome. Instead, you should actively find ways to help them deal with and overcome it.
95% of workers say they feel under pressure to work more than their allotted hours. While occasional overtime can be welcomed by employees, frequent overtime can be detrimental. It can lead to exhaustion, resentment, mistakes, illness, and burnout. The moral here is not to overload employees with too much work, especially if they’re already burned out. Allocating tasks one at a time can help individuals who are feeling bombarded. You can then give them another task when that one’s complete. If there is excess work in the business that cannot be handled by your staff, you need to think through your options, which include hiring more staff, taking on temps, chipping in yourself, or turning work away.
An AON study found that 83% of employees don’t feel fairly heard in the workplace. Employees going through burnout will have plenty of valuable things to say, but you need to take the time to listen to them. Many employees with burnout will benefit from flexible working or having an extended break from the workplace. Failing to do this, could result in the worker requesting short-term disability leave or workers’ compensation. Workers’ compensation is a type of business insurance that gives employees medical protection and income protection when they are too ill to work. Some companies also provide an income for short-term disability, although this is usually for a disability caused outside of the workplace.
Burnout can suddenly and unexpectedly hit people. One day they may just feel a bit tired and fed up and the next, they can’t focus on their job or even get out of bed. Mental wellness checks are a good way to capture employees who are experiencing burnout or are at risk of burnout. These checks should incorporate both home and work life. Simple things such as getting staff members to complete questionnaires to see how they’re feeling on a scale of 1 to 10, how they’re coping with the cost of living, how hard they’re finding their work, and similar can be real eye-openers. Offering wellness programs is the next step in supporting workers who are finding things tough. These can be very effective and reduce healthcare costs by up to 72% and absenteeism by up to 19%.
Employee burnout is a real problem that needs to be tackled. As an employer, you’re the best person to deal with it. So, when you notice a worker is burned out or at risk of it, act fast to protect their mental health.
