My Employees are Burnt Out- Now What? Posted on May 13, 2021 in Healthy Living It is concerning to have employees burning out. The impact of employee burnout may stem from six fundamental areas where expectations are different from reality. These areas are a good place to start to address how to relieve the burnout. Workload. Do your employees constantly seem like they are overworked? Is overtime a consistent expectation? You may need to take a step back and see what can be done to streamline workflow and reduce the total workload on any one individual. Overworked employees aren’t just at increased risk of burnout but are also at a higher likelihood to make potentially costly and even dangerous mistakes. Control. Many people can start to experience burnout if they feel that much of their day-to-day lives is outside of their control. Consider finding ways to give more control to your employees. For instance, try creating an employee engagement team or encourage employees to take more control over their daily schedule, for example by allowing them to schedule their own breaks instead of choosing their break times for them. Reward. While monetary reward is a part of any job, the rewards that impact burnout the most are often societal rewards. Recognizing individuals for their hard work and accomplishments can be very beneficial to improving workplace morale and reducing burnout. Whether this be through formal awards programs or informal acknowledgements of their hard work, this recognition can help keep people motivated and feeling satisfied with their work. Fairness. Do your employees feel like they work in a fair environment? This one can be hard to address but try looking at each employee’s and department’s experiences in the workplace. For instance, does one team get lots of glory and recognition because they are more hands on, while another team might feel less recognized because they do more behind the scenes work? Value and recognize the efforts of every team and its members by keeping everyone up to date on the projects and successes of teams. Community. How do your employees interact with each other? Are they polite and helpful or may they be perceived other ways? It can be overwhelming to interact with individuals especially when the overall morale of the community is low. Create an inclusive environment where team members interact with each other on a regular basis to build a strong community and increase morale. Values. What does your organization stand for? Have you taken into consideration the values your employees uphold? Assess what your employees’ value to create clear goals and values your company works towards every day. Learn more to avoid employee burnout during and post pandemic here.