When people don’t feel their best, they aren’t going to be working their best. Unfortunately, many people who work in high-stress jobs eventually become overworked and burn out, reducing their productivity, well-being, and job satisfaction.
Burnout prevention starts with self-care. As an employer, it’s in the best interest of everyone to make sure your employees take care of themselves, according to a report published by the Harvard Business Review. Not only will your office be a happier place, but you and your investors should notice a difference in the bottom line as well.
Partnering for Wellness
Burnout is a bigger problem in some industries than in others. In finance and healthcare, for instance, many workers put in long hours and have stressful, demanding jobs. Nurses, for instance, have a particularly hard time dealing with stress. More than a third of surveyed nurses have experienced burnout at some point, due to the demanding and emotionally-charged nature of their work.
In these environments, it can be very helpful for the team to work together on building morale and preventing burnout. People might not feel like they can take the time to meditate, take a walk, or think about stress-reduction ideas on their own, but they might participate in group activities.
If your employees form a tight-knit group, then consider leading group meditation or yoga, hold a session for discussing stress relief ideas, and solicit feedback about what is causing burnout in your workplace. Participation in these kinds of activities should always be no-pressure and voluntary, and it’s important to create a safe and compassionate space for employees to fight against burnout.
Inspiration is the Key to a Healthy, Happy Talent Pool
People often start to feel burned out when they’re working hard, yet feel like they’re not making any personal contribution or gaining any career progress. For a happy, healthy talent pool, people need to feel inspired, motivated, and challenged—but not overwhelmed.
It can be a delicate balance to help your employees move forward and challenge them, while not leading them into burnout. It’s important to engage every employee in what they are contributing to the company’s mission and to give them work that is meaningful.
Show your employees that they are important. Ensure that everyone is receiving praise when appropriate, as well as constructive feedback, is key. You should also be transparent about company goals and try to give people projects that allow them to contribute to more than just daily operations. Another way to inspire and engage your employees might be to allow them to work on their own ideas and projects that benefit the company at specific times during the week.
Promoting Wellness via Culture
Unfortunately, some companies and organizations have unintentionally built a culture of stress and burnout that leads to high turnover and low engagement. In fact, 10% of HR leaders believe that burnout is responsible for more than 50% of annual turnover, with almost all saying that it has at least some impact. Creating a culture that helps employees take care of their physical and mental well-being while keeping them engaged at work is a smart investment for companies that want to grow and thrive.
If you want to boost morale and prevent burnout, then you can’t be passive about building a positive company culture. You need to figure out what kind of culture fits your organizational values and how you want your employees to view company leadership and their own role within the organization.
Leadership at all levels of the organization needs to be on board and collaborate to determine the changes that must be made to achieve these culture-shifting goals, whether that means being more flexible with schedules, changing the format for providing feedback, or creating policies to prevent overwork.
To Prevent Burnout, Show You Care
To most employees, money is nice but respect and well-being are even more important. Yes, you should compensate your workers well. But if you want them to stick around and contribute to the best of their ability, you need to show that you care about them.
While it might seem expensive to invest in creating a positive workplace culture or to offer professional development opportunities, these investments can pay off handsomely in increased productivity, engagement, and loyalty. People who feel appreciated and involved are less likely to burn out and more likely to stay with your organization for years to come!