What is employee burnout and how to prevent it?

Employee burnout refers to the employees who are not engaged in their work due to extreme exhaustion. The exhaustion can be mental, physical or emotional and generally triggered by excessive work pressure, stressful work environment and lack of rest or sleep.

What are the symptoms of employee burnout?

The difference between stress and burnout is a matter of degree. Hence the earlier you spot these signs, the better you can avoid burnout:

• Lack of concentration
• Easily get upset or angered
• Recurring sickness
• Inconsistent sleeping patterns
• Feelings of alienation at work
• Not spending time with coworkers
• Skepticism towards people and their work

Dangers of employee burnout

Employee burnout not only effects your cost, but it can also severely affect your business by:

• Increasing the talent turnover rate
• Lowering workforce productivity
• Ineffectiveness, increased errors
• Decreasing engagement and job satisfaction
• Reducing commitment to their work

All these can lead to operational inefficiencies, unsatisfied customers and lower business results.

How to prevent employee burnout?

Now that we know the signs to look for employee burnout, let’s take a look at the initiatives you can choose to tackle employee burnout:

Organize team building activities

You may have a lot of highly talented individuals, but in the end, it is the ones who can work well in teams that deliver the best results. Encourage socializing! A team that plays together stays together!

Motivate your team for maximum success

Motivation is the driving force behind each person’s behavior. Be engaging. Spend time getting to know each employee on a personal level. Talk about non-business related topics.

Set clear & focused team goals

Working towards a common goal develops social responsibility and social identification, which motivates your team even more!

Acknowledge a job well done

Everyone loves praise. Acknowledging your staff and thanking them for their excellent work keeps up the mood!

Encourage them to take ownership

Make each employee a master of a particular field and allow them to make decisions that affect the company.

You are what you eat at work

Take a lesson from Google and make your workplace feel a little like home. Make sure that your team is well fed and cheered up!

Encourage positive competition

Don’t make your employees compete against each other – It will only create distance and deconstructive ambitions. Make them cooperative, support each other, and reward them communally for their excellent work.

Become an inspiring leader

Transform your employees into followers. Encourage them to see on overall purpose in their work. Tesla’s employees voluntarily work extra because they believe in Elon Mark’s vision.

Motivate them to live healthily

Healthy employees are the most productive ones. Encourage engagement among co-workers to foster a collaborative & healthy workplace. CircleCare provides companies with a platform and tools to motivate their employees via positive reinforcements and rewards to establish and maintain healthy lifestyle choices.

Yes! It’s that easy! Sometimes it doesn’t require significant resources to make substantial changes.