Consequences of Employee Burnout
Employee burnout is a huge issue for many companies, and a major reason that talented workers leave for better opportunities. One way to combat employee burnout is to rededicate the company to the employees’ well-being and aligning that approach with company values. Overworked, overburdened, and overly stressed employees can take a noticeable toll on any company.
- Employee productivity decreases with a lack of motivation, working slower, and lowering productivity.
- Sick leave time is taken much more frequently when burnout is pervasive as it leads to anxiety and increased instances of illness.
- Increased errors in completed work and/or correspondence occur more frequently, affecting quality as well as company profits.
- High turnover rate is a common trend if employee burnout is widespread throughout the company and employees are regularly overworked.
However, these 7 tactics can help employers avoid the negative effects of employee burnout:
- Learn to spot employee burnout- all leaders should be able to spot key signs of employee burnout such as: lack of motivation, cynicism, frustration, impatience, or overt cognitive issues.
- Check in with your staff- If you notice signs of burnout in one of your employees, immediately schedule a one on one meeting to discuss it and identify the possible causes.
- Look for causes- As there are many different causes of burnout,, it’s important to identify current and past causes of burnout in your organization to keep an eye out in the future.
- Don’t overload employees- This can increase the chance of burnout if weight of responsibilities becomes too much which affects employee motivation and performance.
- Allow room for creativity- Creativity helps to maintain mental fitness, keep the mind sharp, and increases engagement and motivation.
- Schedule conscientiously- Manage employee attendance and monitor employees who do not use their vacation or personal time, who work overtime regularly, or are frequently missing work to monitor potential indicators of burnout.
- Recognize top performers– Recognizing accomplishments and top talent increases engagement and gives management an opportunity to provide meaningful feedback and guidance for an employee’s growth and development.
Unchecked organizational norms insidiously create the conditions for burnout—but leaders can change them to make burnout less likely. Giving people back the time to do work that drives the company’s success will pay huge dividends by raising productivity, increasing productive output and reducing burnout. Everybody wins.
