Four ways businesses can help their employees beat burnout.
Employee burnout is on the rise, and for some companies, it may be a driving force behind high levels of turnover.
According to the American Psychological Association’s 2021 Work and Well-being Survey, 79% of employees had experienced work-related stress in the month before the survey. Notably, the study found that respondents who typically feel tense or stressed out during the workday are more than three times as likely to say they intend to seek employment elsewhere in the next year.
Here’s the good news: Employers that are proactive in addressing worker burnout may see significant results. According to the survey, 87% of employees felt actions from their employer would help their mental health.
“Employers need to be intentional and consistent about best practices for self-care, expectations around what kind of work and how much work needs to be done, and having managers focus on signs of burnout,” said Dwight Julbert, Head of HR Strategic Delivery and Talent Management at Regions Bank in Episode 32 of Regions Wealth Podcast.
For organizations concerned about burnout, the following four strategies can serve as simple, yet highly-effective methods for tackling this issue.
Model Healthy Behaviors
Actions speak louder than words when it comes to healthy behaviors in the workplace, and managers should illustrate their commitment to worker well-being through the example they set. For instance, if managers unplug from email on weekends, take time off for appointments, and are diligent about using their paid time off, then employees will feel more empowered to follow suit, according to the Harvard Business Review.
Create Supportive Policies
In addition to modeling healthy behaviors, employers should also create policies that support the well-being of their employees. This may include the creation of training and development programs and financial education, the introduction of family-friendly policies, and encouragement of workplace friendships.
Exhibit Gratitude
The benefits of saying “thank you” are outlined in multiple studies. It’s such a simple act, but it can have an enormous impact on an employee's well-being: It can build resilience, improve interpersonal relationships at the workplace, and even fend off burnout. To get started, managers should express thanks to their employees, and they should also encourage them to practice gratitude with one another.
Make Work Purposeful
Employers can fight employee burnout and employee disengagement all at once by helping employees see the meaning in their work. Tying employee contributions to the mission of the organization is key to helping employees find satisfaction. For Gen Z and millennial employees, who are more likely to highly value socially responsible companies, this becomes even more important.
Although employee burnout is a serious issue, implementing best practices can go a long way to keeping it at bay. Modeling healthy behaviors, implementing supportive policies, saying thank you, and showing employees why their work matters are all best practices that can not only avert burnout but also boost morale at the workplace.
For more, be sure to check out the Summer 2022 issue of Commercial Insights Magazine.
