Prevent Employee Burnout

Have you ever felt overwhelmed, demoralized, negative or detached from your work?

Watch out, when you hear phrases such as:

• “I just need to get through this busy season, and then I’ll slow down”
• “I’m just tired — I’m sure a vacation will take care of it.”

These might be signs of burnout, caused by stress that has not been successfully managed.

50% of people across professions are burned out.

This has serious consequences for people’s health & organizations’ costs, as it leads to higher absenteeism, more accidents, and lower profitability.

A crucial element in preventing burnout is how managers treat their team members. Which is why your manager is more important for your health than your doctor.

So what can managers do to protect employees from burning out while increasing their performance?

The most powerful way is to Help People Help Each Other through peer coaching. Peers understand each other’s challenges and with designed conversations can help reduce their stress and feel more optimistic.

But peer coaching won’t defeat burnout on its own, so here are other things managers should pay attention to:

First, employees with a manager who’s always willing to listen are 62% less likely to burn out. So make the time to discuss work, career & life with them.

Secondly, avoid unmanageable workload & time pressure. As it leads to poor performance and damages people’s confidence, which continues to drag them down.

Third is lack of role clarity & purpose. People need to know exactly what’s expected of them and why their job is important.

Number 4: Allow autonomy & Strengths-Based Feedback. Employees are less likely to experience burnout when they utilize their strengths, can choose what tasks to do, how and when to do them.

Additionally, let individuals control their performance metrics. When they witness unfair treatment or cannot fully influence their evaluation criteria, anxiety takes over.

Last but not least, lead by example. If you log in during weekends or send late-night emails, your team will feel pressured to do the same.

Remember the rule about first putting on your own oxygen mask on the plane? Well, the same goes for burnout. Start with yourself, because only then you can start helping others.

PS: We are running short (free) Peer Workshops on this topic where you’ll network & learn with/from top global pros. This is not a webinar but highly interactive Peer Coaching Circle that requires your full participation.

Sign up here: https://www.hackerly.org/peer-learning-sessions/