Burnout or Burnout Syndrome is a major problem for working people. It is a result of chronic stress in the workplace, such as emotional exhaustion, feeling powerless, having a negative attitude towards your ability to work, or lacking confidence in your success. Let’s explore whether we have these symptoms or not.
What do organizations do when their employees are burned out?
Burnout is a common symptom that people often complain about even when they don’t leave their homes. Whether it’s from working from home or going back to the office, burnout is like an epidemic, and it’s spreading as fast as COVID-19. Its effects are not only negative for those who are affected, but also for their organizations or companies. So what will the quality of work be like for employees who are burned out? It’s not hard to guess that the quality of work will not be as good as it should be. If burnout has such a big impact, what should the organization or manager do?
“No organization wants their employees to feel burned out from working with them.”
Employees who are enthusiastic and dedicated to their work will create positive results for the company. And of course, on the contrary, employees who are burned out, even though they have completed their work, their work efficiency drops dramatically. Therefore, no organization or company wants their employees to be burned out. But in reality, employee burnout is widespread. And from the research, it was also found that attempts to manage the stress that causes employee burnout are prolonged and also fail.
“Everyone has experienced burnout, even at a job they love.”
Deloitte surveyed 1,000 full-time employees in the United States and found that 77% of those employees had experienced burnout at their most recent job, and more than half said they had experienced burnout more than once. Even though 87% of respondents were motivated to work, the reality is that many of them still experience stress in their jobs.
“I don’t want my employees to get burned out, but many organizations don’t do anything about it.”
A survey of employees found that 64% said they experience stress at work very often, while seven in 10 (69%) said their employer didn’t do enough to reduce their burnout, and one in five (21%) said they didn’t think their employer offered stress reduction programs or other such support.
“Organizations should be serious about solving employee burnout problems.”
The survey found that many employees had a variety of ideas on how to help stop burnout, but they said they were just ideas. Not everyone is lucky enough to work for a company that truly cares about their employees’ physical and mental health. When it came to the health benefits that organizations offer to help reduce burnout, 28% cited family as a reason for taking time off, or they would never get any time off.
“When a holiday is just a name, it’s just a job outside the office.”
Companies should take weekends and vacations seriously for their employees. Burnout occurs when people feel they don’t have time for themselves, time away from social interaction, time to recharge their batteries and be ready to do their job again. Unfortunately, 30% of respondents said they still work long hours on the weekends, and 43% said they take all of their vacation days off. Even when they do have vacation days off, they still have to constantly check their emails or answer work-related phone calls.
“Problems that may arise when they are away from work”
Because of the habit of working too hard, many employees feel uncomfortable and are unable to rest properly. The number one reason why vacations seem like they never really take a day off is that they are afraid that problems or mistakes will occur while they are not working. The next most common reason is that they are afraid that the work will not be completed on time, and the expectations of their boss are also another thing that puts pressure on them during vacation time.
“Mail on Holiday, a program that automatically deletes work emails”
German automaker Daimler has launched “Mail on Holiday,” a program that automatically deletes work emails when they are sent on employees’ vacation days. They are then fully disconnected from work, and the person who sent the email will be notified that the email they sent will be automatically deleted and given the option to contact another colleague or resend the email when the employee returns to the office.
“It’s too difficult to tell someone under a lot of stress to deal with stress.”
Tonya Slawinski, director of education and training at the Association of Employee Assistance Professionals, says some companies are offering stress management classes to employees to teach them how to properly manage work-related stress, which can help reduce burnout. This is great because when people are already very stressed or burned out, it’s too late to fix it. Companies should address the problem before the stress becomes too much to handle or burnout.
“Having an understanding boss is the best benefit an employee can receive in a company.”
Aetna, for example, offers free yoga and meditation classes to its employees, a fitness center, and a variety of nutritious meals. They also provide a health care subsidy for all of their employees. This is because the company’s president, Mark Bertolini , had been suffering from stress since his son was diagnosed with cancer in 2001 and in 2004, he almost died in a ski accident. This got him thinking about all of his employees and how stress was affecting him and how he didn’t want it to happen to his employees.
“Show support and acceptance to others simply by saying thank you.”
Three in 10 respondents reported a lack of leadership support and recognition for their employees or teams. This fuels the burnout, when it’s easy to support and recognize others, such as learning to say “thank you” when a coworker does a good job or when your boss does a great job. Research has shown that companies that recognize and respect each other perform better in the workplace, as these are part of a work environment that can reduce workplace stress.
“Organizations can say thank you even more.”
Deloitte US announced a year-end work stoppage for all employees, allowing them to disconnect from work over the Christmas and New Year holidays to give employees a much-needed break from the rigors of work. Because everyone is off, there’s less guilt about distancing themselves from work and less pressure from supervisors. And with February celebrating William Welch’s 200th birthday, Deloitte is giving employees another week of vacation to say thank you.
Conclusion
Most employees experience burnout at some point. Organizations can help them cope with this by promoting paid time off for employees to recharge, focusing more on employee well-being, such as stress management and mental health training, and building company values around acknowledging and appreciating the hard work of colleagues. These are simple investments that pay off in the performance and quality of employees who are passionate about their work and who are dedicated to every task they are given.
“If you don’t want your employees to burn out, your organization needs to rekindle their fire.”
Reference:
How Managers Can Prevent Their Teams from Burning Out | Jen Fisher
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