Reverse the Burnout Trend
The World Health Organization now considers “burnout syndrome” to be an official medical diagnosis! Over 50% of employees report feeling mentally exhausted and drained at the end of the day. 40% say they are functioning on autopilot at work.
These realities lead to employee disengagement, dissatisfaction, and low productivity. Such stress leads to increased mental and physical health problems and an overall lower quality of life. What can workplace leaders do to create healthier organizations?
Let’s look at 3 leadership practices that can decrease employee stress, increasing their engagement, satisfaction, and productivity.
Work-life Flexibility
If your staff members aren’t customer-facing, working as part of a production process, or doing tasks that must be done at a certain hour or place, do they all have to have the same start and stop time or work in a specific location? If an office worker is regularly 20-minutes late due to the starting time of their affordable child care center, could they still fulfill their duties if their start and end times were delayed by 20 to 30 minutes? If some employees spend two days per week at their desk, on computers and the phone all day, could they do that work just as well remotely rather than spending an hour each day commuting?
Recognizing People and Their Achievements
A common reason for leaving a job is not feeling valued and appreciated. Turnover is cut in half when employees feel recognized at least five times per year. In some studies the majority of respondents reported not feeling appreciated even once in the past year. Many supervisors feel that the pay check is thanks enough until employees are doing everything in their job description and more. Yet, employees want to know if they are doing their work well and if they are noticed and valued as a human being. Expressions of gratitude build relationships and trust, which reduces stress and increases workplace productivity and retention.
Listen
Loneliness is an epidemic in our society. Lots of people don’t have friends at work or outside work. When managers don’t take time to have conversations with their employees, workplace isolation can lead to poor productivity. When managers have regular one-on-ones with each staff member, individuals have a chance to share their successes, their workplace and personal trials, and ask for help when they are struggling. When managers ask open-ended questions to learn more about their team members and truly listen to their employees, understanding, rapport, and trust are built. Employees feel they belong; they matter to the organization and their leader. They are less likely to look for a different job and more likely to be engaged and productive at work.
What can you do to reduce workplace burnout in your organization? Are there opportunities to provide more work-life balance for your employees, to recognize their contributions, or to listen to and better understand your team members as valuable human beings?
