Six Things Managers Can Do To Prevent Employee Burnout

Six Things Managers Can Do To Prevent Employee Burnout

One of the worst things that can affect an employee’s performance is burnout. Employee burnout occurs when they are extremely overwhelmed mentally as well as physically due to long term stress. It causes them to feel exhausted all the time and breeds feelings of negativity.

It’s not unusual to notice employees feeling burnt out in today’s day and age because of the unprecedented times we are living in. The pandemic has forced employees to work remotely in isolation. 

Not only does this lead to chaos as employees have to work away from their usual office setup where it is easy to seek any work related information quickly, but also increases feelings of loneliness & depression. But can something be done to prevent this from happening?

Fortunately, there are some very effective measures managers can take to ensure their remote teams don’t get to the point of extreme exhaustion. Listed below are six such measures that help in preventing employee burnout:

• Give freedom:

Often managers feel outlining an employee’s day for them will allow employees to perform better. On the contrary, when managers do this employees feel they are being controlled and don’t have the freedom to take their own calls.

It is vital for managers to provide employees the autonomy to structure their day. This shows employees that you have faith in their capabilities to take the right decisions and allows them work stress-free.

• Respect boundaries:

A major reason for employee burnout is managers not respecting employee’s boundaries. Calling at any time disregarding the fact that it is after-work hours or too early to call leads to employees always being glued to their phones/laptops.

This leads to the lines between work and personal life getting blurred. Allow employees to unplug from work completely by not disturbing them after work hours.

• Provide flexible learning solutions:

A lot of employee time gets taken up if managers provide training through complicated training softwares. This makes them compromise on work to learn, or work till late to fulfill their responsibilities.

Using a software with a user-friendly interface like Bridge LMS allows employees to learn quickly without wasting too much time navigating the software. Moreover its blended learning features provides employees the flexibility to learn through different learning styles.

• Foster collaboration:

It’s not just a manager’s support that can help employees from feeling burnt out. Getting help from coworkers can also provide employees work-related as well as personal support.

This is why managers must encourage collaboration so employees build connections and are willing to help each other. Better team connections not only enhance employee satisfaction but also makes them more engaged.

• Understand when employees need off days:

Apart from the usual vacations, employees need an off day or two to destress. Working constantly in pressure can affect an employee’s efficiency and negatively impact their quality of work.

It’s the manager’s responsibility to identify if an employee is getting too worked up and may need some time off from work. Staying in regular communication with employees will help you spot such instances and it is crucial to offer employees the time to rejuvenate.

• Be approachable:

If employees are struggling with work-related stress, managers need to do everything in their power to support them. But this is only possible if you are aware that employees need help.

This makes it crucial for managers to come across as approachable and always actively listen to employees. Giving them your undivided attention makes them feel valued and helps you tailor your approach to help them.

Conclusion:

If the pandemic has taught us something, it’s that looking after employee well-being is paramount. Before burnout completely disengages an employee and makes them too stressed to work, managers must take the necessary steps to prevent it.