The feeling of burnout is so much more than simply a mild case of stress. It is an acute condition which is characterised by exhaustion, cynicism and a lack of personal fulfilment. Before you can start to combat this, you need to understand where it is coming from. Is your business highly understaffed? Is anything going on which could be conceived as favouritism? Are your employees getting enough recognition for the work that they are putting in? Here are some of the ways that you can prevent burnout from becoming a major problem at your business.
Treat the Cases Individually
You can spot burnout when the personality of an employee changes. Someone who was once highly motivated can suddenly become disinterested and uncaring. If you notice this, it is not something that is going to disappear on its own. You should have a one-to-one conversation with your employee to find out where the problem is coming from and what you can do about it.
Let Your Employees Know that You Care
A simple pat on the back can go such a long way towards helping out an employee who is starting to become frustrated. However, in the rush and hubbub of running a business, so many bosses forget to do this. Every employee should know and be provided with their rights. If they are doing something that makes them feel uncomfortable such as signing an agreement, get them in contact with a non-compete agreement attorney. Simply knowing that they are not being taken advantage of can go a long way towards making staff members feel better about their working conditions.
Set Up a Burnout Prevention System
Your company should have a system in place to tackle burnout and intervene wherever necessary. You could ask your employees to fill in a simple questionnaire that recognises the common signs of burnout. If they don’t feel comfortable putting their name on this, you could make it anonymous to get a general sense of the office. If you can’t deal with the issues that are arising yourself, you could always enlist a qualified professional such as a counsellor to help you out.
Instil Meaning in Your Workplace
People who don’t have any sense of meaning in their jobs are much more likely to suffer from burnout. You can help to combat this by reinforcing the importance of what your employees are doing for you on a regular basis. Workplaces that create a genuine sense of satisfaction and fulfilment are the ones that are most likely to perform well in a business sense as well.
Ultimately, feelings of burnout are personal to your employees, and though you can’t ever be 100 percent sure that you are preventing them, you can set your company up to make them less likely. These four methods should give you a starting point when it comes to running your company in a positive manner that increases employee satisfaction.