3. Make it easier for employees to work together
When companies are dealing with workplace burnout across an organization, they often cite a lack of teamwork and mutual trust among their employees as contributing factors.
Itâs not that people actively avoid collaboration at work. In fact, most of us are happiest when we find opportunities to engage with coworkers and become part of a cohesive team. We gain a sense of belonging when working together. So, what prevents collaboration?
The following are some of the more common (yet preventable) reasons:
- Lack of access to the right tools to manage time and work effectively
- Lack of understanding of individual employee workloads and deadlines
- Competing goals across the organization that promote siloed operations
Fortunately, there are several tools that you can utilize in the workplace to help employees address their time management and productivity challenges. Ultimately, this can also prevent burnout.
- Slack is an instant-messaging platform that encourages constant interaction, file sharing, and more. It also integrates with project management tools like Trello.
- Trello is an intuitive, flexible project management tool. Itâs also an effective to-do app with the ability to collect tasks into lists and access a workload overview.
- Google Docs allows teams to create, edit, and store documents and spreadsheets online. A free, web-based application, it facilitates real-time work collaboration. Â
Managers can also make better use of their existing CRM software dashboards to help employees track their progress, share new information, and work efficiently as a team.
Emphasizing a culture of transparency can help break down silos between departments and teams. Employees need to understand how each task or project contributes to the success of the business. This will allow them to feel an emotional commitment to their roles.Â
Feeling like part of a team and connected to the people you work with is a major contributor to overall happiness at work. By mindfully working to foster connections between coworkers, employers go a long way toward combating workplace burnout.
4. Change up where your employees can work
For many employees, the source of workplace burnout is the traditional workplace itself. They may feel limited by cubicles and the requisite 9-to-5 schedule. The time spent commuting to workâaveraging 52.2 minutes a roundtrip each day, according to U.S. census dataâdoesnât help.
Offering employees the freedom and ability to work remotely is a surprisingly effective solution for overcoming this pervasive source of employee burnout and stress.
A 2023 Future Forum survey revealed that employees who are dissatisfied with their level of flexibility at work are 43% more likely to say they feel burned out at work than those who are satisfied with their level of flexibility. Flexible options impacting rates of burnout and job satisfaction include working from home, paid time off, and schedule changes.
Roughly 18% of U.S. employees (or about 28 million people) now work from home. Providing the option to work remotely not only benefits employees. Employers often see immediate increases in workplace productivity.
5. Give consistent feedback to your employees
When deciding how to overcome burnout at work, giving consistent feedback to each of your employees should be a priority. When it comes to preventing burnout, positive and constructive feedback are equally helpful. Each provides better direction and improves morale.
Everyone enjoys recognition and being valued. By providing consistent feedback to your employees, you can encourage continuous learning. This helps people feel comfortable with receiving a critical appraisal of their work and sharing ideas to improve performance.
And constructive feedback doesnât have to be negative. When approached correctly, it can be an opportunity to clarify expectations, offer better direction, and show employees how invested you are in helping them achieve success.
In the long run, just how important is consistent feedback? Recent data shows that:
- Employees who receive more frequent feedback are 2x more engaged, 3x less likely to apply or seek other jobs, and 1.4x more likely to stay at your organization.
- 6% of all employees say that they want more feedback about their work.
- 1 in 2 employees want more recognition.
Donât relegate feedback to the semi-annual employee review cycle. To make an impact on employee burnout at your company, provide helpful feedback on a weekly basis.
Putting it all together
Burnout is a real phenomenon, one that can adversely affect productivity and morale, along with the well-being and health of your employees. By using any of these five strategies for preventing burnout at work, your company will be better equipped to retain your most valuable assetâyour employees.
