Help Your Employees Avoid Office Burnout

By: Kristina Meyer
October 19th, 2011

The mental health of your employees should be as concerning to you as their physical health. Stressed out employees aren’t going to give 100 percent to their job every day. Studies have shown that you’re more likely to see a high rate of absenteeism, tardiness and an overall lack of productivity with emotionally unhealthy employees.

A 2007 study found that 35 percent of employed adults feel that a significant source of their stress comes from their job interfering with their family or personal time, according to the American Psychological Association.

As business owner, you’re inclined to push your business to the top as fast as possible. But your employees will have a hard time keeping up if you’re charging full speed ahead all the time. Learn how to incorporate a little down time into your workplace so that you don’t drive your employees into the ground.

• Divvy up work evenly. These days, there is less money and less people to do more work, says Bernie Dyme, President and CEO of Perspectives Ltd., a Chicago-based employee assistance program provider.

In these rough economic times, employees who survive a slew of layoffs don’t always come out on top. Many times, these employees are forced to pick up the slack and assume the responsibilities of the terminated employees. The extra work can quickly become overwhelming.

Many employers have a certain employee or group of employees that become their go-to workers. Whenever they have a last minute or urgent project, the employer will go to these employees. At first the employee may feel honored, but over time the work becomes too much to bear.

“Look at the overall workload and see how realistic it is,” says Dyme. “Parcel out work in a humane way.”

Often employees will be hesitant to tell you no when you come to them with a new project because you’re the boss, even if they’re already buried in work. Avoid overloading employees by designing a system for keeping tabs on everyone’s workload. Whether you purchase time management software or plan a weekly status meeting, stay aware of who’s doing what so that work can be assigned accordingly.

• Plan ahead. While last-minute projects aren’t entirely avoidable, you should give your employees plenty of advance notice when an assignment is coming down the pipeline. Employees who are constantly scrambling to get work done will feel stressed and will do just the bare minimum to get the job done.

When employees are approaching burn out, they often develop a negative attitude that can spread to other employees and your customers, says Dyme. Employers should keep an eye out for any patterns in behavior that are out of the ordinary, such as increased negativity or an overall lack of enthusiasm, he says.

Try not to spring too many surprises on your employees. Most employees want some sort of consistency so they know what to expect when they come to work every day. Dyme says you should always be as open and honest with your employees as possible. If there is going to be an increase in the workload, take some time to meet with the employees, so that they aren’t caught off guard, he says.

• Offer Paid Time Off (PTO). A 2007 study found that 31 percent of employed adults have difficulty managing work and family responsibilities, according to American Psychological Association. Finding a work-life balance isn’t always easy.

Because most of your day-to-day interactions with your employees are business-related, it’s easy to forget they have a life outside of work as well.

In order to help their employees keep their work-life balance in check, many employers offer Paid Time Off (PTO) instead of vacation and sick days as part of the business’ benefit package. With PTO, each employee receives a set number of paid days off each year. These days can be used for vacation, sick leave, doctors’ appointments or any other personal matters that requires them to miss work. Often it operates as a no-questions-asked system; if the employee has the available hours, they’re allowed to use it at their own discretion. Many times employees will use this time for mental health days, allowing them to get away from work to relieve stress without sacrificing their paycheck.

While in most cases PTO is beneficial to a business, Dyme warns that it can invite abuse. He says that businesses need to set clear guidelines when starting a PTO program. It’s important that each employee’s hours are tracked closely so that no one uses more than their fair share.

• Incorporate a little fun. Establishing a sense of family among your workforce can make your employees feel more personally vested in the success of your business. Many business owners have found that they can dramatically increase productivity by just letting their hair down and spending some personal time with employees.

Research shows that salary is not the greatest motivator for workers, says Dyme. Feeling that they’re valued, making a valuable contribution and contributing to the greater good of the company is often more important to your employees, he says.

Simple things, such as a weekly pizza party or an office potluck, can bring employees together, allowing people to get to know each other beyond the daily grind. A casual atmosphere can make it more comfortable for employees to open up and build friendships within the office. A greater sense of camaraderie can motivate employees to step up and put in more effort at work.

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