How to Help Your Team Avoid Burnout

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We’ve talked before about how to avoid burnout in your life and work. But what about your employees? The first half of 2020 has been rough for everyone in one way or another. You may be seeing the results of this in your team. Your employees productivity may be declining. They may seem uninterested in their tasks. Overall, they may be feeling burned out.

There is a great article on Harvard Business Review that shares how employee burnout is actually caused by the employer. As a leader, this is something that you can help address.

How to help your team avoid burnout

1. Remember they are human

It’s easy to get so caught up in the bottom line and making sure that your clients are happy that you forget about your employees. As leaders, we don’t want to admit that this happens, but it does. It’s important to remember that your team is made up of human beings. They aren’t robots and your company isn’t the only thing that they have going on in their life.

The events of this year are a great example. People have been under a high amount of stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic and racial tension. It’s easy to get so caught up in how to keep your company afloat through these challenging times that you overlook what your staff might need.

The “leave your problems at the door” belief is an old mindset that doesn’t work, It’s impossible for a person to be experiencing high tension at home and to show up to their job and do their best work. It’s unrealistic for you to expect that as a leader. Instead, look for ways to support your team and their mental wellness. Provide them with access to the resources they need. There are plenty of free resources that you can find online to share with your staff.

2. Find ways to be flexible

A study by ManpowerGroup Solutions found that “nearly 40 percent of global candidates report that schedule flexibility is now among the top three factors they consider when making career decisions.” This year many companies were forced into becoming more flexible due to having to have employees work remotely, but it shouldn’t stop there.

Look for ways to provide additional flexibility for your staff. This could be adjusting work hours to meet their needs. Years ago when I worked in business development at a small financial institution my manager worked with me to provide me with an alternative schedule after having my 2nd child. My oldest was starting preschool and I expressed that I wanted to have more time with my kids while being able to drop off and pickup my daughter from school two days a week. They allowed me to work two half days each week and come in early so I could stay close to my 40 hours.

Doing things like this for your employees builds shows them that you care. It also builds loyalty. And when you allow your employees to find ways to make their work day work better for them, you can help them avoid burnout.

3. Take a look at their workload

One of the top things that causes employee burnout is an unreasonable workload. Work with your team to get a clear understanding of what everyone is working on. Make sure that you’re checking in with them on a regular basis to understand where they stand with their projects and when something is becoming too much to handle.

There are plenty of tools, like the SPEARity™ app, that make it easy for managers to see what employees are working on and make sure the workloads aren’t becoming too much to handle.

4. Build relationships and create defining moments

The book The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath shares the difference that creating defining moments can make on people. I highly recommend reading it. The information it shares can be applied to your business and personal life. It gives real life examples on how we can create peak moments that have a lasting impact on the people involved.

And, don’t forget to form relationships with employees and encourage the same among your team. As people, we love to feel that we belong. You want your employees to enjoy spending time with the people they work with and to feel like part of a team. Incorporate team building activities into the schedule, even if you have to do it remotely. Send handwritten thank you notes to let your employees know you appreciate their work.

If your struggling with knowing the best way to lead your team, a SPEARity business coach can help you identify the key areas that need to be addressed and what steps you can take to increase productivity while finding balance for you and your team. Explore your options today.

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