Some time ago, came I back from my annual leave but still felt stressed. I found out that I was tired and still wished to take some more days off.
Well, that was never to be. But could it be that I was burnt out? Obviously, yes. Really, this is what most employees find about themselves daily but have no antidote to.
Managers are not able to get the best from employees as a result of this. They also cannot find solutions to these because they do not know the causes of all these, let alone the solutions in fixing them.
Admittedly, a lot more staff become dissatisfied with their achievements and the results of their output due to the lack of energy to steadily push them to be productive and reliant. Others slog themselves to work and have problems getting work done while some feel disillusioned about their work and even become impatient with colleagues and bosses.
Basically, employee burnout is a peculiar kind of job stress. This shows off in the physical state of the worker where his emotional and mental capacity towards work dwindles. It ultimately affects production and output.
This also affects the competency levels of the one concerned. The end results are found to negatively impact on the health and happiness on the job, affecting company overall targets in the long run.
At certain times, if a reliable and trustworthy staff becomes short-tempered and late for work on a regular basis, then there is something wrong. If a staff’s enthusiasm fades and work output drops, then burnout has certainly set in.
Again if the signs are that there are much complaints about headaches, backaches and loss of appetite for food, then the symptoms of depression as a result of workplace burnout have become eminent and need to be dealt with.
Consequences of errors, health-related complications and high turnover are all the results of burnouts. Staff who do not pay attention to work processes due to burnouts make unpardonable mistakes and this results in lower quality products.
Employees become stressful towards their work and look out for the less stressful ones. These result in high turnover making the enterprise lose out on experienced manpower and outputs thereof.
Health issues arising out of burnouts also affect productivity, in that, employees have to take time off to seek medical attention and greatly, all these hamper progress at the workplace.
Knowing the problem
Fundamentally, the reason employees get burnout is because most disregard the need to be cautious about their limits and health status. They drain on their physical and mental fortitudes to their work schedules.
However, the best way or approach in tackling burnout is to take steps in stopping it from happening. This is by way of knowing yourself and capabilities. Should you be unable to get your work plan accomplished, it should become necessary to ask for assistance by allotting some tasks to colleagues to complete for you.
In the event you are not able to do this, your supervisors should be notified for an extension in the time to complete assignments. Actually, time management should not be a problem if a priority list is drawn out on the time lags assigned for the completion of work.
It is, therefore, important to know the causes of all these burnouts as well as the related solutions in curbing them.
Causes of burnout
Employee burnout occurs when a staff goes through a stressful work environment for a long time without actually adopting a stress reduction method. The employee becomes stunned with the experience and starts to fall behind physically and mentally.
As the worker goes through this, he/she finds it difficult focusing and concentrating on the job. Such a person, therefore, becomes more susceptible to mistakes and pressure.
Let’s have a look at some causes:
Dissipations in Activity
When work schedules and activities are always hectic and disorganised, they sap up energy, leading to tiredness and burnout.
mbalanced Work and Personal Lifestyles
Should your job take all of your time and energy, without any for yourself and family, then you better watch out. This increasingly burns you out.
Improper Job Fit
When your job or work does not fit into your interests, passion and skills, it obviously becomes boring. This gradually stresses you out in the long run.
Unclear Job Descriptions
If your job is not properly spelt out, you become disorganised in what you do. You do not know who to report to or what our expectations are. This leads to dissatisfaction, frustrations and stress.
Difference in Values
Should your beliefs and values vary in the way your employer conducts his business or manages conflicts or complaints, the variations could ultimately take a swipe on you and cause frustrations and burnout.
Managing the situation
Apparently, there is no easy and quick way to fix employee burnout. Asking your employee to go for vacation and easing out on stress is not a guaranteed way to shove off burnouts. The problem may still occur if certain habits are not stopped. There is, however, ???a real need to change towards the work environment, emotional and the physical states of employees.???
Management, in their quest to minimise this occurrence, should frequently communicate, motivate and lead their employees in the best ways possible to redress the lifestyles that plunge employees burning out.
Managing the situation could therefore be found with these:
Clarity on Job Descriptions and Expectation
Management must emphasise what they require from workers. They need to be clear about what the job schedules are; so that employees do not get confused and burnout on the job. If jobs become vague, unclear and feedbacks become impossible, it tends to frustrate and enable lower outputs from employees. Management must, therefore, be aware of this.
Recognise work done
Management must do their part in appreciating the efforts of staff for targets achieved. If this is done, it prevents resentments and the lack of commitment to accomplish tasks.
By so doing, normal work or tasks become easy and employees acknowledge management’s honesty and efforts in helping their cause.
No ill feelings and frustrations would be harboured. Definitely, output is sure to be doubled.
Giving room for stress relievers
By encouraging and motivating employees to give off their best, management must give room to relieve stress. This is done to help do away with burnouts.
This can be done by allowing staff to form keep fit clubs, take their annual vacations when due and be rotated and transferred on the job when necessary to relief boredom, dullness and stress.
Reduce Overtime Schedules
Consistent overtime results in workplace burnout. It is important workers work per the agreed time whereas casual workers take over for the extra working periods to cover up to meet targets.
So, unless workers will have additional income for working extra longer hours, it would be better management hire temporary staff so as to reduce burnouts.
Improve on training needs
It is imperative workers’ capacity and skills are sharpened every now and then to improve productivity. Training also enhances teamwork and increases on their competencies.
Hence, training needs on improving on customer care, time management, particular computer programmes and stress management will all help to alleviate burnout on the job.
Conclusion
It is important for management to be aware that every worker is prone to workplace burnout. There is, therefore, the need to find out and appropriately examine every employee’s state of burnout and adopt pragmatic measures to prevent and manage it from happening. GB
The writer is a business and financial analyst. Email:
