CT Staffing and Recruiting News

The latest advice and best practices in hiring and careers.

Is Your Team Burnt Out? Here’s What to Do About It

Employee burnout can be a dangerous thing. It can be contagious; it can destroy productivity, and it can crush your team’s morale. As a manager, it’s up to you to check in with your employees regularly to gauge their stress levels and combat burnout when necessary. Stress can lead to burnout if it’s not dealt with.  

When you sense your team is starting to burn out, here’s what you can do about it.  

Help yourself first  

You’re in no position to help anyone if you’re not right yourself. So, prioritize your health. Eat healthy meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep at night, and find some sort of spiritual or mental outlet – prayer, meditation or even seeing a therapist. This will put you in a better place to help others as you’ll be able to see and think more clearly. Additionally, you’ll be able to dole out better advice. You can speak from experience, and people will respect the example you’ve set.  

Work together  

Suggest some team exercises to help alleviate stress. You don’t have to go to a yoga retreat in the mountains and live in yurts for a week or anything but consider launching a campaign to share stress relief techniques. Perhaps learning how to meditate as a group or encouraging midday workouts or outdoor time. Just make sure you’re not requiring anyone to participate. If people feel forced to do something, they’ll burn out even quicker.  

Go easy on them  

Be compassionate towards your team. If you’re too demanding or firm, with excessively high expectations, your team will feel that constant pressure. Even the nature of technology with 24/7 accessibility can cause undue stress. So, without encouraging laziness or complacency, go easy on your team. Give them breaks from time to time so they can achieve a work-life balance.   

Drive home the mission  

People tend to burn out more often when they don’t feel driven. They’re working and working without a clear mission and they’re starting to wonder what all the effort and strain is really for. Make sure you’re clearly and frequently communicating your vision, so everyone understands what they’re working to achieve. Celebrate successes and praise hard work and emphasize how each person contributes to the overall health of the company.  

Be the leading supporter  

It’s your job to be the optimist, the cheerleader promoting positivity even in the face of disaster and setbacks. Recognize their hard work and thank them for it. And be prepared to stand up for them to the higher-ups if needed. Sometimes that excessive workload is coming from upper management and you might need to step in and protect your team. Remind them that your team is already working hard, they’re committed to the mission, but they might need a little break.  

For more tips on protecting your team from burnout, contact our team today. 

 

Connect With Us Today

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Categories

Archives