Employee burnout has become a topic of frequent discussion and is identified as a leading cause of employee turnover. The pandemic, working from home, and the blurring of the work-life boundaries have contributed to the problem. A recent article in the Human Resources Executive newsletter provided some good suggestions on how to avoid employee burnout. (1) Here is a summary:
- Ensure employees are given time off to “completely unplug and take their minds off work.”
- Allow employees some flexibility to define their workday.
- Instead of 30 or 60-minute virtual meetings, schedule 25 or 50-minute meetings to allow employees to have breaks between virtual meetings.
- Utilize communication tools that will allow employees to indicate whether they are online/working or are unavailable.
- Encourage managers to set real priorities instead of labeling every project as urgent.
- Create opportunities for employees to express what they need and set parameters that are clear.
- Examine the necessity of meetings, whether other forms of communication are more appropriate than some meetings, and who needs to attend particular meetings.
(1) https://hrexecutive.com/4-ways-your-managers-can-help-combat-employee-burnout/