5 Ways to Prevent Burnout in Your Employees
When someone feels burned out, what they may actually be feeling is the psychological and physical condition that is more accurately called HPA axis dysfunction (previously known as adrenal fatigue). If you suspect that someone on your team is burned out, it likely means they’ve been under a considerable amount of stress for a long period of time. This stress has taken its toll on them and it’s keeping them from performing effectively and feeling their best.
Obviously, you want your employees to be happy and healthy. A happy and healthy employee has the energy and enthusiasm to perform to the best of their abilities, their minds are sharp and focused, and they stay at their jobs longer. Who wouldn’t want that? But stress is a part of any workplace. So, the question is: How do you help your employees better manage stress and prevent burnout?
1. Know the signs and symptoms
As I mentioned before, burnout is a real medical condition called HPA axis dysfunction. Your employee isn’t just whining, their whole hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis is taxed! Be mindful of these symptoms:
Decreased ability to cope with stress. Stress is a normal part of life and most of the time we can handle it. Managing stress is the job of cortisol, our stress response hormone. If we’ve been under stress for a long period of time, however, our HPA axis is no longer able to keep up with the demand for cortisol and we can no longer cope as well with stress.
Fatigue. When you hear someone constantly complaining that they’re tired or if you notice that your team member is using caffeine to make it through the day, take note. HPA axis dysfunction can cause your natural circadian rhythms to get out of balance. When this happens, you might feel tired during the day, but struggle to sleep at night. It can become a vicious cycle that is hard to get out of.
Decreased problem-solving ability. If your star employee seems to be struggling to stay on top of things or has trouble solving problems, this is a sign that stress is taking its toll.
Calling in sick more frequently. When cortisol is working hard to try and manage stress, it depresses other key functions, including the immune system. Your employee isn’t faking it. Stress is literally making them sick.
Ok, now you know some of the key symptoms, but what can you do about it?
2. Listen without trying to solve the problem
Have a meaningful conversation with your employee to find out how they are handling stress both at work and at home. Just listen. Don’t try to jump in and fix the problem. You hired smart people. They know what they need. Given the space, your employee can likely come up with creative solutions themselves, but they need to know that you are open to them. Let them know that you want to support them. Listen for what they need. Do they have solutions that you can consider? Be open-minded and non-judgmental.
3. Explore options that reduce their stress
Employees quit because they don’t feel like they have another option. Give them options. Help them explore creative ways to accomplish their work goals. Brainstorm with them to create a list of options so they have choices and possibilities. How can they get assistance, delegate, or have more flexibility so they can find balance?
Know that time is a huge consideration here. Your employee needs options that include time for self-care. They may also need time off work to relax and rejuvenate or some flex time so they can be at home when needed. Helping them find time and flexibility to prevent burnout, will save you time in on-boarding a new employee!
4. Don’t penalize them for cutting back
A healthy, balanced employee who can focus on 1-2 goals and knock them out of the park is worth 10 employees who have multiple goals but can’t keep up with them and manage them effectively.
It is your job as their manager to be their advocate. If your employee feels burned out because they have too many hoops to jump through to get simple things accomplished, remove those blocks, simplify things for them, and eliminate busy work. Understand the key goals that need to be met and what is standing in their way of meeting those goals. How can you help them reduce excessive amounts of email, time wasted in unproductive meetings, and red tape?
Remember that the workload you’ve put on your employee may be part of the problem that is causing these health issues. Help them find solutions. They need to know that you are supporting them and that they won’t be penalized on their performance review for saying “No” to additional work or for cutting back on their already overloaded schedule.
5. Provide tools and resources
Remind your employee of simple tools that have been proven to reduce stress such as breathing techniques and light exercise. He or she will need to care for themselves with healthy foods, adequate sleep, and a real focus on reducing their stress. It’s a good idea to let them know what resources are available to help them in the ways that you can’t. Doctors, counselors, and health coaches can all be great resources for helping your employee reduce stress and care for themselves in ways that are outside of your job description.