Ever heard your employees mutter – “I’m tired”, “I’m not making a difference”, or “I don’t care anymore”? Staff burnout could be spreading through the workplace quicker than you think.
Burnout is often misunderstood or stigmatised and is eventually costly to both employee wellbeing and business productivity. However, it is preventable! Understanding what is at the root of workplace burnout and how to recognise the early warning signs means employers can be ready to provide the best support and ensure it doesn’t get out of control.
To help you get prepared for any burnout outbreaks, we’ve created a practical guide detailing what workplace burnout is, how to identify it, and what you can do to help your staff.
Looking for employee benefits to help support your staff’s health and mental wellbeing? Our friendly team of experts can help. Email hello@hoorayinsurance.co.uk or use the chatbox in the bottom right.
What is staff burnout?
Sixty-eight per cent of UK adults mistakenly identify burnout symptoms as anxiety, so getting the right support before it becomes a serious issue can be tricky. Below we have listed the initial warning signs to watch out for to help identify workplace burnout:
- Procrastination
- Repeated self-doubt
- Increased absenteeism
- Increased negativity/a cynical outlook
- Irritable reactions/sensitivity to feedback
- Poor sleep habits
- Inability to make decisions
- Increased repeated mistakes
- Decreased productivity levels
- Loss of motivation/enthusiasm for the company or job role
- Detached from workplace culture
Employee burnout is usually characterised by three main traits: exhaustion, cynicism, and ineffectiveness – but each employee is different and will express stress and poor wellbeing in their own way. Staff will often express feeling overwhelmed and unable to handle the responsibilities and demands of their role, and this can easily develop into extreme physical and emotional exhaustion.
So, why is staff burnout often overlooked? It can be difficult to diagnose and differentiate from the usual inevitable stresses and strains that come from working. It’s possible that even staff might not recognise they have a problem until it’s too late.
The underlying causes of burnout include:
- Heavy workloads and extreme deadline pressures
- Role conflict / confusion
- Lack of constructive support from managers – feedback, participation, recognition
- Financial worries
- Lack of personal boundaries (often due to working from home)
- Worries about job security
- Physical health
- Relationships
- Sleep
- Feelings of isolation / lack of inclusion
- Inflexible schedules
- Micromanaging / unfair treatment
Why is burnout an important issue?
In short, having an energised, motivated, and happy workforce will help drive business success. Jobs are more likely to get done in time, and staff are more likely to remain loyal to your company – and recommend it to others.
More than 70% of employees have reported feeling burnt out, and said that their employers aren’t doing enough to address this issue. Burnout is a common occurrence and will only progress into something worse as time goes on – addressing it is a necessity for successful businesses!
The big question is: how?
How to tackle workplace burnout
All companies should look at how they can provide the best workplace environment for their staff. There are three key elements to this: wellbeing, lifestyle and rewards, and workplace culture.
Wellbeing support:
- Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) – promotes self-care and easy stress management tools
- Employee Benefits Platforms – provides a range of benefits within an online system which is easy to access for staff
- Health Cash Plans – a lower cost type of health insurance designed to support everyday health needs (physiotherapy, counselling, acupuncture and more)
- 1-2-1 counselling sessions – can be provided within Cash Plans or EAPs or offered as a standalone service.
- Apps / online mental health services – usually included within EAPs and benefits platforms but can be purchased separately too.
Lifestyle and rewards:
- Flexible working arrangements
- Extra holiday
- Parental and care leave / support options
- Travel expenses
- Employee discounts / voucher schemes
- Bonuses for hitting predefined targets or contributing towards a positive workplace **
- Celebrating employee achievements
Everyday workplace changes:
- Regular 1-2-1 walking meetings – staff feel open to discuss stress and any other issues
- Monitor workloads and scheduling – consistently overloading staff could backfire!
- Seek regular feedback from staff to monitor any issues
- Reduce workplace stigma through open communication and regular group meetings
- Arrange social gatherings outside of the workplace so that staff can express themselves in a relaxed environment
- Team lunches / workplace events – strengthen connections between staff and vary the working week/month
- Maintain work boundaries by discouraging out of hours email correspondence.
** This one can be tricky as you don’t want to add any extra pressure if staff are starting to feel overwhelmed. Nonetheless, offering bonuses and rewards can help staff feel that their hard work and skill is valued.
Check out what else is on offer: 23+ work perks which help keep employees happy & healthy.
What are employees asking for?
When it comes to providing the right support for employees, a holistic approach is always going to create the best results. However, we got the lowdown on what employees felt would most benefit their mental wellbeing in our recent survey:
- 57% said access to mental health services
- 49% said flexible working options
- 38% said extra holiday
- 30% said good pension scheme
- 20% said free / discounted gym membership
These results reveal how each aspect of an employee’s life (financial, physical, mental) all contribute towards mental wellbeing and need addressing to avoid burnout.
Need more help protecting your teams?
It’s time to take the issue of employee burnout seriously! Not only will it help employees, it will help your business too. The first step can be as simple as small workplace changes that improve the working environment and can act as a pressure valve even during those busy times.
Employee benefits also have a major role to play. Setting up the right scheme requires an understanding of what will best support your employees and, in turn, your company. At Hooray Health & Protection, we provide FREE quotes and one-to-one advice to ensure you receive the employee benefits which are the perfect fit for your small business. We take the time to get to know you and your company and work with you to provide the right benefits at the right price.
Contact Hooray Health & Protection on 01273 222805 or email us at hello@hoorayinsurance.co.uk for the best deals and lowest prices.