Making ends meet has always been challenging, whether you’re a veteran in your line of work or someone who just recently got into the fold. After all, with how quickly life moves, it’s not surprising that different employees start lagging, struggling to keep up with the demand. And this causes employers—even the workforce—to view consistency as a unique quality to possess in the workplace.
However, the more they focus on ‘the grind,’ the more likely they’ll neglect the rest of their needs, considering how time-consuming most jobs are. So, these workers will end up sacrificing a significant portion of themselves for the sake of work. Although this dedication is admirable, working harder instead of smarter will leave anyone squeezed dry, draining any previous passion you have for your work.
What Is Burnout?
Even the most refined and advanced pieces of technology eventually lose their steam the more frequently they’re used. So, who’s to say it’s impossible for humans to get worn down? Every year, the quantity of people burning themselves out continues to go strong with no signs of slowing down. Because, as mentioned earlier, life continues to move faster than ever. And at the rate it’s in, society has no choice but to go along. Otherwise, people might be dealt with the consequences.
The term ‘burnout’ is suitable for its condition since it’s described as bone-deep exhaustion that goes beyond a tired physical body. Because other than that aspect, one’s emotional and mental health is also compromised. Since your mental wellbeing is heavily affected, it’s not surprising for your mood to take a nosedive, leaving behind dread and hopelessness in its wake.
However, with your typical burnout finally described, you’re probably wondering, ‘what is employee burnout?’ While it’s not any different from total physical and mental exhaustion, what catalyzes that reaction is more concentrated within the workplace. It can be having no control over your work schedule, poor work culture, a severe lack of balance between personal and work life, and the usual overworking yourself until you drop.
Ways To Address Burnout And Increase Productivity
As you can see, despite the mentioned causes staying within the workplace, there’s still enough to leave any employee staggering. For many reasons, it can only worsen their dissatisfaction with work faster the longer these issues remain unresolved. In the end, it improves the chances of burnout to set it.
It’s easy to say that this problem demands to be maintained as soon as possible. But considering how many components are involved, you might think this is a lot more trouble than it’s worth. Therefore, you must know how this solution can impact workforce productivity.
1. Focus On The Employee’s Health
Burnout is an issue that’s not as obvious as having low paychecks or packed work schedules. Because as mentioned earlier, burnout is a culmination of different factors that deepen the employee’s exhaustion until they reach a breaking point. A severe mental breakdown, prolonged depression, demotivation—this breaking point is shown differently from one person to another. But the fact remains: burnout can easily ruin one’s health.
Since burnout targets the employee’s mental health the most, it could cause a hormone imbalance that hinders them from performing the essentials. Loss of appetite, unmotivated to stay on top of hygiene, dehydration—these are only some of the signs that show the extent of burnout in one’s health. And the longer they remain burned out, the more severe these signs get.
Dealing with employee burnout encourages the workforce to open their eyes and finally consider their health. Once they do, their wellbeing eventually improves, whereas the path towards burnout slowly gets closed off now that they’re aware of the outcome.
2. Their Emotional Well-being Impacts Their Performance
With burnout affecting their wellbeing, it’s a no-brainer why the employee’s work performance is affected. After all, you need sound cognitive functions to perform smoothly. Since burnout causes one’s health to decline, there won’t be enough nutrients to ensure your brain functions stay well-oiled. Thus, it impacts how they do in the workplace.
Although there are a lot of factors that contribute to employee burnout, nipping them directly from the bud is far from impossible. As long as it’s discussed properly, the likelihood of burnout might significantly decrease. And now that open communication is promoted in the workplace, that’s already one step toward improvement.
3. Evaluate How Employees Cope At Work
Everyone has different coping mechanisms hidden in their sleeves. Whether it’s as harmless as fidgeting with a toy or something as financially debilitating as letting your impulsive side run wild while shopping, there are various ways for people to cope when under extreme pressure. However, that’s not to say that all of them are healthy.
Considering your livelihood is found in the workplace, it’s understandable why employees get distressed while doing their jobs. But even though it’s natural for stress to linger in every corner of the office, there are more components that could kick up everyone’s stress levels, especially if the demands are high most of the time.
If this is the case, employers can conduct a one-on-one discussion to know employees’ concerns. At the same time, evaluating how employees cope when experiencing work-related stress allows the management to formulate the necessary solution. By doing so, the employees may feel at ease knowing their concerns are heard and addressed. A safe and comfortable environment impacts their productivity as well.
4. Work Influences Their Relationships
It’s a common theme during adulthood for there to have so much to do in such a small timeframe. Because besides paying the bills, there’s also the social aspect of your life you need to stay on top of.
But if your work demands more of your time, how else can you squeeze in your relationships? And considering everyone has different thought processes, you can’t fault your relationships for getting upset the longer you continue prioritizing your job. So, not only are you depriving yourself of your peers, but you’re also ruining your relationships in one fell swoop. And this experience only serves to feed your burnout.
That said, providing incentives can serve as the employee’s motivation. Note that it doesn’t have to be monetary. It can be added break hour or a coupon that they can use to reward themselves after a busy day.
5. It Improves Their Mindfulness
With so many aspects of one’s life affected by burnout, actively resolving it requires a lot of dedication and soul-searching. After all, admitting you’re exhausted is never easy, especially if you keep kicking yourself for ‘failing’ something that society expects you to do.
While getting to the root problem of burnout is crucial, it also encourages the employees to be more thoughtful about themselves. Therefore, boosting your relationship with yourself in the process.
Takeaway
With how life continues to go faster and faster, it’s already a huge achievement to catch up to it on time. However, not everyone is equipped to keep up with it. So, as a result, persevering alongside everyone else will only leave those unequipped burnt out with mental scars, to boot. Considering the workplace is the only place that guarantees people’s survival, it’s a no-brainer why so many employees get burnt out. And this should prove why dealing with it boosts their productivity.
