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Avoiding Workplace Burnout

Provided by the career experts at Accountemps

In today’s hectic workplace, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Many firms are trying to stay competitive despite economic pressures, reduced staff, growing workloads, shorter deadlines, personnel issues and budget limitations. These challenges eventually take a toll. According to a recent survey by our company, 70 per cent of executives polled said the average employee is at least somewhat overburdened. One in 10 said the workload is significantly too heavy.

Have you noticed your employees “burning the midnight oil” or working through lunch often? If so, you may want to examine the overall stress level of your department and take some preventive measures to avoid burnout.

Some stress is expected in any job. However, when it’s frequent without any sign of subsiding, employees can become physically or emotionally exhausted, which is the definition of burnout. Long work hours can lead to poor morale, reduced productivity and turnover issues. Here are some warning signs that your team may be running on empty:

An increase in tardiness or absenteeism
A noticeable change for the worse in morale
Uncharacteristic emotional outbursts from employees who are normally calm
Increased customer complaints about the quality of services or products
Increased turnover

Managers committed to retaining valued staff members should watch for behaviours that indicate an overworked staff and then make required changes quickly. The following tips can help:

Open communication between management and employees. Employees should not feel intimidated about voicing their concerns regarding working conditions. A suggestion box that is checked regularly is helpful for those who prefer an anonymous approach, but one-on-one interaction is still a better way to get to the root of problems and encourage information exchange. Let employees know that they can come to you to discuss workload issues and that their careers won’t suffer if they ask for assistance.
Make objectives clear. One of the most common reasons people feel overwhelmed is that clear directions or expectations are not provided. When you issue an assignment, spell out as many details as you can without telling them how to do the job, which can be equally stressful if they are not given the freedom to alter approaches a bit to accommodate unforeseen obstacles. Bear in mind that many employees are embarrassed to ask questions because they are afraid of appearing incompetent. In addition, give them more control by allowing them to make decisions and take action as needed.
Assess the workload. If a few of your employees are always working overtime, try to determine the reason. You may need to help them reprioritize projects or find people who can pitch in. You might also consider brining in a temporary worker to assist staff members who are overwhelmed.
Be up-front about unpleasant assignments. Accept the fact that not all tasks your employees are expected to complete will be pleasant for them. And when you have to give undesirable assignments, don’t minimize them, and prepare your team members in advance. If an especially large project comes up that may require working additional hours, employees will appreciate knowing about it ahead of time.
Help the balancing act. Offer perks and time-management assistance such as telecommuting or alternative work schedules as appropriate. When employees are given flexibility in meeting their personal and professional demands, they’ll feel less burdened and be empowered to devote quality time to these activities.
Break it up. Employees who skip daily breaks will burn out over the long term. Encourage staff to pause for lunch and try to be a role model for this behaviour.
Encourage career advancement. Make sure employees know about opportunities to advance in your company and offer your assistance in helping them achieve their career goals. Working toward established objectives can keep morale high and boost retention.
Celebrate and reward success. Show employees you appreciate their hard work. Small gestures that cost little or nothing — such as a team celebration at the end of a major project or public recognition of an individual’s achievement during a staff meeting — can go a long way to keep people satisfied in their jobs and committed to exceeding expectations.
Conduct exit interviews. An exit interview with an employee who quits can give you insight into company problems that you may not be able to get elsewhere. The exit interview should be conducted by the highest-level manager who had contact with that particular employee.

While it may be impossible to eliminate all workplace stress at your company, recognizing the early signs of employee burnout and taking steps to address them can go a long way in creating a positive work environment and retaining valued staff members.

Accountemps is the world's first and largest specialized financial temporary staffing firm for accounting and financial professionals. Accountemps offers online job search services at www.accountemps.com. For more information, please contact us at 1.800.803.8367.