How to prevent employee burnout? Effective methods

The competitive labor market forces organizations to pursue policies aimed at meeting the expectations of their employees. Although it may seem that manual workers are easy to replace, in reality, committed and motivated production workers are worth their weight in gold to companies. However, it turns out that this group of dedicated and ambitious people is most vulnerable to burnout when they feel stagnant. What measures should be taken to prevent employee burnout?

Interesting information on burnout is provided in the publication Burnout – a problem of our times, prepared by the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers in cooperation with other experts. Two groups were studied – management staff and lower-level employees. The publication reveals, among other things, that companies do not know how to take care of their employees’ mental health – as many as 53% to 70% of organizations have no policy to combat burnout. At the same time, less than half of managers and less than one-third of employees say that they can count on an atmosphere of openness and respect and comfortable working conditions in their company.

Respectively, 24% of managers and 28% of employees consider their work stressful, which means that approximately one in four respondents is at risk of burnout. The survey also provided important information about the possible causes of communication problems and mutual misunderstanding between management and employees. The survey asked who, in the respondents’ opinion, is most at risk of burnout. In this case, 47% of employees indicated that burnout can affect anyone, but to a lesser extent it will affect board members and directors. Managers gave completely opposite answers – in their opinion, directors (52%), board members (45%), and managers (45%) are the most susceptible to burnout.

Employees are much more likely to report experiencing burnout (46%) than managers (23%). This may mean that burnout affects lower-level employees twice as often as managers.

The question about the stigma surrounding burnout also yields unpleasant conclusions. As many as 20% of managers and 27% of employees say they are ashamed of the reaction of those around them and the consequences from their employer if they admit to burnout syndrome. The conclusions are obvious – if companies want to protect their employees from burnout, they need to work on their internal work policies.

Burnout occurs primarily in people who have been very hard-working, ambitious, motivated, and committed to their duties. The change occurs when employees no longer feel satisfaction from their work, see no opportunity for further development, and feel physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted.

The causes of burnout can be divided into two groups: individual causes related to the employee’s personality and external causes resulting from the malfunctioning of the organization.

The causes of burnout include:

• environmental factors,
• impaired self-esteem,
• tendencies toward excessive competition,
• excessive commitment to work,
• overwork and exhaustion,
• lack of success and development at work,
• feeling of lack of influence on the situation,
• perfectionism and excessive responsibility,
• low self-esteem,
• lack of job satisfaction,
• lack of work-life balance,
• too many responsibilities,
• low pay.

Employee burnout means a loss of motivation, reduced efficiency, and dissatisfaction with work. However, before the typical symptoms of burnout appear, there are some warning signs that can be observed in the employee. These include, among others:

• a subjective feeling of overwork,
• a lack of desire to work and reluctance to go to work,
• a feeling of isolation and loneliness,
• negative thoughts,
• negative attitudes towards other people,
• impatience, irritability, and annoyance,
• frequent illnesses.

The typical symptoms of burnout can be divided into four groups: physical, emotional, social, and work-related.

The physical symptoms of burnout include:

• frequent feelings of fatigue,
• frequent headaches or muscle pain,
• frequent gastrointestinal problems,
• changes in appetite,
• sleep problems,
• reduced immunity.

Emotional symptoms of burnout include:

• feelings of helplessness,
• doubt in one’s own abilities,
• loss of motivation and satisfaction,
• feelings of loneliness, cynical and negative attitude.

Social symptoms of burnout include:

• isolating oneself from others,
• taking out one’s frustrations on others,
• difficulty establishing relationships.

The above symptoms of burnout are caused by work, but they also spill over from the professional sphere into the private sphere. They can therefore also affect family and friendship relationships.

Symptoms of burnout directly related to work include:

• failure to fulfill responsibilities,
• lack of punctuality,
• reduced work efficiency,
• general lack of enthusiasm for work,
• negativity.

It is very difficult to find a solution once an employee is already experiencing the effects of burnout. That is why preventing burnout should play a key role in any organization. What strategies for avoiding burnout at work are worth adopting in order to enjoy a strong and motivated workforce?

It is difficult to combat a problem without being aware of its existence. Preventing employee burnout should include measures aimed at informing staff (e.g., in newsletters, leaflets, on notice boards) about the possibility of burnout, its causes, and symptoms. Employees need to know that their employer is not ignoring the risks and is taking active measures to prevent burnout among their staff. Employee support programs, which allow employees to seek help or advice in difficult situations, can be an excellent solution in this case.

Work will always involve stress, but employers should do everything they can to minimize the impact of stress on their employees’ work. Constant changes that are difficult to keep up with, demanding work beyond the capabilities of employees, an unpleasant atmosphere, punishment for the slightest transgressions, and excessive exploitation lead to physical and mental exhaustion. Reducing stressors is one of the key factors in preventing burnout.

Showing genuine interest in employees and appreciating their efforts at work reinforces their sense of importance to their employer. Planning a career path in a selected position using carefully designed competency matrices, enabling development and promotion increases motivation and job satisfaction, and also makes employees believe more strongly in their own abilities.

For production employees, the first point of contact is their immediate supervisor. Even the best-organized HR department will not be able to retain an employee who encounters problems in their relationship with their manager. When selecting management staff, it is worth carefully verifying the soft skills of candidates – empathy and openness to the needs of employees are solid foundations for preventing burnout among subordinates.

The problem of burnout most often affects people who are committed to their duties. A carefully thought-out policy to counteract burnout will allow the organization to retain the most dedicated employees, whose work translates into better stability and efficiency of the entire plant.

Bibliography:

https://zpp.net.pl/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Raport_WZNC_2022_digital_poprawiony.pdf;
https://www.humanitas.edu.pl/resources/upload/dokumenty/Wydawnictwo/Zarzadzanie_zeszyt/Zarz%201_2013%20podzielone/znanska.pdf;
http://piz.san.edu.pl/docs/e-XI-1.pdf#page=23.