How to manage the risk of burnout in your team

Burnout. I think it's safe to say we have all been there at least once in our careers!

After the past three years of on-again, off-again stress, no holidays, and an ever-evolving health crisis looming over us, burnout has become even more apparent among employees than ever before. So, how can you as an employer reduce the chance of your staff burning out, or even better - remove the risk altogether?

There are many steps to reducing and removing the possibility of burnout, read on to find our top 3 recommendations.

Have regular check-in meetings with your staff

This doesn’t need to be an hour-long meeting three times a week. It only needs to be a simple, open conversation between employer and employee. Make these a regular occurrence and ensure your staff know that it’s a safe space, so they open up to you about their pain points and stresses. Having a weekly check-in meeting will encourage your staff to be honest with you about how they’re feeling. It will give them the assurance that they are a valued employee and not just another 'number cruncher'.

Ensure staff doing overtime are compensated

We all need to work extra hours from time to time. If your staff are continually working outside of usual office hours, make sure you thank them for going the extra mile, and where you can offer them some kind of compensation. This can come in many forms – time off in lieu, flexibility to start late or finish early, or even a one-off bonus.

If you notice your staff working crazy hours regularly i.e., every month-end, you could consider taking a look at the processes involved and identify where these could be optimised/streamlined to ensure a smoother run for next time. If there are opportunities to make process improvements, seek out suggestions from your team as they are likely to have some good ideas. This will help them to feel that their opinions are valued and could lead to them developing additional skills by helping to implement these changes.

Hire some support

If your staff are screaming out for extra support, and you don't want to lose them because of burn-out - listen to them! Explore all of your options to rectify the situation. If you know a peak period is approaching (i.e. year-end, yearly audit, a key team member being away), look at preparing for these ahead of time as best you can. Is there work that could be done in advance to reduce stress during a critical time? Could you cross-train multiple team members so the additional workload is shared? Could you get a temporary resource in to give you an extra pair of hands?

By being open with your team and considering all of your options, you will show your team that you value them and are trying everything you can to ensure they don’t struggle.

If you want more information on our temporary hiring process please click here.

If you would like to discuss any additional ways to help your team, please get in touch with Richard Lloyd on 02 8324 5640.