In recent years, the corporate world has seen a major influx of employees who quit or stop performing to their full capacity due to employee burnout. To counter this, many companies have adopted various systems and ideas that are designed to eliminate inefficiency but have no real impact on the root cause of the problem. With hopes of becoming leaner yet more efficient, companies have started to push their employees and set standards that stretch them beyond their capabilities. Unfortunately, these same businesses often do not realize that they are working against themselves. 

As an analogy, one might think of the humble light bulb. While it plays an important role in our day-to-day lives, this piece of technology cannot be left on for extended periods without risking a burn-out. That is why we rarely leave lights on when not required to conserve the vital components inside of them, so they continue to work when we most need them. This is often the same approach that businesses should take when dealing with their employees to prevent the same results from occurring. Overworking employees and expecting complete effort always will only hurt you in the long run. 

While many corporate leaders think that employee burnout is not a real problem, several physical and mental symptoms can be observed when an employee feels overworked. In turn, these symptoms can start taking a serious toll on the organization. Commonly, symptoms are described by employees as “flu-like” and lead to headaches or fatigue; however, some employees may call in sick just to ensure they get a break from the stressors of work. With this in mind, what should organizations be doing to ensure their employees are suffering from burnout and continue to give their all when needed? 

First and foremost, businesses need to ensure they are not creating an environment in which their employees are expected to push themselves past the brink consistently just to meet project deadlines or complete a task. While the first thought may be to decrease workloads placed on individual employees, this also is not always the best approach. Instead, consider implementing flexible hours or extending more opportunities for vacation time to ensure they can unwind when they need it most, even if that means just taking vacation time for mental health days to simply unwind. 

In addition to more accommodating work schedules, organizations need to ensure they are rewarding their employees with positive feedback for their ideas and input. Good work should always be incentivized to ensure that your employees feel like they are working for more than just a paycheck. For organizations that are truly worried about productivity, this is often the best approach because it creates a healthier work-life balance for employees instead of encouraging to devote themselves fully to their career. Once implemented, the results are undeniable and job satisfaction levels will be higher than ever before. 

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At Certified Source, we go above and beyond to make sure our clients are protected and experience service excellence. All our staff members are Certified Staffing Professionals credentialed by the American Staffing Association. Our laser focus on quality and service excellence are the differentiators that have our clients relying on us as the emerging leader in the industry.