Business Description
Heavy workload, targets, deadlines, pressure are a part of a management life. Most of the times it leaves us feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and stretched. Employees usually express it in two ways – either they tend to doubt their own work and value in the organization or they start questioning the processes of the organization. This stage then leads to a weakening state termed as burnout, which not only affects one’s performance but also her/his well-being both professionally and personally.
First of all, the companies need to understand that burnout is not a personal issue; rather it’s a macro-level issue and it can affect the functioning of the organization as a whole. Secondly, burnout is not something that an employee will be able to handle on his own. Both, the employee and the manager has to work on fixing it together. Besides working on it, the manager also needs to define ways to resolve burnout at the organization level. Let’s look at a few ways that a manager can help in fixing/preventing this.
Signs –
The signs of burnout are pretty evident in some people. Keep an eye out for complains of tiredness, mood swings, hostility, lack of focus, lack of interest, etc. Keep a regular check when it comes to your team’s intellectual, physical and emotional energy levels.
Support –
Discuss your expectations with flexibility on how, when and where the work needs to be done. Protect your team from external pressures like demanding Clients and unreasonable deadlines. Create an environment that would help them to work without disturbances and interruptions.
Workload –
Check your team’s combined capacity, and make sure that the deadlines and targets do not exceed it. Also, check for profile-person mismatch i.e. has the employee been doing the work which is not suitable for her/his skill set? Encourage your team to set reasonable working hours and abide by them. Introduce policies like work rotation which cuts down on the stagnancy attached with one’s work and also helps in enhancing the skills of the team members in different areas.
Learning -
Conduct regular workshops at work that would be in sync with the latest developments of the industry. Share your learning and your plan with the team. Ask your team to create a goal chart and discuss the same with them on regular intervals. This will help your team members grow along with the organization.
Communicate –
Have an open door policy at work where team members are comfortable in discussing topics with their seniors irrespective of the hierarchy. Ask for your team’s inputs and support for important decisions and initiatives.
Recognition –
Acknowledge every success, even the smaller ones. Reward people for their own performance and also for helping others. Implement a regular Rewards and Recognition process where employees are awarded for their efforts on a regular basis.
Culture –
Create a work culture that’s based on ethics, respect and compassion. Focus on ensuring that there is no lapse in the value system of the company or the employees and this should begin from the stage of talent acquisition itself. Do not accept disrespectful behaviour. Conduct employee engagement programs to keep team members motivated and to create a sense of belonging with the organization.
It’s the manager’s responsibility to create a healthy environment in the organization where an employee is comfortable in working and is also made aware that he is valued. It’s only then the ratio of burnout cases would start to diminish.
SILA along with its Facility Management services, Turnkey Interior Contracting, and Project Management has launched its new vertical SILA Engage which is one of the employee engagement companies in Mumbai.
