Here it is just a few weeks into 2017 and are you already noticing that your team members are becoming overwhelmed, stressed and possibly even plain burned out?
If so, your folks aren’t the only ones experiencing what many consider to be one of the top three banes of modern life: a full two-thirds of America’s workers report that they feel high levels of stress.
via GIPHY
Worker Burnout is a HUGE Issue for Employers
No manager or business owner wants to see her team members stressed and burned out. Work should be more than just a paycheck and a place to make an impact on the world: it should bring a sense of meaning, community and, yes, even joy. (All within the context of getting things done, of course!)
Yet while managers sympathize with employees under stress, worker burnout is a huge issue for many companies: workplace stress can cost companies billions each year in missed work and healthcare.
What Causes Burnout and How Can You Prevent It?
Several things can cause burnout, including overwork, lack of control, under-appreciation, lack of focus or direction from their managers, stressful personal or family issues, patronizing colleagues, even boredom.
As for preventing burnout among your employees, we’ve put together a short list of some things you can do keep worker stress low and – when stress does appear, which it always does – help alleviate it.
1. Model stress-busting behavior and techniques yourself. 💆🏻
Stress can be contagious, so if you use and promote stress-reducing activities yourself (mindfulness and resilience training, for example), your team members will take note and follow your lead. You also may want to encourage at-work activities that can relieve stress such as walking meetings, placing considerable buffer time into deadlines, etc.
2. Make sure your employees know that you appreciate their work. 👍🏻
Also, offer opportunities for advancement, recognition programs, seminars/educational opportunities to learn new skills, and so on.In addition, a great way to help employees focus on the fun aspects of their work is to downplay its negative aspects while emphasizing the positives. In other words, talk about the exciting projects rather than the drudge work. Doing so will help employees keep the things they love about their jobs at the forefront of their minds.
3. Encourage employees to take vacation days. ✈️
Too many workers in the U.S. (55 percent) don’t take advantage of all of their available vacation days. Vacation – a true break where the employee is not in touch with the office at all – can be a great way to relieve stress and recharge one’s mind, body and spirit. An employee will return tanned, rested, energized, and ready to get back to her tasks and projects.(If any of your team members need a bit of incentive to take time off, let them know that the U.S. Travel Association found that those workers who take all of their vacation time actually increase their chances of getting a pay raise and/or promotion by 6.5 percent.)
Take a Vacation from Your Inbound Marketing Tasks
Most Michigan-based companies have very small marketing teams – departments made up of one or two people are not unheard of – and it could be very easy for workers to burn out as they work on all the strategies inbound requires.
Reduce the stress on your team members and partner with us to enjoy the benefits inbound provides. Contact Ingenex Digital Marketing, a Detroit-area inbound marketing agency, today.
