Is Your Staff Burned Out? Four Positive Ways to Boost Morale

Burned out employees lose their edge. Simply put, they become apathetic, moody and unsatisfied with their work. Productivity suffers and creativity becomes non-existent. Understandably, burnout is a situation you want to avoid at your workplace at all costs.

How to recognize signs of burnout

If you can identify employees who are inching dangerously close to burnout, you can take steps to reverse the process. Ideally, you’ll want to prevent it all together. Burned out employees may have the following qualities in common:

• They come in late and leave right on time or even a little early.
• They frequently call in sick.
• Their output becomes a fraction of what it once was.
• They no longer generate great ideas—they may stop contributing at meetings and brainstorming sessions.
• They become irritable, argumentative and withdrawn.
• Overall, they show signs of being unhappy.

Four ways to prevent burnout and boost morale

If you see any of these red flags, take steps to protect your employees, reduce their stress levels and avoid burnout. Here’s what you can do:

1. Ensure they take breaks and vacation. All employees—even the best and brightest—need time to recharge their batteries. Every day, your staff should take their scheduled breaks, especially lunch. Encourage your workers to get outside, or even leave the building for their lunch or a coffee break. And always mandate that staff take their allotted vacation time. Letting the mind relax is essential to its functioning.
2. Maintain a full staff. Overworked employees may quickly become burned out—leading to turnover and compounding the problem. Ensure you have adequate staff to get everything done, and that tasks are properly distributed.
3. Offer growth opportunities. Your top performers may get bored with the day to day. Provide training and educational opportunities to help them acquire new skills. It’s also a good idea to promote from within, so your staff has something to work towards. The possibly of job advancement is very motivating.
4. Keep your door open. Be available for your workers in case they have questions or concerns. Sometimes, you may not realize an employee is unhappy until they tell you, so keep clear lines of communication and encourage your workers to come to you for help if they need it.

Need to round out your staff?

If you’ve recently lost employees and need to replenish your staffing levels in Georgetown, KY and beyond, contact Hamilton-Ryker. We work with our clients to understand your staffing needs and find a solution that works. To learn more, contact us today to work with an experienced recruiter.