While companies continue to navigate the Great Resignation, focusing on strategies to increase employee retention will be more important than ever. According to Business Insider, burnout is the number one reason cited for employees leaving their jobs, which means finding ways to actively mitigate these feelings will be a key factor in improving talent retention moving forward.
Luckily, burnout isn't inevitable, and with the right structures put in place, companies can help their employees alleviate exhaustion and fatigue in the workplace. This is not only significant for retention but for your operational efficiency as a whole.
Here are five ways to manage burnout in your organization to ensure you don't lose your best people:
1. Promote a healthy work-life balance
It's critical for your workforce to find the proper work-life balance to reduce stress and maintain morale. Employers can support this initiative by helping their employees prioritize certain responsibilities or projects to ensure they have time for a life outside of the office. This is vital to keep employees happy and loyal long-term — considering companies that support and offer a proper work-life balance have 25% less employee turnover, according to a report from TonerBuzz.
2. Open your lines of communication
When employees begin to show signs of burnout, such as fatigue, absenteeism isolation and irritability, it can be difficult to determine what exactly is causing these feelings. Getting to the root of the issue will be the linchpin in working towards fixing the problem. Implementing an open-door policy is essential to improve communication with your workforce and identify what needs to be done to boost morale and support employee well-being.
3. Provide flexible working options
Hybrid work options and other work-from-home opportunities are increasingly sought after by employees, and providing them is an effective way to curb burnout at your company. This gives your workers the opportunity to save time and money from commuting while putting more energy into other parts of their lives. A report from Findstack showed that utilizing flexible working arrangements is even advantageous for your overall retention, as 74% of workers say the option to work remotely would make them less likely to leave a company.
4. Prioritize your employee's well-being
Working in times of uncertainty is typically a great source of anxiety and stress for employees. This can quickly lead to feelings of burnout — which is detrimental to your bottom line. Putting your workers' well-being at the forefront of your initiatives might include introducing a wellness program, offering mindfulness training and fostering a supportive company culture. Not only is this an effective way to curb organizational burnout, but also to boost morale and, subsequently, increase employee loyalty.
5. Monitor workloads and ensure expectations are reasonable
One of the main causes of burnout is an overwhelming workload. Unreasonable expectations combined with excessive amounts of work can make your employees feel as if they are failing or underachieving, which can quickly develop into severe burnout. By monitoring workloads and scheduling, managers can ensure their workers don't have too much on their plate at one time and have the chance to reach their full potential.
Mitigating feelings of burnout in your company will be crucial for retaining your top talent long-term — which will prove invaluable as the Great Resignation continues.