Reduce Employee Burnout in Your Small Business

How does a business owner reduce employee burnout?

Make no mistake about it: Employee burnout is very real; it’s costing your small business a lot more money than you realize. It’s also not a problem that you’re necessarily going to be able to buy your way out of, either. It does affect your bottom line.

What do Studies Say About Staff Burnout?

According to one recent study, a massive 70 percent of the workforce in the United States is not engaged with their current jobs in any type of meaningful way. And, employee burnout is a major contributing factor to this. Chances are you are wrong in thinking people leave because they don’t feel like they make enough money. The same study reveals that 89 percent of employers THINK that people leave jobs to get more money elsewhere. In reality, that’s only actually true about 12 percent of the time. But perhaps the most damning statistic of all is the following: Collectively, disengaged employees cost organizations in the United States between $450 and $550 billion every year in terms of lost productivity alone.

Would You Like Some Good News?

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First, the good news is that it is possible to mitigate the effects of employee burnout. You just need to keep a few key things in mind. Let’s read on to discover what the real reason is. So, now that you’ve come to the know that this is a problem, turn your attention toward these possible solutions. Take advantage of these opportunities to refresh your staff.

Understand What Employee Burnout Looks Like

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Not every employee is necessarily burned out. This is true even if they’re pulling long hours or giving everything to help you achieve your goals. But in an effort to avoid the major downsides of burnout in your business, you need to know more. Not just know it, but understand it also. Learn how to spot it in its nascent stages. When burnout hits an employee, they’re probably exhibiting one or even all of the following signs:

First, they are exhausted, either physically or emotionally. The resources that they need to cope with their work environment are totally spent. The employee losses motivation. When this occurs employees tend to act accordingly. We’ve all been here, so you should know what it looks like.
Next, they’re increasingly cynical, sarcastic, upset, pessimistic. Have you ever seen these signs? They know what they’re supposed to do and why it matters. The problem lies when they’re less convinced that it really matters to THEM in the long run.
Lastly, they grow more inefficient as time goes on. Burned-out employees tend to give up “trying” pretty quickly. As a result of the cynical attitude shown above becomes obvious. The quality of the work they offer suffers as a result.

Put a Premium on the Mental Health of Your Employees

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If you truly want to mitigate the effects of employee burnout, you need to focus not on correcting the problem but on trying to prevent it from happening in the first place.

This means placing a high priority on the mental health and wellness of all of your workers, something you can do in a few different ways.

What do the Experts Say?

Hold a Walking Staff Meeting

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Some experts recommend that you should hold walking meetings, for example. Instead of holding yet another meeting with your team in a stuffy boardroom with absolutely no natural lighting, get outside and take a walk around the block. You can still discuss all the same things (and thanks to cloud technology, you can likely refer to all of the same files on devices like smartphones and tablets), but the change of scenery will really make a big difference.

Allow a Mental Health Day

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Some might ask us, “Are you crazy?” Not so much that we would burnout our employees. A well rested employee is a more productive employee. So, along the same lines, don’t be afraid to encourage people to take mental health days. This is especially during busy periods or the holiday season. Remember that a burned-out employee ultimately isn’t doing you any good anyway, so if they need to leave early one day or not come in at all, they’ll be at far more of an advantage than you are at a disadvantage in terms of lost productivity. Just knowing that you support their health and wellness like this will really go a long way toward mitigating this type of risk.

Do You Have an Open Door Policy?

open door policy, employee mental health, employee burnout

Likewise, you should always maintain an open door policy with your employees. Should an employee feelslike they need to come in and talk to you for any reason, good or bad, they must feel comfortable to do so. When they need something to thrive in their job every day, they shouldn’t be afraid to come ask for it. The employee should know you’ll work hard to get it. If they have a problem, they should feel willing to come talk to you to look for a solution. Again, the importance of this level of managerial support is something that you absolutely cannot overstate.

Everyone Feels Burn Out Every Now and Then

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Burnout is not something you can avoid. But if you do want to avoid letting employee burnout have a long-term negative effect on everything that you’ve worked so hard to build. You need to recognize the problem and take steps now to do something about it. Oftentimes, success to that end is less the product of one big move and more about a series of smaller issues. When you follow tips like these every day, you’ll soon realize that a large portion of the hard work will be done for you.

Worthtax is Here For You!

Do you have questions on how to improve your business’ bottom line? Call Alex Franch, BS EA at 781.849.7200 or email the office at contactus@worthtax.com to secure help with your small business accounting needs. Also, you can book an appointment online here and you can meet with any of our tax experts.

Alex Franch, BS EA

Alex is a Tax Specialist and Partner at Joseph Cahill & Associates / WorthTax. He has a diverse background including a Bachelor of Science from Boston College in Mathematics and extensive military service. Alex is an Enrolled Agent and has a decade of tax preparation experience. He is passionate about serving businesses with tax and financial planning strategies.

Mr. Franch is licensed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). He holds a Series 6, 63, 65, and 7, and by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Insurance.

Alex Franch is a registered representative of, and offers securities and investment advisory services through, Commonwealth Financial Network. He is a registered broker-dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC.