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23 Apr 2021
by Dr Subashini M.

Ten ways to stop your employees burning out

We’ve all gone through a huge amount over the past year with the global pandemic affecting everyone.

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The physical health crisis has taken a toll on mental health too. In Aviva’s recent report on Embracing the Age of Ambiguity, 43% of employees ranked their mental health as less than good.

Disruption in the workplace

In a year of immense change, one of the biggest is how working life has altered for so many of us. While some employees have been furloughed or made redundant, millions have been working from home for months.

Unsurprisingly, boundaries are becoming increasingly blurred, both between work and home, and between employer and employee. This brings a flexibility which many welcome, but it’s counterbalanced by uncertainty which makes people uneasy.

Extra challenges have made working life more stressful

On top of working from home, people have faced many other challenges, from home-schooling children to worrying about loved ones to dealing with loneliness and more. And lockdown restrictions mean doing this without our usual support systems and coping mechanisms.

It’s no wonder employers are worried about stress, anxiety and burnout among their employees. As pressure builds on employees, it’s essential to spot the signs and address them before problems worsen.

Ten practical ways to avoid burnout

1. Don’t overload your employees

Although short-term pressure can be good, prolonged stress is a different matter. Imagine every employee has a bucket. You might think asking them to fill their bucket by an extra 10% is okay – but what if that bucket is already at 95% capacity? Then it overflows. So, make sure you manage workloads, deadlines and expectations to keep the bucket from overflowing.

2. Think about how you can help your employees cope better

Sticking with the analogy, can you open any taps at the bottom of the bucket to help empty it? This could be through your wellbeing strategy or your group protection policies and the support available through them. And remember, everything is in one bucket – work, family, relationships – so can you do anything to support employees’ families?

3. Encourage a healthy work-life integration

Work and life are not two mutually exclusive entities, so instead of balance, socialise the concept of integration. Give your employees time to look after themselves. If they work extra hours, give them that time back. Promote your wellbeing programme and highlight the support it offers.

4. Train your line managers to spot potential problems

Give your line managers mental health training to make them more confident about spotting signs and offering help early. Without training, some might decide to say and do nothing about a potential problem for fear of making things worse. Your protection provider may be able to help.

5. Lead by example
Don’t forget, stress, anxiety and burnout can affect anyone at any level of your business, so encourage leaders to look after their own wellbeing. Authentic leadership is about expressing vulnerability. This will ripple through your workforce, giving employees permission to look after themselves too.

6. Encourage open conversations
Encourage your employees to talk openly to each other and their line managers or a trusted colleague and respond without judgement. Talking about problems is the first step in getting help and early intervention makes a difference – prevention is better than a cure.

7. Signpost to useful health and wellbeing tools
Make sure your employees know what help is available through your group protection policy and/or a wellbeing strategy. This could be through your employee assistance programme, digital apps to help with mental wellbeing and stress management.

8. Clearly communicate policies
Reduce stress by clearly telling your people what you expect of them and what’s happening and when. If your workforce is currently working remotely, share your roadmap back to normality. Having clear expectations can be transformative and build trust.

9. Listen to what they are saying
Listening is a powerful tool, especially with employees struggling with mental health issues. It’s easy to go into solution mode, real listening is hard work but it can be the most helpful thing you can do.

10. Understand one size doesn’t fit all
Stress and anxiety affect people differently, so don’t try to shoehorn people into a pre-planned approach. It’s about tailoring your approach to each individual and working out the right plan for them.

Find out more

For more help and advice on burnout read our guide and other articles:

The author is Dr Subashini M., associate medical director at Aviva UK Health and Protection.

This article is provided by Aviva UK Health and Protection.

In partnership with Aviva

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