The pandemic is proving to be an acid test for the mushrooming work from home model. Both
employers and employees have their own take on the pros and cons of working from home; however, a common cause of concern for both stakeholders remain managing burnout in the entire process of remote work.
While many people celebrate the fact that they no longer have to take on a considerable
amount of time traveling or wearing formal attire at work, it is a catch-22 for many people to manage office and personal responsibilities concurrently.
Employers need to keep a close watch on employees that are showing warning signs of burnout. Usually, the symptoms include: absenteeism, lack of initiative, missing deadlines, decreased workplace productivity, poor reception and increased sensitivity towards feedback, etc. It is pivotal to mention here that employee burnout is not an overnight phenomenon and most symptoms are incommunicable.
Before we discuss a few useful burnout management tips, it is pertinent to talk about what employee burnout means in the first place. Employee burnout is a state where an employee feels exhausted in terms of emotional and physical strength.
Is managing burnout while working remotely proving to be a challenge for you? If yes, then you are here in the right place. The following are a few ways in which employee burnout can be addressed:
Allow Flexibility in Working Hours
COVID is high time to kiss the traditional working hours good bye. Not a lot of people are accustomed to working from home; therefore, making a transition from office to home can prove to be difficult. Some employees might complain of power outages, troubled broadband connection, distractions, or of health-related concerns. Therefore, it is important to give them the liberty to choose their working hours according to their situation at home. Not only does offering flexibility in work hours offers greater productivity but also the feeling in employees that their employer is cognizant of their needs which goes on to increase job satisfaction.
Connect With Your Employees
Having periodic connects with your employees over their concerns and wellbeing is a healthy activity that can help mitigate the risks of employee burnout. At the end of the day employees are human beings and have their set of issues to deal with so employers need to know how they can help their employees deal with issues that can possibly affect work performance.
Team Building
Open communication and employee socialization has been a casualty of the pandemic. Employees have not been able to connect with their co-workers the way they used to in an office-based setting. It is pertinent for teams to periodically connect over audio or video conferencing. Although it might not be a perfect substitute for face-to-face meetings but it is a healthy activity to promote team building.
Blow off some steam by going out for fresh air, exercising, etc.
We all have productivity peaks and drops in a typical day of work. In order to sail yourself efficiently throughout the work day, it is important to take a 10 mins break after 50 mins of work. To blow off some stream, you can go out for fresh air, take a quick power nap, have a quick chat with your family members, etc.
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