No-one wins when employees burn out — neither the company nor the workers — which is why companies need to put systems in place to avoid this happening.
"Employees experiencing burnout, if left unaddressed by their employer, are more likely to seek positions that offer better work-life balance.
Often, managers only learn about burnout when it’s too late. This can happen for several reasons. Some employees fear that speaking up will have repercussions, such as being perceived as incompetent, weak, or unable to handle stress.
Others blame themselves for not keeping up. And some are so driven to succeed that they don’t even realise they are heading towards burnout," warns Warren Bonheim, co-founder of software company WorkStatz.
He has the following advice:
Changes to productivity, work schedules and behaviour can all indicate that someone is heading for burnout. Intervene and provide support before the employee burns out;
Software can track work patterns, such as task completion and breaks, that provide managers with insight into how employees are coping;
Managers need to focus on task completion and productivity rather than the number of hours a person is working;
The most senior executives need to make an effort to instil a culture where people are encouraged to communicate freely without fear of judgment. Managers must encourage their team members to talk about their workload and mental health issues;
Managers need to know who is working too hard and who is underutilised, so that tasks can be assigned more fairly; and
Encourage workers to take long weekends and holidays, rather than championing the workers who never take any leave.
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