How to Prevent Business Burnout in Your Office

When the employees of a company get to a point where they feel worn out, it's really hard to reset. Sure, there will be times when the workload is heavier than usual. However, if your company culture consistently includes stress, lots of tension and sleep-deprived employees, it's going to be hard to maintain a healthy and productive company culture. In order to prevent this from happening, review the following suggestions.

1. Offer telecommuting options

Depending on the type of business you lead, the concept of telecommuting might seem challenging to do. Yes, there are some businesses that cannot operate without meeting on-site. However, take a look at the daily operations of your company. Take a look at whether most of your meetings and tasks can be completed through video conferencing options. While it might take an adjustment period, consider implementing a telecommuting option for employees to use once or twice a week. You can opt to set those days for everyone to use. When done correctly, it gives employees a slower pace of lifestyle because they’re not sitting in traffic or rushing to the workplace every single workday. Between the time they spend getting ready for work and traveling to work, it’s not uncommon for any given employee to spend two hours on those facets alone. Two extra hours of rest or downtime can really make an impact on the quality of life your employees actually experience.

2. Make sure employees have vacation time

Vacation time is essential for employees to experience. When you’re dealing with grueling work deadlines and long hours, it’s important to grant employees time off. Whether they use it all at once or ration it throughout the year, be mindful of the way you set up the benefits system within your company. When an individual takes time for a sabbatical or a vacation, they are able to come back feeling refreshed and recharged. As a result, they’ll produce better work. Also, make sure the employees never feel like they need to get work done while they’re on vacation. Be very militant about making sure your managers and company leaders know not to communicate with employees as they take their vacations.

3. Host seminars for employees on self-care and mental health

Self-care continues to remain a buzz word in the conversation surrounding mental stability, clarity and overall health. Allow your company to be a guiding light in this conversation by setting an example within the culture. Your company culture should include conversations about self-care and mental health because it will bleed into the work the employees produce. When a person is dealing with a lot of personal stress, it can be tough to compartmentalize. Employees are people first. When you see people put their work life on a pedestal, other areas tend to suffer. When couples get divorced or children end up acting out, there are times when the lack of work/life balance plays a role. While it’s not your job to meddle in the home affairs of your employees, you can allow your company culture to serve as a megaphone that echoes the importance of self-care, work/life balance and mental health through different initiatives, seminars and company-wide policies.

4. Train leaders correctly

Be intentional about leadership development within your company. When there are employees who exert leadership qualities, invest in their abilities with training seminars on leadership. Bring in agile coaches, motivational speakers and business strategists to speak to your leaders on how to improve and implement strong practices. Before you implement these professional development processes, be prepared to answer lots of questions. “What is agile coaching?” is a question you’ll probably answer more than others because it’s not as widely available to all employees. However, as you train your leaders well, the benefits of agile coaching and other educational sessions will become abundantly clear.

If your company becomes diligent about incorporating these tips, you can truly shift the company's trajectory. Some of these tips require radical thinking, major behavioral changes and a resolve to go against the grain. However, there's no handbook on how to avoid business burnout. As the business owner, you have to figure that out for your own company. When you do, you'll see a massive shift in your employees and your business.