Monday, June 13, 2011

Tip #343: 6 Tips To Combat Job Burnout


The burned out employee is the workforce equivalent of the marathon runner who has gassed out - which is just what happens with burned out employees. Naturally, this could lead to huge productively problems within your business.


Employee Burnout WILL Affect Your Company's Performance.


For your burned out employees, symptoms tend to manifest as anxiousness, noticeable tiredness (as if under-slept), an inability to focus and a short temper. Obviously, none of these are conducive to a positive, strong work environment. So, to make sure your employees avoid becoming burned out, scope out the six tips we have outlined below.


6 Tips To Combat Job Burnout:


Tip #1. Take Regular Breaks: Mental health is becoming increasingly important in the work place, and more and more employers are recognizing the need for their employees to take frequent breaks to keep their minds sharp. By allowing your employees a fifteen-minute break in the morning, a 30- to 60-minute lunch break (that we recommend they take outside of the office) and an additional fifteen-minute break before the end of the day, you will find your employees' batteries are constantly at a full charge.


Tip #2. Create A Unique Break Room: Conventional break rooms tend to be pretty plain -- coffee machine, water cooler, the usual rigmarole. Some companies have started to stray from this, however, and transformed breaks and break rooms into brief escapes from work, going so far as to set up televisions, game tables and video game systems in their break rooms (one hospital in Rochester, NY has a Nintendo Wii in their break room). Creating an environment for employees to briefly escape to for a reasonable amount of time will go a long way to preventing job burnout.


Check out Dr. John M. Grohol's "Five Tips to Bust Job Burnout" on PsychCentral.com.


Tip #3. Set Aside "Me Time" Outside Of Work: While being a dedicated employee is admirable, being an indentured servant to your business will wear you down over time. When work is your life, your life is work, and burnout becomes inevitable. Know when to walk away from work. Schedule regular time away from work each week, preferably dedicated to a personal passion or hobby that clears your mind of any fog. Fishing, gym workouts, pick-up basketball games, reading, painting and car maintenance are just a few of the ways people center themselves outside of work.


Tip #4. Be Wary Of Overworking: Many people find it difficult to say "no" in the workplace. This typically leads to the accumulation of more and more workload each time they agree to lend a hand here or there, or take on a side project or something similar. Being a team player is important in the business world, and helping your colleagues from time to time is a surefire way to further your career. But if you aren't careful other employees will take advantage of your generous, helping nature and all you'll get in return is stress from being overworked.


Tip #5. Balance Life And Work: As previously mentioned, work cannot be the all-encompassing focus of your life -- especially if you hope to maintain a happy home life. Whether you live independently, with a significant other, or a whole family -- kids and all -- you need to manage your time between work and home effectively. When it's time to punch out, punch out. Go to the local pub. Go home to your family. Go to the movies with your partner or friends. Give your personal life just as much time and attention as you do your work life. Otherwise, you will start to see problems and frustrations develop at home, affect your work life and cause you to feel burned out.



Tip #6. Maintain A Healthy Lifestyle: The importance of a healthy lifestyle is among the top issues in our nation -- and for good reason. This is because the benefits of diet, exercise, proper sleep and choosing water over carbonated cans full of nothing but chemicals drastically affect our behavior -- even at work. All it takes is setting aside thirty or forty minutes just three days a week to exercise and making a greater effort to manage your diet. Doing so will benefit you directly in ways innumerable, and a positive lifestyle will lead to a more positive work experience.


Executive Summary: In today's fast-paced, demanding, work-intensive business world, job burnout is easy to turn up. "Virtually everyone will face the prospect of a job burnout at one point," says John M. Grohol, Psy. D. and founder of Psychcentral.com, "whether you're an office worker or a carpenter, a salesperson or a doctor." But just because job burnout is common does not mean it's anything to scoff at, or "just deal with." Preventative measures like the ones outlined above should be initiated to help minimize the threat of job burnout. Trust us, following these tips will do wonders for your business.


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