In the workplace, employers and employees can both experience the pressure of tight deadlines, long-drawn-out hours, job insecurity, and perhaps even discrimination in some cases. These things may be common in some industries and businesses, but as an employer or manager, you need to actively look for ways to prevent burnout in your employees.

A good, healthy business should aim to prioritise its workforce over everything else. Doing so can ensure stronger sales, increased retention, reduced costs, reduced risk & error, and easier compliance. Overall, your business will grow if it keeps its employees feeling supported and valued.

If your business doesn’t prioritise its employees, then it is much more likely that they will start to feel burnt out, demotivated and unhappy.

What Exactly is Burnout?

Burnout can be defined as ‘exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration.’ It’s a special type of work-related stress that can happen if left unchecked and can lead to other problems such as the loss of personal identity, prolonged absence and the inability to focus.

The signs you need to look out for usually include:

• Feeling tired or drained most of the time
• Feeling helpless, trapped and/or defeated
• Feeling detached or alone in the world
• Having a cynical or negative outlook
• Self-doubt
• Procrastination
• Feeling overwhelmed

Employees all over the UK may have already had Burnout or will have it at some point in the future. According to fairly recent statistics, more than three-quarters (79%) of UK workers have experienced burnout, and 35% report high or even extreme levels of stress as a result of this problem. More has to be done in order to combat Burnout in the workplace.

How Can Burnout Affect Your Workforce?

Burnout can decrease workforce productivity. Positive employee well-being results in improved performance, productivity and work quality, so negative employee well-being does the opposite. Good productivity is, of course, a must for businesses as it translates into more sales and profits.

Not only that, but Burnout is detrimental to the brand’s image. Word of mouth can spread, and people could quickly learn about the negative working conditions at your workplace. If employees are regularly experiencing Burnout, then it’s a sign of bad working conditions, which could be caused by unrealistic workloads, poor communication and collaboration, or even undertrained managers.

Around 615 million people suffer from depression and anxiety worldwide - and Burnout is an underlying factor that adds to it. This can unfortunately even lead to suicide, whereas a more positive or stress-free work environment can substantially improve their mental health, life outlook and attitude.

From new graduates who are feeling pressured into balancing unrealistic deadlines to Managing Directors who are struggling to communicate efficiently with their teams, Burnout can affect people of all ages, genders and job roles.

In What Ways Can Employers and Employees Avoid Burnout at Work?

Burnout can happen to any one of us and when we least expect it to. Many people feel that they are managing the stresses of work well and ignore the warning signs until they eventually feel overwhelmed and start to seriously struggle. However, you can start to take some simple steps in order to completely avoid it altogether and benefit as a result. These tips may vary person-to-person, but take note nonetheless as they can genuinely help:

Detect Burnout Early On and Take Action

The main way to prevent Burnout is to be aware of the signs, including Exhaustion, Isolation, Escape Fantasies, Irritability, and Frequent Illnesses. Psychologists Herbert Freudenberger and Gail North outlined 12 phases:

• Excessive drive/ambition
• Pushing yourself to work harder
• Neglecting needs
• Displacement of conflict.
• No time for nonwork-related needs.
• Denial
• Withdrawal
• Behavioural changes
• Depersonalisation
• Inner emptiness
• Depression
• Mental/physical collapse

Exercise More on a Regular Basis

By exercising, you will create an outlet for your stress, worry and anxiety. Physical activities allow you to release that inner anger into something more productive and worthwhile. Instead of taking it out on others (or yourself), you can keep fit instead. Emotions run wild when we start to experience Burnout, so look to prevent it before it even has the chance to develop. Company-wide Yoga sessions can help spread this throughout your team or even cycle to work incentives.

Find Time for Yourself and Relax

Do you have a hobby or passion that you’re really interested in? It could be anything - video games, shopping, hanging out with friends; whatever makes you feel relaxed, find time for it in the day. Doing more of what you absolutely love isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s strongly encouraged. By making an effort to unplug from work, you can improve your state of mind.

Eat and Drink a Healthy, Balanced Diet

People in high-pressure roles often arrive home late from the office and feel exhausted. Resorting to quick and easy junk food can feel like an easy solution, but it can be detrimental to your mental health, increasing the likelihood of burnout. Taking care of your body with a balanced diet ensures that you feel calmer, suffer from less sickness and most importantly, feel healthier.

Get the Correct Amount of Sleep

By sleeping for at least seven hours each night, you will suffer from less sickness, be more likely to stay at a healthy weight, and - most importantly - reduce stress and improve your mood. Many people believe that they simply do not have enough time to sleep for the suggested seven hours, but when you are well-rested, you are more productive, less likely to make mistakes and be able to get through your workload faster. One of the main symptoms of Burnout is Exhaustion, so be sure to get that much-needed rest. Sleep will do you a world of good!

Manage Your Time Effectively

At work, time management is a key skill that you need in order to be successful. Not only that, but it can also ensure that you meet deadlines on time and know your limitations. Burnout can occur after you’ve worked long, stressful hours, so taking the right breaks can help you avoid any potential problems. If you do not manage your time well, you might take on more projects or tasks than you can comfortably handle, which in turn leads to extra stress and anxiety. By knowing how much you have on your plate, you can better understand when you need to delegate tasks elsewhere or simply say no to additional work.

Assess and Realign Your Workload

If you have a tremendous amount of work that you cannot delegate piled up in front of you, then prioritise the big, urgent jobs first and get them out of the way before moving on to the less important ones. By tackling the time-sensitive or complex tasks first, you can get them out of the way quickly, while you are still at your most productive and avoid building up any anxiety around them throughout the day. If you always deal with the tasks that are closest to the deadline, you will be able to leave work and rest easier, safe in the knowledge that everything else can wait.

Make Use of a Professional Support System

Businesses should have a professional support system in place for employees to use if and when they choose to. This can be particularly helpful when Burnout feels like it is too much to handle alone. Professionals can help you deal with and manage stress, anxiety or worries by providing advice and techniques that can be utilised to reduce these feelings.

Find Ways to Make Yourself Feel Good

Helping others can, in turn, help make you feel better. We experience joy and happiness when we help others as it makes us feel important and useful in the workplace. This can be as simple as holding the door open for a colleague, doing a coffee run when needed, or complimenting someone for work they’ve done! Make time to spread happiness throughout the office, and it can leave you feeling more positive.

Incorporate Deep Relaxation Techniques

Finally, one of the best ways to reduce stress and avoid Burnout is to learn how to force yourself to relax. Aim to make use of the following if you are experiencing Burnout:

• Breath focus
• Body scan
• Guided imagery
• Mindfulness meditation
• Yoga, tai chi, and qigong
• Repetitive prayer

Deep relaxation can invoke the "relaxation response", which is when your body releases chemicals to help lower the stress hormones!

Burnout can cause serious business disruptions, everything from excessive sick leave to office conflicts. Ensuring that you lead by example is a great way to help your staff feel more at ease. Whether you start a weekly in-office yoga class or make a conscious effort to communicate more openly with them, by making some small changes, you can help to reduce the chances of your team feeling burnt out.

The information presented in this article is provided as general guidance, it should only be used as the basis for further research or requesting professional advice.