One of the toughest responsibilities you can have as a manager is combatting burnout on your team. Burnout is when an individual experiences physical, mental, or emotional exhaustion due to high levels of stress. A burnout can cause lack of motivation, low self-esteem, and separation from ones’ work, which can lead to lower productivity and have a negative impact on their personal life. Managers must find strategies to handle burnout before they take over.
Recognize the signs. As a manager, it is important to keep track of your employees’ tendencies. Having a strong foundational relationship with employees through the power dynamic can reveal important changes in their behavior. You may even be able to catch it before it affects their performance. “Managers should be on the lookout for signs of burnout in their team members, and a sudden decline in work performance, missed deadlines, or increased errors could be an indication that an employee needs help,” Daniel Butcher writes in an article for Academy of Management Today.
Value your employees. Showing appreciation for your employees cannot only help avoid burnout but increase the quality of their work. “Managers can harness the power of affirmations to ward off burnout for their team members. By offering five affirmations for every one criticism or critique, managers can ensure their team members feel valued and important,” Mona Andrews writes in an article for Forbes. Andrews recommends adjusting workloads, allowing flexibility, and soliciting employee feedback.
Promote time off. Stressing the importance of using personal days or time off can show your employees you care about their wellbeing. This conveys support for their personal lives and that you recognize there is more to them aside from their work role. “Managers can encourage employees to use their vacation time in several ways. First, run a report to ensure employees’ vacation time isn’t expiring or going unused. Also, encourage people verbally to take a vacation, and foster a culture that appreciates, instead of begrudges, employees taking time away,” according to a 2023 article posted to Michigan State University’s website.
