4 ways you to help create a healthier workplace environment and stave off burnout

The pandemic has caused a strain on our everyday lives. Over the past year, stress levels have skyrocketed in all areas of life, including work.

I chat with HR leaders daily, and my first question is always “What is your team struggling with currently?” For the past three months, the resounding reply all across the country has been one thing: burnout. And, I wasn’t surprised. With many people working from home, it’s become difficult for employees to separate work and life. The stress and anxiety caused from work can be detrimental to an employer. Burnout can impact a company in many negative ways including lower productivity and high turnover.

Related: How to recognize burnout in remote employees

As an employer, it is important to foster a positive and healthy workplace environment that prioritizes the health and wellbeing of your employees. Here are a few strategies for employers to help avoid burnout:

1. Have managers audit their team’s current burnout state

The first part of alleviating burnout is becoming aware of what’s currently contributing to it – and on the flip side – what’s alleviating it. Have employees start with the concrete step of writing a list of the things that are contributing to stress and burnout (lack of work/life balance, excessive communication, specific tasks, processes, etc.) versus the things that don’t. From there, managers can review and come up with a plan on how to reduce the things that are causing stress.

2. Encourage managers to set intentions at the start of meetings

Instead of immediately rushing into meetings, encourage managers to set a brief intention. What do they want to achieve within the time frame of the meeting? This exercise allows everyone to be more present, concise, and intentional with actions and emotions. With back to back virtual meetings, it can be draining and stressful if employees feel as though their time is not being used efficiently.

3. Allow employees to share the ways they’re taking breaks

Encourage employees to share how they’re taking breaks and celebrate them for it. Things like making it a priority to step away from your computer for 5-10 minutes and give your eyes and mind a break from the screen, go for a walk, stretch to music, drink tea while looking out the window, etc. Hearing how people decompress and recharge during the workday can help encourage and motivate others to adopt a similar practice that’s been helpful for others.

4. Encourage managers to walk the talk

Managers set the tone for the entire team. If they are working long hours, answering emails late into the night, and not adhering to their own work/life balance policies, their direct reports will feel pressured to model their manager’s behaviors, leading to an unbalanced workplace culture. Actions speak louder than words, so as an employer, make sure your managers are representing your ideal workplace environment that prioritizes your employees mental health.

Have managers create boundaries

In order to create a positive workplace environment, managers should consider setting boundaries for their team that models a healthy work/life balance. For example, encourage employees to stop responding to emails after a certain time, allow employees to turn off notifications on their devices to allow them to disconnect and recharge, and encourage time off and celebrate those that do.

Michelle Wax is the founder of American Happiness Project and hosts virtual team workshops to help your team build positive habits, use stress to your advantage, increase productivity levels, resilience, and happiness while working from home. 

Read more: 

• 6 classifications of workers, based on burnout risk
• Stress in the workplace and the risk of employee burnout
• Unmasking the hidden pandemic: Mental and emotional well-beingᐧ