Burnout is on the rise!

 

Nearly 8 in 10 employees in Australia and New Zealand experienced burnout in 2020.

 

According to new research by Asana, 89% of employees are working late. This is an increase of 8% from 2019. They are feeling fatigued, disengaged and distracted, trying to do more but with fewer resources and smaller budgets. 

 

For remote working to be successful long-term, employers need to ensure that their employees are supported.

 

Are you looking at your employees and trying to find ways that you can better support them?

 

• Ensure your employees have clear guidelines for the start and end of their days. Currently, there is a blur between work and home life. People are working later each night and getting less sleep. 

 

Sleep gives us fuel to our brains to have the energy to work the next day.

 

• Make sure that screen time is structured. Many employees are stuck in back to back virtual meetings, glued to the screen for hours without any breaks. 

 

Taking a break from the screen 5-15 minutes every hour or between tasks/meetings is recommended.

 

• Allow your employees time to slow down and take a step back. A task epidemic has begun with the focus on being productive. While being productive is essential, so too is innovation and creativity which requires downtime. 

 

Show your employees that you trust them and want to see them succeed in more than just being productive. 

 

• Remind your employees about the vision of the organisation – the why and the purpose.
• Asana research found that only 15% of employees feel heard. 

Outlining how individual and teamwork ladders back up to an organisation’s mission helps employees understand the impact of their work and boost overall engagement.

 

It is time to find a better way to ensure you have a resilient workforce?

 

Resilience combats burnout

 

• Communicate how your employees day to day work contributes to the purpose of your organisation.
• Ensure your employees feel that their work as an individual is making a difference to the end goal of your organisation.
• When employees feel they are making a difference they can adapt and cope with challenges far easier.
• Ask questions of your employees with insight. Communicate with insightful questions rather than dictating things. An insightful question can create a ‘eureka moment’ and this moment can be a dopamine hit for the brain. Your employee is now in a reward state and challenges are less difficult to work through. 
• Celebrate small wins with your employees. Saying well done to a team or individual boosts overall engagement and ultimately resilience. 

 

Sharing employee wins reduces imposter syndrome. In 2020 68% of employees experienced imposter syndrome. Being task-orientated there is less time to celebrate wins and achievements leading to feelings of inadequacy. 

 

Brain breaks breed resilience

 

Ensure that leaders and team members take enough brain breaks. Just as you schedule meetings or tasks, schedule time for a brain break. Consider having ‘no meetings days’ where your employees can set up their workflow to suit themselves. 

 

Brain break – deep breathing, take a walk, have a stretch and increase the flow of oxygen into your body.

 

Are you looking for a resilient workforce?

 

By taking the time to implement scientifically proven techniques with your employees remote or hybrid working will be more successful long-term. A resilient workforce will save your organisation money and provide you with people who are ready to take on any challenge. 

 

Are you looking for proven tools to help your organisation? Contact Vannessa @ Link Success today.   

 

View our recent article on Human Resources Director 

 

¹ In October 2020, quantitative research was conducted by Sapio Research on behalf of Asana, to understand how people spend time at work. https://asana.com/resources/anatomy-of-work