How to Prevent Burnout
Burnout treatment starts with prevention. If you can spot the signs early and take the necessary steps to remedy them, you can stop burnout in its tracks. Your first port of call should be to reach out to others. Whether it’s your boss, your partner, or your colleagues – sharing your problems with someone will make them feel more manageable.
From here, you can start to think about solutions. To begin with, you should have a conversation with your manager. A good manager will understand that you need some respite, and lighten your workload. If you don’t have an approachable or sympathetic manager, you should seek out someone higher up who will listen.
It might be a good idea to have some time off. After all, vacations exist for a reason. If you’re running low on vacation allowance, remember that you also have sick days, and burnout is a perfectly legitimate use for them. Alternatively, there’s remote working. Perhaps your burnout is a result of excessive time spent in the office or an arduous morning and evening commute, and you need to reconsider your working arrangements.
Every company is different, so make sure to check your protocol for the above suggestions. The bottom line is – your wellbeing should matter to your company, so definitely check in with the relevant parties to see what sort of support they can offer you. If you’re repeatedly feeling like it doesn’t, it might be time to move on to a company with a better working culture.
How leaders can prevent burnout in their staff
As an employer, you have a responsibility towards your staff and their wellbeing. With mounting tech layoffs and return-to-office (RTO) mandates putting staff under strain, here are a few steps you can take to alleviate burnout.
- Establish good lines of communication with your employees. Make sure they know they can approach you with their problems.
- Don’t overburden your employees. Set realistic expectations, and be flexible.
- Encourage good work-life balance. Remind your staff to take time off, and let them work from home when desired (if it adheres to your company policy).
- Lead by example. If you’re always working overtime, your employees will get the perception that that is a requirement.
- Make your employees feel valuable. Whether that’s keeping the office stacked with drinks and snacks, or a monthly team social. Get creative!
