Understanding and Addressing Burnout for Small Business Owners – Part II
Employee burnout has grown into a widespread workplace issue affecting workers across all industries and company sizes. About 65% of employees said they suffered from burnout in 2023, according to a report from isolved.
In part I of this blog, we discussed what burnout is, why burnout is important, what causes burnout, and the signs of burnout you can observe in your team. As a small business owner, taking proactive steps to address burnout is essential for maintaining a healthy and productive work environment -and one that will continue to bring in financial returns. In part II of this blog post series, we'll explore practical strategies for small business owners to help prevent and alleviate burnout.
How Can Burnout be Addressed?
The root cause of the employee’s burnout will govern your steps in addressing. Sixty-nine percent of professionals feel their employer does not do enough to minimize burnout. First, have a conversation with the employee to explore what stressors are present that you can possibly alleviate. CPR understands that resources are limited within a small business, but there are several steps you can take to address and prevent employee burnout within your organization:
Foster Open Communication: By listening to employees regularly, you can respond to minor concerns before they grow into major issues leading to burnout and attrition.
Encourage open communication between managers and employees. One-on-ones conducted on a regular cadence between employees and managers are a great way to get a pulse check on an employee at work and outside of work. Managers should be interested in also learning about an employee’s life outside of work to develop empathy, get to know what motivates the employee, and understand the support available to employees outside of work. Provide a supportive environment where employees feel comfortable expressing their concerns and seeking help when needed without retaliation or judgement.
Set Clear Expectations: Clearly communicate job expectations, goals, and performance standards to employees.
These expectations should be realistic and reasonable based on the job role. Employees should always understand what is expected of them and how their work contributes to the overall success of the business. A well-developed performance review process can assist; see our previous blog post about how to develop an effective performance review process.
Manage Workload: High performing employees tend to have the perceived capability to assume additional responsibility without compromising productivity.
But at what cost to their well-being? Be careful not to overload high performing employees and balance workloads among all employees within the same role. Ensure tasks are distributed fairly and realistically and reassign or delegate work as needed. If you must, get in and roll up your own sleeves up to relieve employees when their workload becomes excessive. This simple act will help build trust and credibility with your team.
Encourage Rest & Relaxation: Reassure employees to take time off to include regular breaks, vacations, and mental health days.
One in four employees rarely or never take all of their vacation days. Establish clear boundaries for after-hours work, and discourage overtime, weekend work (if your business type allows), or excessive work hours. Ensure your management team also models these behaviors as their actions inadvertently set the expectation regarding rest and relaxation for employees.
Allow Flexible Schedules: We understand that some business types, such as those that deal in hospitality, retail, manufacturing, and healthcare, cannot accommodate a flexible scheduling model.
For those businesses that have this flexibility such as professional services and technology establish core hours that require employees to be readily available during a specific block of time but allows flexibility in start and end times. For example, you may set core hours of 10am to 2pm and allow:
Employee #1 to start at 9am, end at 6pm, and take an hour lunch.
Employee #2 to start at 7am and end at 3pm with no lunch hour.
Both employees work the required 8 hours each day but ensures there is coverage between the hours of 10am and 2pm. Providing employee flexibility in their work schedule allows them to feel more autonomy in their work.
Encourage Self-Care: Embolden employees to prioritize self-care and well-being, emphasizing the importance of exercise, healthy eating, adequate sleep, and relaxation techniques for managing stress.
Share practices with employees about how you encourage self-care to give employees an idea of best practices they can incorporate.
Share practices with employees about how you encourage self-care to give employees an idea of best practices they can incorporate.
Provide Support and Resources: Offer employees the support and resources they need to manage their workload effectively, such as training, mentoring, and access to counseling or mental health services.
If your small business does not have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) consider adding this benefit for your employees. Find a list of EAPs small businesses can consider here.
Recognize and Reward Achievement: Let employees know when they have done a great job.
Recognize and reward their hard work and achievements, celebrate individual and project milestones and accomplishments to boost engagement and motivation. Read our blog post about recognizing employees on a budget.
Suggested reading:
Provide Training & Professional Development: Offer opportunities for continuous growth and learning.
Offer employees training on soft skills that encourage collaboration and a positive work environment or on skills that improve specific technical proficiency. Talent LMS provides great examples of soft skills training here.
Plan Regular Follow-Ups: Always check back in to determine if the employee or your team is still experiencing burnout once any changes have been made.
Whether there has been improvement tor not, communicate with the employee(s) to discover where you can assist further. Then, be sure to continue to monitor progress and adjust as needed.
Conclusion
As a small business owner, addressing employee burnout is not just a moral imperative---it’s a business necessity. Remember, every small business is unique. Tailor these strategies to fit your specific needs and culture. With attention and care, you can build a resilient team that thrives even in challenging times. This investment in the actions to prevent employee burnout will pay dividends in increased productivity and overall business success.
Disclaimer: The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information.
