Have you ever been in this situation? Do you see people looking stressed or unhappy, and the problem gets worse over time? You finally realize that certain people are just tired of their jobs — they’re burned out. How do you nip this kind of thing in the bud?
Here are some of the best ways that managers look into the future to see a problem before it becomes a crisis.
Read Documented Histories – or Look and Listen
One way to address these sorts of problems is on paper. You might get a glimpse of some of these burnout problems by looking at performance reviews and other archived material.
However, that’s often secondary to getting out into office and looking around and paying attention to what you see. Do you see people slumping at their desks, avoiding conversation and looking generally frustrated and depressed? That’s something you should probably investigate to figure out if you have a burnout problem.
Are Your People Supported?
In a lot of cases, burnout ramps up when people don’t feel supported.
It’s not just a question of touchy-feely emotions — it happens for a reason. Look at who’s in charge of each level of the business — and evaluate whether a certain manager or supervisor is having a toxic effect on teams.
It’s critical to look at each level of the business, and make sure that each of those levels is supported — for example, if you have a business structure where things are getting pushed down from the top, and pushed up from bottom, you may have a “sandwich problem” where a certain level of staff simply consists of undesirable jobs. You’ll try to get people to accept a promotion, and they won’t want it. This is a big red flag that burnout is happening somewhere in the company.
Rely on Your Teams
Managers don’t have to do it all by themselves. You can rely on your teams to give you information about whether people in the department are burning out.
Having an open door and an open suggestion box aren’t just clichés. When you let people provide feedback, you get business intelligence for your own use. You get the kinds of data you need to figure out whether burnout or other problems are impacting your people.
Promote Professional Development
Another cause for burnout is when people feel stuck in a job, and feel like they’re not going anywhere. In these cases, you can prevent burnout by offering and sometimes aggressively pushing professional development.
Look at how long each person is in a given role, and make sure they feel well served — that they feel they can change roles if they want to, and proceed up the ladder. You don’t have to be offering each person huge salary increases — it’s more the idea that people feel they’re going somewhere and that they are listened to and respected, that they have options for the future and they’re not just treading the same piece of ground year after year.
About Full Steam Staffing
Full Steam Staffing is a full-service staffing agency focused on providing clerical and light industrial staffing solutions to manufacturers, distribution centers and other organizations that need qualified, reliable workers. If you are currently looking to hire and grow your workforce, contact our team of skilled recruiters today!