Many employers were forced to rethink their business strategies after the Great Resignation in 2021, when employees quit their jobs in droves. Though some tried to fight the trend by offering more raises and bonuses, they missed a vital point. Several employees quit because there’s a deep chasm between what they need and what their company offers. And money alone can’t fix it.
According to a Limeade poll, 40% of employees cited burnout as a top reason for leaving their jobs during the exodus in 2021. Thus, it has become vital for employers to manage their employee’s workload.
Ever since the pandemic struck, contact between employers and employees has increased significantly due to pressing professional needs, aided by the technological advances. As the barriers between professional and personal life have faded, overworked and stressed-out employees with a poor work-life balance have become more prone to quit. And if they do, your employee retention rate will take a nosedive.
As an employer, you must feel pressured to push your employees to complete their allotted work quickly and competently. But how can you finish what needs to be done without sacrificing employee well-being and happiness?
We bring you a 3-step solution that will improve your turnover rates and pay dividends for your team in the long run.
1. Offer Flexibility
Workplace flexibility with respect to working hours and location can help your employees manage their workload better. The Limeade poll we talked about earlier found that two vital factors which made employees feel attracted to their present job were their ability to work remotely (40%) and other types of flexibility (24%), such as not being restricted to finish job responsibilities during the designated working hours.
Feeling stressed about where and when they have to work can impair your employees’ ability to complete their allotted work on time. This will cause an unmanageable workload and trigger more stress, thus shackling the employee in an endless, mind-numbing cycle. Offering them flexibility can help break this seemingly unending cycle that would have otherwise adversely affected their well-being and led to burnout.
2. Keep Communication Channels Open for Regular Check Ins
You need to keep diverse communication channels open to reach and check in with your employees. This will help you track your employees’ workload and offer resources or solutions if you sense a problem or they talk about it. Using employee feedback surveys, open sessions where your employees can speak their mind, and 1:1 coaching are other ways to help them manage their workload and strike a work-life balance.
Above all, you should make it clear that if employees are struggling with workloads and not getting any solution from their managers, they can reach you easily and without any hindrance. This way, you will be able to intervene and find a suitable solution before it’s too late and your disgruntled employees decide to leave.
3. Lead by Example
As the organisational leader, you can establish rational boundaries between work and home time and stick to the work schedule. This will send your team a loud and clear message that you don’t need to overwork constantly to be successful.
It’s essential that you periodically re-evaluate what’s essential and what could be done away with or handled in a smarter way to save time. For example, if you feel repetitive tasks can be automated to save precious productive hours of your employees, thus freeing their time for more complex and rewarding work, you should go ahead.
To lead by example, you shouldn’t be afraid to discard something you realise is no longer working. Even smaller steps like reducing the number of quarterly or monthly meetings you have with your employees by replacing some with emails could make all the difference.
By striking work-life balance in your own life, you can show your employees that prioritizing their health and overall well-being really matters.
Wrapping Up
In today’s corporate culture, most companies employ a global workforce working across different time zones. Consequently, almost 24/7 work pressure on employees and managers makes everyone feel overworked.
As an employer, you should know about this environment and take timely steps to mitigate the adverse effects of unmanageable workloads. If you can do it, it will pay rich dividends for your employees and improve your turnover rates in the long run.
What other ways will you use to manage your employees’ workload and reduce burnout?
This article was written by InHunt World