When workplace stress isn’t addressed or is severe, employees are at risk of burning out. If employees experience burnout, they are more likely to be unproductive, miss days of work and even leave the company.

For some employees, the negative effects of burnout extend beyond their work life and into their home and social lives. Moreover, burnout can increase an employee’s risk of getting sick or developing a chronic condition. Since burnout is the result of prolonged and chronic workplace stress, employers must learn how to recognize the signs of stress and develop mitigation strategies before stress turns into burnout.

Ways to Combat Employee Burnout

•  Encourage employees to take breaks, get outside and step away from work during the day
•  Monitor workloads, travel schedules and “on the clock” hours
•  Encourage employees to use vacation time and PTO
•  Provide work from home options, if possible
•  Allow managers to lead by example so employees know you care about work-life balance
•  Encourage employees to take mental health days
•  Provide workplace variety so employees have a variety of tasks to tackle
•  Help employees focus on priority projects before tackling others
•  Offer flexible workday start/end times
•  Train managers to have open communication so employees are comfortable voicing concerns or challenges