By Blake DuBose and Mike DuBose
In this bear economy, entrepreneurs, leaders, and employees are working extra hours to complete work that once was the responsibility of two or more people. Combined with high stress levels and layoff threats, it can become too much to handle. People burn out and productivity diminishes. Stressed leaders cannot muster energy to motivate themselves, much less their staff, and employees on all levels begin to dread coming to work. They just try to “get by” until 5 PM—and then, you’d better not block the exit doors if you value your life!
If burnout goes unaddressed, entire companies can lose their zeal for building great products and services and keeping customers happy. We have taken steps to prevent employee burnout as part of our goal of creating great businesses with happy, customer-driven employees and satisfied clients. Our employees look forward to coming to work most days because we apply the following ideas:
Understand how your companies are REALLY doing: Conduct confidential online surveys, employee interviews, and small group discussions where employees can fearlessly voice their concerns and the brutal truths to senior leaders. Share findings and openly admit problems to your staff. Then, make changes!
Show care and respect for staff: Solicit their opinions, be compassionate, inquire about their personal lives, and don’t treat them like objects. Instead, make them feel like company owners, the #1 workplace value desired by employees, according to an October 2011 Wall Street Journal article by Laura Petrecca. A work/life balance came in second.
Never make promises you cannot keep: Be careful not only what you say, but what people perceive you as having promised.
Recognize and reward people: Actively look for things people do well and thank them. When you criticize people, coach rather than berate them.
Hire outstanding people: Employ great, positive staff members with strong work ethics and high quality standards. Organizations are energized by can-do people who “get things done.”
Fire the wrong people with dignity and compassion: Your staff will observe how you handle terminations, so do it respectfully and kindly. If you must lay people off, do it at all at once, not in waves, and provide caring post-employment assistance.
Develop strategic plans and promote teamwork: Establish a clear purpose beyond simply making money, along with a mission, vision, and a plan to achieve them all. Teams in strategic workplaces handle stress better and are more productive. Keep everyone involved in challenging work and in rowing together toward common goals.
Communicate: Keep staff informed of important events, which negates misinformation and gossip.
Set boundaries on work: People who don’t set rules for how they spend their time can find work eating up lunch hours, early mornings, and late nights. A 2006 University of California study found that working more than 51 hours per week over an extended time period can triple the risk of hypertension. Thus, working overtime can really hurt your business—and employees themselves. Of course, you may occasionally need to work longer-than-normal days to “get the job done,” but it shouldn’t be a regular occurrence. If, like ours, your folks are passionate about what they do, have purpose, feel appreciated, help steer the ship, and enjoy their colleagues, they will be willing to work hard to make the business succeed.
Successful businesspeople who have achieved true satisfaction with their lives know how to set limits and leave work at the office. Those who don’t often end up hating what they used to love!
Take care of yourself: Some people refuse to take breaks from work, eventually resulting in serious health issues. Back pain, insomnia, anxiety, and depression are potential outcomes of workplace stress and burnout. If you want to dig out of the “burnout hole,” exercise is the cheapest medicine. There exists “a wealth of knowledge that shows that exercise and recreational activities reduce stress, increase productive moods, and build social supports and vitality, the lifeblood of enterprises,” according to an Entrepreneur Magazine article by Joe Robinson. Thirty minutes of brisk exercise five days a week will bolster emotional and physical health.
Lack of rest caused by excessive work hours or stress can also lead to sleep problems, depression, and anxiety, as well as reduced productivity in the long run. Circadian, a workforce consulting firm, found that 60-hour work weeks led to a 25-percent reduction in productivity. Likewise, the Bible says, “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day, you shall rest”—even God acknowledges that we cannot burn the candle at both ends all week long! Try calming activities like yoga, prayer, or meditation to reduce stress and make it easier to rest and relax.
Dr. Donna DeCarolis of Drexel University School of Strategic Initiatives notes, “If we want ourselves and our employees to be innovative, we need time to do things other than work. Entrepreneurs need to have periods of intense activity, but if it isn’t balanced with reflection, relaxation, and doing something to take your mind off work, you won’t be able to be innovative, creative, or find solutions to problems.” When it comes to avoiding burnout, mental, emotional, and physical rest are all important to protect employees’ happiness.
Eliminate distractions: Particularly when working under tight deadlines or in stressful conditions, business leaders and staff should turn off e-mail notifications, cell phones, and telephones, only checking them periodically. This allows them to focus instead on their top priorities. Otherwise, the endless beeps and rings can contribute greatly to stress, burnout, and decreased productivity. You may have to close your office door to avoid in-person interruptions as well!
Have fun! If your idea of “fun” is making money, think again! Everyone needs something in their lives beyond work. Mike’s passions include his 57’ Chevy, 64’ Corvette, and 66’ GTO convertibles, as well as traveling to Hawaii and Europe, and Blake has been traveling with him since he was six years old. There is nothing better to us than boarding an airplane destined for Maui, partying on the way, sitting by the pool, eating great food, and listening to Hawaiian waves and music. When we return, we’re ready to innovate. Such regular, periodic breaks are necessary to recharge your batteries and boost creativity! For some, it can be as simple as taking walks and reading books. Whatever your stress outlet, as Nike says: “Just do it!”
The bottom line: Burnout affects not only the person directly suffering from it, but the whole organization as well. Creating great businesses with positive cultures takes time and effort, but your staff, customers, and business—not to mention your back—will appreciate the benefits!
