Workplace burnout has become a hot topic among global businesses, driven in part by the recent World Health Organisation announcement that recognised workplace burnout as an “occupational phenomenon” in which symptoms can include exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy.
Nicole Bello, vice president, EMEA, Kronos explains that Given the widespread recognition it now has, it is more important than ever that workplaces recognise the role they might be playing in causing burnout, and what they can do to help tackle it. Technology, allied to an improved philosophy towards worker welfare, has a huge role to play here.
The burning burnout issue
According to global research conducted by The Workforce Institute at Kronos, the top three contributors to burnout are unreasonable workload (26 percent), followed by not having enough time in the day to get work done (25 percent), and a negative workplace culture (24 percent).
An overwhelming majority (95 percent) of human resource leaders have admitted that employee burnout is sabotaging workforce retention, with a particularly telling statistic being that 41 percent of employees have experienced burnout so severe that it has led them to consider changing careers.
With all of these figures in mind, it is clear that burnout is a pressing issue. If organisations are serious about maintaining morale and keeping their staff on board, it is crucial that they take steps to increase workforce engagement. People are an organisation’s most valuable asset after all, so they need to be looked after.
Building a winning philosophy
For many organisations, the current working climate means resources are tight, so some challenges with workforce management are to be expected. That said, there is still much more that businesses can do to fight burnout.
The first thing is to focus on building a philosophy that emphasises employee well-being at every opportunity. If workers start experiencing burnout, the root causes need to be investigated and addressed by management sooner rather than later. There should also be measures in place to ensure senior staff are keeping a close eye on the employees in their care, so that any potential pain points can be identified well before they become an issue.
People are the innovators, tech is the facilitator
This isn’t to say that technology is coming to take people’s jobs away from them. Far from threatening the role of humans, these AI-based workforce management solutions are designed to empower human staff to spend more time on activities that drive value for the business, rather than being bogged down in the time-consuming admin processes of old.
This reduces the chances of burnout by ensuring staff don’t have too much on their plates, while ensuring that the human touch they provide is still valued.
Employees at the heart of the organisation, always
Ensuring employee wellness is of utmost importance to today’s business leaders, but burnout is a pressing issue too.People are an organisation’s most valuable asset, but you cannot expect the same levels of competency from a burned-out employee as you would from an engaged and motivated one. Central to avoiding burnout is being able to build and maintain worker morale in the long term. With a consistent philosophy and the right processes and technology in place, this is very much a realistic aim.
