What to do about exhausted employees?
Employee burnout is a major problem across the workforce. We’ve got a story for you to illustrate how:
Carolina wasn’t sure what was wrong with her. She was tired all of the time, but from everything she’d seen on TikTok, that was normal for someone with an office job. She couldn’t focus on tasks, either, and that was weird. What was even more concerning was that she didn’t care. She’d once loved her job, but somewhere in the last few months, she’d stopped caring.
During her weekly one-on-one, her manager brought up a report that Carolina was late in completing.
“I’ll get it done,” Carolina promised in a panic.
“Okay, looking at your schedule, when do you think it can get done?” Her boss’ question was fair, but Carolina had no idea. She pulled out her phone and flipped idly through her scheduling app.
“Carolina,” her boss started again, “I think the more important question is actually for me to ask you if you think you can get it done at all.”
“Of course I can,” Carolina promised.
“Here’s the deal,” her boss continued. “The report needs to get done, that’s a non-negotiable. I’m not writing you up for not getting something done, this won’t go on any formal paperwork, but being late on something like this is not like you. I’m concerned that lately you’ve been quieter than normal and that smaller tasks seem to overwhelm you. I’d really like you to consider taking a look at your calendar and passing some tasks off to the rest of your team. You take on a lot around here, Carolina, and maybe it’s time to rebalance.”
How you can solve employee burnout
Delegating tasks had not really occurred to Carolina. This was her job, and everything had to get done and she had to be the one to get it done. What did her boss mean that she could bring other people in?
But she did. And that created room in her calendar to take her personal days. Which created room in her brain to decide to try out rollerblading, since she thought it might be good for her. Within a few months, Carolina was feeling more regulated in her personal life and more engaged in her professional one.
Obviously, employee burnout costs money, time, and wellbeing. Sometimes asking questions, offering simple suggestions, and being creative with people management can make all the difference.
Learn more about how we can help your culture with employee burnout here: https://abbey-research.com/corporate-trainings/
