Employee burnout is a significant problem in today’s workplace. Colleagues are feeling increasingly stressed by all manner of things, including their workload, office politics, or lack of promotion opportunities.
Unfortunately, burnout isn’t a benign problem for company owners. In fact, it can undermine your entire operation, cutting revenue and increasing staff turnover costs.
This post explores why addressing burnout is essential, and why all businesses should focus on employee wellbeing. Here’s what you need to know:
Burnout Can Negatively Affect Customer Experience
Burnout isn’t just exhaustion. It also entails a cynical attitude towards work. And that’s bad for customers.
Employees, for instance, might make sarcastic comments to customers. They might also bring down the rest of the team with their negativity.
When this happens, it damages your firm’s reputation. Clients are less likely to come to you in the future because of word-of-mouth brand damage.
Burnout Detracts From Employee Performance
Most burned-out employees don’t perform at their best. Work quality begins to suffer, and creativity goes down.
Again, this effect can damage your brand’s reputation. Colleagues are more likely to miss deadlines, make mistakes, and fail to deliver on their promises.
Burnout Destroys Workplace Culture
Burnout can also damage workplace culture. Ultimately, the quality of the interactions between members of your firm depends on how people feel. If they experience negative emotions, that will eventually play out in their social relationships and decision-making. If too many people are affected, it can result in damage to the company’s brand capital, leading to more absences and higher employee turnover.
Burnout Can Reveal Your Brand’s True Nature
Burnout is also something that can reveal your brand’s true identity. Many companies pay public homage to employee well-being while harming their staff with long hours and harsh schedules in private.
Unfortunately, the word always gets out. People find out about how you are treating colleagues and they don’t like it. Consequently, it damages your brand.
Therefore, addressing burnout is essential because it helps you present your brand more authentically. There’s no conflict between your stated values and what you actually do.
Burnout Increases Absences
Absenteeism is extremely costly for firms. When people don’t show up for work, revenue loss can be substantial.
Unfortunately, burnout increases absences. Therefore, it’s not always a good idea to push your staff to the limit. If they feel exhausted, they are more likely to get sick or take time off work.
The trick here is to schedule properly. Make sure that colleagues have a manageable quantity of tasks every day. Avoid frustration and find rewarding work for them.
Ultimately, avoiding burnout assists your company in several ways. When staff feels well-rested, they do their best work. They are also much more likely to stick around with you, instead of looking for job opportunities elsewhere.
Addressing burnout also has company-wide benefits. It improves your brand and prevents colleagues from talking about you negatively behind your back. It also shows customers you are authentic and you mean what you say about employee wellbeing.