Want Better Business Results? Give Your Employees a Break.
You’ve worked hard to get where you are today. And you expect the same of your employees. But at some point, hard work can become overwork. And overworking can become overwhelming.
If your team never gets a break, you’re going to start feeling it in your bottom line. And not in the way you might imagine.
It’s a fine line…
Perhaps you’ve used words like disruptive, innovative, and revolutionary to describe your company’s product, service, or culture. Many business owners and leaders view these qualities as universally positive. Necessary, even. But from an employee perspective, they can be exhausting.
How many people genuinely look forward to spending extended work days engulfed in disruption, navigating constant change, or leading a revolution?
For a great purpose and over short periods of time? Sure! But non-stop every day until forever? Not so much.
Of course you want your employees to be excited about and invested in their work. But that doesn’t mean they need to live and breathe it 24 hours a day. Your best employees aren’t necessarily the ones hyped up on energy drinks working back to back shifts and staying up all night. They may appear to be overachievers, but in reality, they could be costing you big time.
Stress is money
Workplace stress is real. And real expensive.
Recent research shows:
- 83% of people reported being stressed out by work.
- 63% of employees don’t feel like their employers provide sufficient resources to help them manage stress
- The number of people who reported experiencing “extreme stress” jumped from 18% to 24% in just two years
When employees are stressed out (or tapped out) they are more likely to develop physical and mental health issues. Stress-related health problems can take them out of the game completely. And when they do show up, they’re more likely to be distracted and make mistakes.
Here are 3 keys to making sure your employees are working hard, but not burning out.
1.) Be aware
Recognizing the issue is half the battle. Check in with yourself and your team to assess levels of stress within the organization. Look for specific causes such as:
- excessive workload
- outdated technology
- poor communication
- workplace conflict
- unhappy coworkers
- toxic clients
2.) Take action
Once you’ve identified the causes, work quickly to find and implement solutions. Letting things go might seem less stressful in the short term, but issues simmering under the surface are a breeding ground for increased tension and potential blow ups.
3.) Lead by example
If you tell employees they should strive for work life balance, but they see leadership working 14 hour days and/or rewarding those who do, no one is going to believe you really mean it. Reduce your own stress and you will naturally reduce the stress of your team.
Help your employees help you
If you really want your staff to achieve balance, you can’t just keep talking about it. At some point, you need to give them the tools to make it happen.
Less stress equals happier, healthier employees. And when your team is healthy and happy, your bottom line will be as well.
Running into challenges with employee burnout, turnover, and retention? At Sonus Benefits, we’ve got ideas to help you address these issues and more. Get in touch with Sonus to find out what working with a true employee benefits consultant feels like.
