5 Steps in Managing Employee Burnout in a Seasonal Business
April 8, 2020 Employee burnout isn’t always easy to recognize. Early signs can sometimes be noticed when employees who are usually upbeat and productive start to show some signs of burnout, such as disengagement, reduced activity, appearing or acting exhausted, and an overall lack of responsiveness. However, everyone experiences the symptoms of burnout differently, and the symptoms you see may be from something other than burnout, making it necessary to address these issues quickly.
In retail agronomy operations, symptoms of burnout can be recognized when a top sales representative becomes unwilling to connect with good customers he or she already has a relationship with, or a key operations employee starts showing up a little later and/or starts leaving earlier without telling anyone. Even your office team can experience burnout, and it can often be noticed when individuals who are typically outgoing and willing to share ideas in meetings, start to become silent — even when their department or responsibilities are the subject.
The challenge with burnout is that each employee experiences the effects differently, and it’s common for these same symptoms to be the result of reasons other than burnout. That’s why you should start dealing with this issue with an open conversation as soon as you notice signs of it starting to occur.
We often forget that, in addition to leading teams and business units, managers are also responsible for overseeing the work environments of their people. How people feel about their jobs falls on their relationships with their managers, so it’s your responsibility to ensure each member of your team feels supported to do their best work.
When employees feel burned out, it becomes even more challenging to get them back on track. In the ag industry it often happens at a time when managers have little time to recognize and address these challenges. The good news is that burnout is reversible, and managers can take effective steps to prevent burnout in their team before it even starts.
1. Listen and Discuss
As simple as this sounds, it’s easy to overlook. Regardless of how busy either of you are, it’s important to schedule an informal and honest discussion. Let them know how much you value them and, while they have been productive in the past, you’re worried about what you’re seeing.
2. Then Listen
Let them share their problems, allow them to address their concerns, and give them the opportunity to talk about whatever is on their minds. Take this opportunity to assure them that whatever is happening, you’re willing to support them as much as possible. A recent Gallup survey has shown that people who work for managers who take the time to listen are 62% less likely to feel burnout. This means that taking the time to listen is just as important, if not more important, than addressing each of their concerns! They want to know their manager cares about them as a person, not just an employee.
3. Review Their Workload
Organizations in our industry tend to be short on employees and long on customer demands as the season goes on. This often requires top employees to carry a larger workload to make ends meet. Depending on your team’s ability to recognize overloaded employees and offer assistance, tasks can quickly pile up and become a challenge.
As you see this starting to occur, take the opportunity to help them prioritize. Keep in mind that you should be ready to strike some items off the list and take the responsibility to shift those tasks to other members of your team for delegating them elsewhere or putting them on hold.
4. Are You Part of the Problem?
Sometimes managers are partly responsible for staff burnout. Consider your management and communication styles. Do you send emails to your team members late at night or call them on weekends about work? Do you push back when others add work to your team? Do you struggle with your own workload so much that you don’t have time to talk with or help your team? You might be surprised to find that, despite your good intentions, you might be part of the problem.
5. Ensure Variety and Purposeful Work
When an employee is extremely good at something, their employers tend to trust them with that all the time — and that could wear the employee down. Take chances by assigning them different work every once in a while, or make some time for them to shadow colleagues, innovate, or even pursue educational opportunities via the company.
As you make these adjustments, share how their contributions are making a positive difference for the team. Burnout is far less common in employees who feel they are part of something greater than themselves and can see how they are part of the company’s mission and purpose.
While you can’t use these techniques to solve every burnout problem, you will enable a significant improvement by just letting your team know you’re thinking about them by simply listening and being honest.
There are other factors beyond the control of a manager that can create and prevent burnout on even the best of teams.
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