Have you ever noticed your hard-working employees suddenly lose their desire for professional success? They cease to be motivated, to complete the assigned tasks 100% and you see their tired, exhausted glances from time to time. All of these are signs of a professional burnout.
Let's add other signs:
- reluctance to go to work and do their usual tasks
- feeling of indifference to colleagues, refusal to fully communicate with them
- constant fatigue, drowsiness or insomnia
- apathy, irritability, deterioration of the emotional state of mind
- feeling of monotony, senselessness of work
In this article, we not only share tips for dealing with emotional burnout, but also talk to the EvoTalents team about their tips for saving mental health.
I am very responsible for my emotional state. As a person and employer, it is primarily important for me to maintain my resources, so I constantly focus on this. First of all, work helps me. When the war began, I was up to my ears in work, because it was very important for me to give the team stability of wages and employment. Secondly, it's a day to day schedule: I like to wake up early, exercise regularly, follow my diet, and spend time alone. If such moments disappear from my life, I feel bad. I do everything to live in this mode, because this is exactly what helps me.
Says the founder of EvoTalents, Olena Volk.
We believe that a good mood and motivation of the manager is already +10 points to the happiness of the employees. But what should an employer do if their team still loses its cheerfulness, diligence and liveliness?
I. Identify the reason
Dialogue is the key to healthy relationships between all team members. So if you see any changes in the work or behavior of your employee, you need to find out the reason. Sometimes even such a simple thing as the attention of the boss can help . Questions like "Do you like the tasks you do?", "Are you still interested in this position?" or "What do you want to achieve in the future?" show that you care not only about deadlines, but also about the internal feelings of employees.
The founder of EvoTalents, Olena Volk, knows from her own experience what to do in such situations:
We have a regular “one to one” with each person. I always watch the state of the team’s mental health and we talk about it. If someone needs a day off or vacation, they take it. For the last year, we have been working in an experimental mode from time to time: 4 days a week. We have people who reduce their workload on Fridays or have a proper day off. We do this so that there is no race or workovers.
II. Change the type of activity or have a rest
IT specialists often face the issue of monotonous work. For example, developers can get tired of working on the same project due to "oversaturation" of certain endless activities. In this case, it would be rational to give the employee an opportunity to work on another project, to offer workshops, seminars on professional topics, or to give them the opportunity to learn new technologies. But the best option would be the possibility of any even short-time rest, because IT specialists are people who ignore vacations and a proper eight-hour sleep most of the time.
It's like I've never had such a burnout and now I don't feel it's coming, but if to think about emotional burnout, a break for 1-2 days (I'm not talking about Saturday and Sunday) would help to rest a little, forget about the work routine and switch to something other than work. For example, a walk or a mini-trip, just to have a good time. Something like a small impromptu vacation.
says EvoTalents recruiter Vadym.
III. Add physical activity
Due to the intense work on the computer, most IT specialists lack physical activity. Sport doesn't only help to get rid of negative thoughts and emotions, but also engages the body to produce endorphins (hormones that promote happiness). Be sure to involve your employees in any type of workouts. Joint sports activities (yoga classes, morning runs, dancing, Zumba) don't only make your team healthy, but also unite them as friends. If you don't have the ability to bring employees together, you can always offer them any free gym memberships.
I know that my mental health is 100% dependent on my physical health. Therefore, in order to always feel good, I never forget about sports. Even 15 minutes of slow exercise helps keep me energized throughout the day. If I feel like I need to take a break from work, I always try to go outside for a walk. Fresh air = good thoughts, besides, it's the easiest way to stay active.
says Anastasia, brand manager of EvoTalents.
The reasons for professional burnout can be different. The most important things employers can do are to listen to their employees, not to be indifferent and to try to show them your empathy. Don't forget that your team are the people without whom your company wouldn't work at all. Taking care of the internal feelings of each individual employee is the key to a strong team. After all, happy employees = well done tasks = a peaceful employer sleep.