Key Strategies To Prevent And Manage Burnout In 2022

Failure to address burnout can cause long-lasting effects on the overall economy

 

 

Many were hopeful that 2021 was going to be the comeback year after the pandemic, but the year was anything but for many businesses. One theme that ran true among many shift-based industries, such as food service and hospitality, was worker shortages, with huge numbers of people leaving jobs and managers struggling to find replacements.

Many employers were forced to lean on their remaining workers to clock in for longer and harder hours in order to keep businesses alive, creating a recipe for employee burnout. According to a recent ResumeLab survey, the majority of American workers — 88% — have experienced burnout at some point in their career and 67% are currently experiencing it. The numbers are particularly high in shift-based industries. In the 2021 Global State of Frontline Worker Experiences Study, more than half of frontline retail workers said they planned to leave their job, and 58% reported burnout as the top reason.

As we head into our third year of turbulent times, we need to better support our most essential shift workers by utilizing strategies to prevent and manage burnout in 2022. Failure to address these problems will not only cause long-lasting effects on workers and employers but on the overall economy as well.  

Communication is essential when trying to run a successful business. When communication between workers and employers becomes clearer, everyone can more effectively work together, which ultimately will benefit your business’s bottom line.

But a key part of good communication is effective listening. Particularly in shift-based industries like retail and food service, workers are on the frontlines of your operations and have valuable insights. One study found that, while companies are looking for new ways to improve, 82% of their staffers have ideas that could help businesses achieve their goals. Unfortunately, the same study found more than 1/3 of staffers think their company doesn’t listen to their ideas for improvement.

By failing to listen to employees, businesses are missing out on how best to innovate, improve processes, and serve customers better. Employees who feel like they are heard are more engaged and productive and more importantly, they are more likely to stay and weather the storm with you when things get tough.

In the midst of this pandemic, many people’s tempers are running short, and shift-based workers have faced an onslaught of hostile customers upset about everything from Covid safety protocols to supply chain shortages to shortened business hours. Dealing with angry or upset customers can be stressful and incredibly taxing.

Teaching your customer service staff how to respond appropriately to complaints and empowering them to offer resolutions will help you retain customers and improve your staff’s well-being. Some examples include:
 

Money is a big source of stress for most people. Seventy-eight percent (78%) of American workers live paycheck to paycheck and in particular, many hourly employees are more likely to find themselves needing cash before payday.

This ongoing financial stress affects employees’ health and wellbeing, which negatively affects their employers by decreasing productivity and performance. One study found that U.S. businesses lose $500 billion per year due to employees being distracted by financial stressors.

One solution? Offer on-demand pay, where workers have access to the money they’ve earned instantly when they need it, rather than waiting weeks for a paycheck or turning to a costly payday loan. On-demand pay gives employees more financial freedom and control of their earnings, allowing them to better coordinate their income and expenses and help them avoid overdrafts and late fees on bills.

By giving employees access to their paycheck when they need it, they will not only feel more financially healthy but emotionally healthy as well. There are some situations you can’t plan for, and having access to funds gives workers peace of mind that they have a financial safety net for emergencies and have the flexibility to cover unexpected expenses.

Hourly workers are often working long hours that aren’t a typical 9-5 schedule. When employees feel as if they don’t have control of their schedules this can contribute to feelings of burnout. Offering more flexible scheduling options to your employees not only benefits them, but helps take the stress out of the job of managing schedules for employers. Flexible scheduling defines needs based on demand, but allows employees to select, trade, and fill shifts themselves. Allowing schedules to be created faster, with less effort, and gives hourly employees more control over their work life.

Another benefit of flexible scheduling is employees are more likely to show up when they choose their own schedules. No-shows happen for many reasons, including scheduling conflicts, a desire to avoid working with specific people, and illness; self-scheduling allows employees to swap and trade to keep those types of things from factoring in. We each have different times of the day when we’re more productive. Employees can choose the schedule that matches their most productive time, whether they’re morning people or night owls.

Lastly, since hiring has been such a struggle this last year, offering flexibility gives your business a leg up when searching for candidates. Self-scheduling is a benefit to potential employees since it allows them more control over their work-life balance. In a time when hiring is a challenge, self-scheduling is a valuable recruiting and retention tool.

Right now it’s more important than ever to support your shift-based workers and help them manage ongoing stress, not only for employees’ wellbeing but for the business bottom line. A record 4.5 million people quit their jobs in November 2021, often due to stress and burnout at work. Shift-based industries like hospitality, food service and health care were particularly hard hit.

By considering the above strategies, businesses can help to create a better workplace culture, prevent and manage burnout and retain employees in 2022 and beyond.