HR expert explains what signs to look for and why it’s so important to find a remedy
By Rachel Hoover, Brightree’s Senior Talent Acquisition Partner
The numbers say it all: 75% of workers indicate that they’ve experienced burnout – defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a syndrome stemming from chronic workplace stress that hasn’t been successfully managed — with 40% specifically pointing a finger at the pandemic.
Long hours, lack of resources, and unclear expectations have long been identified as leading causes of burnout; however, just like so many aspects of professional and social life during the global pandemic, burnout has been exacerbated during this stressful time. Outside factors like losing face-to-face contact with a supportive network, losing sleep and shifting to more of an all-work-and-no-play lifestyle has left its mark on all of our workplaces.
In fact, 61% of remote workers and 53% of on-site workers report that it’s more difficult now to “unplug” during off hours. I’m guilty of this myself because I stopped taking a lunch break when I felt like there was too much work to do and not enough hours in the day. Luckily, I realized that not taking much-needed breaks was lowering my productivity. But for some employees, that realization comes too late – after burnout has already set in.
So, what can you be on the lookout for in your workforce? The three big signs of burnout, says WHO, include:
In my HR position, I’m often asked by senior leadership and management if there’s a remedy for employee burnout. While there’s no magic bullet, we have rolled out strategies for minimizing burnout that any HME, pharmacy or home infusion provider can put in place. The first step is forming a team – this can be formal or informal – to build a process to mitigate burnout. At Brightree, our team follows these 6 guidelines to keep burnout to the absolute minimum.
Treating your employees as well as you treat your patients is the right thing to do for their satisfaction – as well as for your bottom line. Studies show that burnout leads to far greater absenteeism and lost productivity and contributes to the “great resignation,” the phenomenon sweeping the U.S. where workers are quitting their jobs at the greatest rate ever seen in the history of the country. In fact, Gallup reports that burned out employees are almost three times as likely to be searching for a new job. In other words, if you’re not focused on reducing employee burnout, you should be because it can lead to turnover, which costs you in time, money and employee morale. The good news is putting these 6 strategies in place to reinforce the value you place on employees – and their mental health – can minimize the burnout while maximizing the many benefits of employee retention.
Rachel Hoover is the Senior Talent Acquisition Partner for Brightree, responsible for the entire business cycle of recruiting candidates for open positions.
She brings a wealth of HR and talent acquisition expertise to her role, including experience in creating and developing HR policies and procedures.
Prior to joining the company in 2019, she served as a recruiting consultant for Corea Energy Solution and as a recruiter for VSoft Corporation.
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