Building a satisfied employee collective has become an art form in its own right, as retaining top talent in the industry and strengthening the bond between team members has become an arduous task for the modern business leader. After all, in a world of endless possibilities, what’s stopping any one of your employees from abandoning your cause due to workplace burnout and the stress that has accumulated over time?
The road to long-term success in the overly-competitive marketplace lies in building a loyal and devoted team that will push your company forward through the toughest of challenges, which is not something you can hope to achieve if your employees are not performing at their best on a daily basis. Given the fact that numerous crucial factors will affect your employees’ emotional and psychological well-being, let’s take a look at some of the best ways you can help them fight workplace burnout and increase productivity.
Make work-life balance a part of your company culture
Long gone are the days of faceless companies forcing their employees to punch in, grind for 8+ hours, and then punch out before repeating the process the next day, whether they like it or not. Nowadays, the primary concern is given to employee health, happiness, zeal, and productivity in the workplace. However, none of this can be achieved if your team members have a lot on their plate back home.
What’s more, recent studies have confirmed that satisfied employees performed 20% better in the workplace than their dissatisfied peers, begging the need for you as their leader to help them achieve work-life balance and realize their potential. With that in mind, you want to follow modern trends and offer them flexible working hours, encourage vacation time and holidays, enable working from home when possible, offer free gym memberships to improve their physical and mental health, and more.
Invest in your employees’ professional development
There are two things in the universe that seemingly have no end: the universe itself, and human curiosity. It’s what landed the first manned crew on the Moon, and it is the thirst for knowledge, progress, and self-actualization that keeps a 21st-century employee from leaving your company to seek out a more fulfilling adventure. Keep in mind that sooner or later, every job becomes tedious, repetitive, and uninspiring.
Yes, even if your job is to ride unicorns all day. This is why you need a good reward system for your employees, but more importantly, you need to offer constant professional development as well as career advancement opportunities. So be sure you send your team members to conferences, seminars, and perform in-house mentorships that will allow them to perform better and advance their careers.
Reward their efforts and incentivize socialization
Business leaders need to understand just how valuable of an asset their employee collective is and structure a comprehensive reward program in order to show their gratitude for a job well done. If you think that a paycheck is enough to keep your employees motivated and maintain top performance, just be mindful of the fact that 69% of employees claim to be more productive if they feel appreciated.
Rewards, however, need to be carefully devised and structured in order to boost productivity without incentivizing your employees to work hard only when they’re expecting to be rewarded. Apart from cash bonuses, there are other creative solutions such a personalized Mastercard gift card that will allow your employees to enjoy casual shopping. This is especially good for improving team socialization, as you can use gift cards to make a company outing that can end in a nice restaurant. The possibilities are numerous, just make sure the reward is meaningful and relevant.
Build a trusting relationship with your team
You might be the Big Cheese around the office, but that doesn’t mean that your employees should fear you, especially if you’re trying to build a passionate and devoted team. Instead, you need to be their friend, an authoritative figure they can trust, confide in, and respect. To achieve this, it is imperative that you involve your team members in the key processes of the company, and ask them to pitch in with useful advice and observations.
This will help them feel appreciated and included, ultimately boosting they motivation and productivity. Moreover, by being open with your employees and valuing their input, you can become a better leader, boost your decision-making process, and in turn work together to become the leading brand in the industry.
Offer constant support and guidance
Lastly, being a good leader also means having all the right answers, all of the time. There is no way around it, if you want to your employees to respect you, enjoy their time in the office, and build a stress-free career without risking burnout, you will need to offer support and guidance on a daily basis. After all, you are the boss, and even if you don’t have a solution to their problem right away, make a note to help them out as soon as you can – your employees will greatly appreciate it.
Increasing productivity in the workplace and avoiding the dreaded burnout might seem like an arduous task, but in reality, all it takes is a bit of strategic thinking and a friendly, creative mindset. By being the leader that gives back, knows how to smile and lift up their employees, and rewards them regularly, you will have no problem leading a passionate team imbued with health, vigor, and endless zeal.
