How To Lighten Employee Workload and Reduce Burnout

Sophia Belnap

Are employees pushed too far? Is stress mounting, leading to increased burnout and frequent turnover? Current research indicates that it is. A 2021 study from Indeed supports the argument that most employees experience work burnout, with 52% of participants agreeing that they have too much to do. Two-thirds of those surveyed feel this situation has worsened throughout the pandemic. Burnout is real, demanding immediate attention to maintain productivity and employee content. What does this mean for management and owners? One way to improve conditions is to focus on lighter workloads. How is that possible when there is so much to do? Consider implementing the following 5 strategies.

1. Prioritize Projects

Staff members work hard, and they may feel stressed to tackle everything at the same time. Communicate clearly with your teams about which tasks they should handle first, and then establish timeline goals for how to get things done reasonably and timely. With clear deadlines and manageable project guidelines, your crew may not try to push themselves too hard to rush through multiple projects at once. The slower, steady pace helps alleviate nerves.

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2. Streamline Systems

What obstacles currently prevent smooth work performance? Are certain programs outdated? Do you need to update technology to speed up production? Discuss these questions in team meetings and then seek out answers. For instance, if your Prometheus monitoring systems are functioning but require a boost in speed and efficiency, you could seek out improved methods to expedite it better. Reduce the frustrations, and you could see fewer struggles in the office.

3. Don't Multitask

Okay, so you like to juggle things. But in this fast-paced world, this concept may not work well in the office. Employees may not do well when they're working with vastly different clients or topics. Minimize their focus, keeping the people or groups on one team and one concept. Less is more is the new motto if you want to lighten loads. A marketing group could work with one or two companies rather than 10 clients at once. Instead of trying to handle ten different workplace responsibilities, narrow it to two or three. Little changes permit for better attention to details and less confusion. In addition, they have less on their plate, so they may feel better about the end product.

4. Pair Projects to Talents

When staff switch gears, they must also learn new techniques and habits. They developed a certain skill set under the previous team, and that likely developed ease and efficiency; in fact, these employees may have a strong comfort level. Although this change may prove interesting for some, for many others, it adds to a growing to-do list. With the new team or project, workers must adapt, study up on new technology or information and begin again. These steps add to the workload and could lead to burnout quickly, especially if employees bounce around often.

5. Use Project Managers

Project managers oversee larger groups, determining the task progression. They act as an immediate source for employees to discuss problems and concerns. Although they are a part of management, encourage staff members to view them as colleagues who support the work assignments. Develop open relationships with solid communication so that all parties feel comfortable talking about issues and solutions. Use these vital players to oversee the current demands consistently. Have them check in regularly with groups, checking on goals and status. They can assess whether too much is going on, and then recalibrate assignments to assist in workloads.

Employees can push themselves too hard, taking on more than they can realistically do in their work hours. In doing so, they can become disgruntled and overwhelmed, losing enjoyment and motivation. Management should understand that overloads, therefore, lead to potential burnout. When that mentality sets in, it's hard to reclaim employees' enjoyment and go-getter attitudes. Thus, make it a priority to alleviate those strenuous workloads. Keep things simple, focused and reasonable.