Prevent Job Burnout
How a Supervisor can Help

What can an employer or supervisor do to prevent job burnout and/or help to reduce the chances of leading good employees to burnout? What can an employee evaluate for stress reduction or suggestions for improvement to reduce chances of burnout?

• Be sure employee’s work conditions are acceptable, clean and comfortable. Are they given the resources needed to complete the tasks? Do they have proper ergonomically correct workspaces to keep stress and fatigue at bay?




• Look at organizational proficiency needed to successfully implement the duties and responsibilities of the position. If an employee is so overloaded that there is not time to keep organized this can amplify the stress that leads to burnout.

• Encourage all members to participate in the submission of ideas for job improvements to prevent job burnout.
• Show that you value your employees for their work so they know that management takes their needs and comforts into consideration this can in turn uplift morale and increase production.
• Prior to any major adjustments to work duties and responsibilities if you are not removing the current duties, assess the employee’s workload by actually working with them or send in someone to make an assessment of that particular positions needs.
• Increase communication to include one-on-one reviews of duties and responsibilities pertaining to each member’s particular position, not only at the time of hire but continually throughout employment. Use this time to focus on improvements and streamlining as well as giving recognition for jobs well done.





• For major reviews of duties and responsibilities look at each task and consider how this may be streamlined for easier processing and organization or possible eradication. Combine data needs in one report rather than ten separate
  reports.
• To prevent job burnout cut unnecessary reports and duties if they don’t give ample results. Some supervisors will continue to implement new programs without discontinuing ineffective ones.


• Take into consideration all job responsibilities to avoid setting unrealistic deadlines. If easier, ask the employee when they can have a particular task completed and see if this is acceptable by you therefore empowering the employee to meet their own goals. This will help curb decreased functioning and poor work quality of subordinates.

• Encourage having fun at work and provide employees with stress management programs, classes and continued training on time management. In larger companies or corporations provide a employees assistance program that is a confidential resource they may utilize for emotional support.

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