
All employees feel a certain level of stress at work from time to point. But feeling tired after working hard on a certain project is not the same as lacking the energy to be consistently productive. The latter is a common sign of employee burnout. It usually is the reaction to prolonged exposure to chronic stress, leading to reduced professional ability, cynicism, and emotional exhaustion. Experts at Revature mention that due to its increasing prevalence, burnout has become among the key focus of several workplace mental health initiatives in the tech industry. This industry is known for having increased levels of burnout due to its fast paced nature.
Revature marks a few pointers that can help prevent burnout in tech industry
While there is no single cause for the prevalence of burnout in the tech industry, a few of the leading factors include excessive work hours, poor leadership and unclear direction, insufficient rewards, and lack of control over work. Burnout can be detrimental to both the employees and the productivity of the company they work in. Hence, employers must be proactive in trying to prevent burnout in the future.
Here are a few ways to prevent employee burnout in tech companies:
- Create established roles: Having clear responsibilities and roles assigned to each employee can help reduce burnout and improve workflow efficiency. Employees are less likely to overwork or take on unnecessary work when they are provided with detailed assignment guidelines. On the other hand, lack of clarity at the workplace may create confusion among the workers and hamper overall employee productivity. Employees often get frustrated and tired just to understand what exactly they are supposed to accomplish. Hence, managers must always provide clear details for each project and also give their team a chance to ask questions.
- Offer adjustable deadlines: Providing adjustable deadlines can reduce employee burnout, while improving their productivity and morale. When there are adjustable deadlines present for work assignments, employees shall not be forced to overwork to complete their assignments within a stringent timeline. Adjustable deadlines may also improve the quality of work of the employees, as they shall get more time to focus on the details of the assignment, rather than simply hurrying over to meet a deadline.
- Encourage positive work culture: A large number of tech employees believe their work environment to be toxic. A toxic work environment can strain employer-employee relationships and increase employee burnout. Employers would be able to foster a more positive work environment by showing appreciation for their employees, encouraging open communication, and offering consistent support. This will help employees to stay motivated and lower the likelihood of turnover.
Employees may also experience burnout if they feel un-stimulated at work, which leads to feelings of pointlessness and detachment. This can be avoided by encouraging employees to take part in upskilling programs offered by companies like Revature. Learning brand new skills can be useful in bringing the vigor and energy of the employees back, and also make them feel truly valued work. Moreover, the skills learned through the upskilling program will ultimately improve the productivity of the company.