Summertime can mean being outside and catching some rays with family and friends, but it can also mean seeing an increase of stress and worry. Many, if not all of us, are in the beginning of our second summer during the pandemic, and it is evident that most workers need a break after a year that has felt never ending and exhausting to everyone.
Summer can seem like a time that employees (and employers) will feel more relaxed and able to focus on themselves, however that does not necessarily seem to be the case. Summertime can mean more commitments from family, increased financial situations because of summer sports and vacations, and countless other things that may increase levels of stress among employees and employers.
Many employees feel like they cannot manage time and have more difficulty with balancing personal life with professional life, which can cause work stress and personal stress to combine and cause a sense of pressure for the employee and employer alike.
Typical signs that you or your employee may be experiencing burnout are:
- Disengaged or withdrawn
- Taking frequent absences
- Perpetuating a negative workplace culture
- Appearing worried or stressed
These are only some indications that you or your employee may be experiencing burnout. Below are some tips (some are Summer specific) that may help you refocus and realign you or your team with the goals of the company.
- Make sure your employees feel validated- make your people feel:
- Heard
- Valued
- Supported
- Encourage Wellness in the workplace:
- Implement a wellness strategy to combat stress levels- hold company wide fitness challenges, or team building functions, etc.
- Encourage employees to take small breaks (5-10 minute) throughout the day to get out from behind their desks and walk around.
- Encourage employees to go outside on their lunch breaks or even hold meetings outside if possible.
- Schedule vacation in advance and encourage the appropriate amount of vacation:
- Productivity can be refreshed when there are breaks and time away from the office setting.
- Use all your vacation days. Do not leave paid vacation days on the table. Take advantage of the time off and use it. Employers can encourage employees to take the time off and let the team know that it is OK to take that time off.
- Block off time on your calendar and create boundaries
- Limit the times and create guardrails for yourself if you find your calendar packed. Block off time to complete assignments and honor routines.
- Limit email on the weekends at night (when appropriate), do not make it a habit to check your email at night a habit.
These are just some ways an employee or an employer can implement processes and systems to integrate a process to lessen summer burn out and burn out in general. Keep in mind, this may not work for all companies and as an employer you can curate your own plans and systems to help your employees help themselves through the times of stress in their work and personal lives.