According to the Harvard Business Review, “Employee engagement is a major concern for HR leaders. Year after year, concerned managers and researchers discuss Gallup’s shocking statistic that seven out of 10 US employees report feeling unengaged”. That’s 70% of the workforce who feel idle and unattached from their work. In today’s environment, this disengagement is now at risk for an all time high. It makes you wonder – how long until my employees experience burnout? Who will be the first to go?

As remote work becomes normalized, companies risk burnout from top performers. Here are 8 ways we, at allsynx, have learned to reduce that risk:

1. 24/7 Available e-Learning

A great resource allsynx offers employees is on-demand learning. We offer several different online programs including New Hire Training, Continuing Education and more. While these programs were designed for different target audiences, we make all information accessible to all. This has proven to be a great tool for employees who begin to feel unsatisfied in their day to day. Employees are able to learn new skills, improve existing ones or, in the least, change up their day with instructional videos, podcasts, assignments and activities. E-learning helps reduce the risk of burnout because employees are able to step outside of their normal routine and expand their skills.

2. 1 on 1 Meetings

At allsynx, we require all supervisors to schedule weekly meetings with each member of their team. In our experience, this is a great outlet to pinpoint concerns, confusion, and provide a space for general expression. It is recommended that these meetings happen early in the week and last about 30 minutes. Spend the first fifteen minutes discussing personal topics such as, “What did you do this weekend”, or “How are you doing”. The last fifteen minutes should be dedicated to work topics. As a supervisor, team lead, or manager hosting the meeting, our expectation is for our leaders to come prepared with work topics to discuss. Be transparent with the employee about their strengths and weaknesses from the past week, your expectations, and any advice going forward. Having this short conversation can make a world of difference. It reminds the employee that what they are doing is important and the fact that others are depending on them. These types of realizations and reminders help reduce the risk of employee burnout.

3. Encourage Breaks and Time Off

Encourage your employees to take time off! Whether this be encouragement in taking midday breaks, or even taking PTO for a long weekend – it’s important! Study after study has shown that working remotely increases productivity and that employees are more likely to work after hours. While this is commonly viewed as a positive, be wary of the side effects these added work hours may have on your team. Burnout starts to creep in when work stress becomes too much.

4. Game Day

Game Day is exactly how it sounds! What better way to avoid burnout than implementing a 1-hour, company-wide game time once a month! This is just another way for employees to mix up their routine, have some fun, and bond with their coworkers. There are tons of games and activities that are able to be hosted remotely and are a fun option for anyone to join.

5. Side Projects

We talked about employees mixing up their routine in the e-learning tip, but another great way to do that is by assigning a “side project”. This could be anything the employee wanted it to be, but they have to follow through. It creates opportunities to get creative, step outside of comfort zones, and try something that has never been done before. This new project may be exactly what the employee needs to get excited about work again!

6. Gamification

We utilize gamification at allsynx. Gamification is a way for the company leaders to recognize the “above and beyond” efforts their employees put in. It promotes healthy competition, creativity, helpfulness, and interest. Employees are able to receive points throughout the entire year and are eligible to win tangible rewards with those points. Gamification is a great way to engage employees and help them get excited about their day!

7. Team Points

As we mentioned earlier, remote burnout can be initiated for many different reasons. It is possible employees experience things like second-hand stress, work overload, or, on the flip side, could believe they aren’t doing enough. We at allsynx recommend implementing a point system. The best way to implement Team Points is to assign points to all projects currently designated to your team. There should be one project owner, and whoever that is will receive the points attached to that project. In addition, you will designate a maximum number of points that an employee can maintain. This serves several different purposes. The main reason for Team Points is to have a tool that represents your workload numerically. By glancing at each of your employees’ point counts, you can easily see who is juggling more, who could be experiencing overload, and who may not have enough work. From there, you can use this data to delegate future work. Say a new project comes across your desk and you have to decide who to give it to. Check the Team Points! Choose the employee with the fewest points. That being said, Team Points will also benefit your employees when there is no room for additional projects. Use it as a tool to show your superiors that your team cannot take on anymore.

8. Kudos

Another great way to lower the risk of burnout is to recognize an employee. This can be anywhere that is convenient for your company, but we recommend I recommend creating a special space to announce kudos. These Kudos can be based on any action that was either above and beyond, a stellar example, or even just a helping hand. There are no qualifications; it’s simply a tool any employee can use to recognize another! Kudos helps combat burnout because employees feel connected and motivated when they are dependable team players!

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