Banish Employee Burnout

November 4, 2010

Has the recession got your organization doing more with less?  Are you relying on fewer resources and smaller teams who are taxed to keep your organization afloat, competitive and profitable?

 Banish employee burnout and keep your organization running smoothly with happy employees performing at optimum levels.

Be aware of the signs of burnout:

  • Even stars crash and burn. Your star performers are most susceptible to burnout. Their champion attitudes will push them further and farther to do more and they can push themselves right over the edge.
  • Mistakes. Little ones and big ones become more frequent. These mistakes can become costly against your bottom line.
  • Burnout goes home. The toll on your employees goes beyond the work environment: illness, auto accidents, home problems and abusive behavior, to name a few.

Quell the flames of burnout:

  • Provide training for managers and supervisors to help them avoid overloading staff. Be sure that they recognize the symptoms and the risks of employee burnout.
  • Offer relaxation options like yoga or meditation or even just a quiet room to sit and think.  A focus on wellness and being centered can calm a stressed environment and refresh your employees.
  • Try to minimize the cause of burnout: an imbalance in work/life time. Discourage working late and coming in early, as well as taking work home. Insist that vacation days are used, even if it’s just for staycations. Make it a company policy if you need to.
  • Use teambuilding activities. Or, take it a step further and combine teamwork with philanthropy through a group volunteer project. When people feel like part of a team, a greater cause, and community, they know they’re not “in it” alone.

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Posted by Biz Dev

Top three reasons for wellness in a down economy

August 12, 2010

In a recession, cash-strapped employees could be exercising less, eating more fast food and stress levels could be increased.

Employers who choose to maintain or even expand funding for employee wellness programs will maximize the benefits of a healthy happy workforce. Here are a few ways your wellness dollars translate to ROI for your organization by implementing wellness as a business solution.

1. Wellness = priority = more productivity . Employment services firm Manpower found that workers are eight times more likely to be engaged in their work when employers regularly beat the wellness drum. Employees said working for a company that promotes wellness encourages them to be more creative and innovative.

According to the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Productivity losses related to personal and family health problems cost U.S. employers $1,685 per employee per year, or $225.8 billion annually.

2. Attract and maintain the best talent with wellness. The latest Principal Financial Well-Being Index reveals that 45% of employees working for small and midsize companies consider wellness benefits a reason to stay in their jobs. Their favorite wellness perks: on-site fitness rooms, discounts on gym memberships and at-work weight-loss programs.

3. Maintain wellness. Even during the recession, a Towers Watson and National Business Group on Health study shows that more than half of companies are maintaining or increasing spending on wellness.

A separate survey by Fidelity Investments shows that, on average, employers spend nearly 2% of their total health care claim dollars on wellness programs. Half plan to add at least one more health improvement plan in 2010, and 89% will maintain their current programs.

According to experts, employers that start wellness programs can see a positive return on investment “within the first few years of adoption.”

Harvard researchers found that for every dollar a company spends on wellness it can save $3.27 on medical costs, and $2.73 in absenteeism costs.

Coca-Cola’s fitness program recouped $500 per year per employee, despite the fact that only 60% of their staff was enrolled.

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Posted by Biz Dev

Retaining and Inspiring Top Talent During Tough Times (Part I)

May 13, 2010

Cost-cutting, streamlining, and “right-sizing”—hallmarks of business strategies during economic downturns—leave employees wondering “What’s next?” Uncertainty can quickly snowball into fear and discontent. Here are ways to head off workplace negativity that can run rampant during lean times.

Make an Effort to Communicate

When times get hard, there’s a natural tendency to buckle down, work harder and avoid others. That lack of communication can be a deadly mistake. Without information, people will draw their own conclusions. It is far better to be forthcoming—even about bad news—than to withhold information.

Invest in One-to-one Management

Schedule one-on-one meetings with each of your team members. Review the current situation, improvement plans being enacted, and the challenges and opportunities ahead. Outline clear expectations for the employee’s performance and the outcome that will occur if that performance is achieved. And if layoffs are likely to occur, clearly delineate the situation that will trigger the cuts and what must occur to avoid them.

 

Offer Market Pay

While this may not be the ideal time to consider increasing personnel expenses, don’t shortchange yourself by under-compensating your staff. Evaluate your pay and benefits package to ensure it’s competitive. While money alone typically won’t spur high performance, a compensation package that is perceived as being unfair will create resentment.

Keep the Department Focused

 

When people feel stressed, big projects can become overwhelming. To keep the work manageable, break big projects into phases and tasks that are less intimidating. As a manager, your role is to maintain focus on corporate objectives while encouraging employees to concentrate on the next task to be accomplished. Also, create positive reinforcement by celebrating milestones as they are accomplished.

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Posted by Biz Dev

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