What employers need to know to prevent workers' burnout

Burnout. It can happen to even the best and brightest employees, particularly now when workers are being asked to do much more with less.

The best way to reduce burnout in any organization is to prevent it from happening in the first place, because once it manifests itself it can be toxic to the entire corporate infrastructure, say experts.

"Employee burnout affects the whole organization and the relationships outside the organization," says Eric Abrahamson, author of  "Change Without Pain: How Managers Can Overcome Initiative Overload, Organizational Chaos and Employee Burnout" (Harvard Business School Press; $29.95) and a professor at Columbia Business School. "It's really hard to have an extremely burnt-out employee provide top-notch service to clients."

That's why employers need to be proactive in not only recognizing burnout but in finding ways to reduce it, say experts.

"Preventing it is a much better option then waiting until you have the problem," says Christina Maslach, co-author of "The Truth About Burnout" (Jossey-Bass; $25) and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Burnout can manifest itself in many ways, including increased absenteeism, lost productivity, cynicism, and decline in quality and performance, says Maslach.

"Employees shift from trying to do their very best to the bare minimum," she explains, noting that the best way to reduce burnout is "to build greater engagement."

To do that, employers should look at six core areas within the workplace, she says:

Workload: Is it too demanding; are there enough resources to do the job well?

Control: Do employees have little control or choice in how they do their job? Do they have to function in a chaotic work environment?

Rewards: In addition to monetary rewards/benefits, is there meaningful social recognition for a job well done?

Community: How supportive is the overall environment, including interaction between employees, managers and customers? Look to resolve conflicts.

Fairness: Do employees feel as if they're working in an environment that supports fairness and equity?

Values: Are the company's actions in line with the core values that it preaches? Is there a values conflict? Conduct a values audit.

Take a good look at your organization inside and out. Is the staff doing routine repetitive tasks that are no longer necessary? asks Abrahamson.

Be cognizant of how many initiatives the company undertakes, he notes. "There's a tendency for certain firms to start way too many initiatives."

Communicate with employees "early and as often as you can," advises Kate Thompson of Thompson Consulting in West Islip, an HR consulting firm. Employees may be stressed about the uncertainty of economic conditions.

Help them understand how the company is doing, says Walter Poggi, president of Ronkonkoma-based Retlif Testing Laboratories. The 70-person firm keeps employees up to date on the state of the company and economic conditions through a monthly newsletter in which Poggi pens a column.

"It's challenging times," he notes, adding that the firm laid off four employees about 18 months ago due to the economic slowdown. It has since replaced about half of them, but Poggi says, "We've not had the ability to do that much in hiring increases with the economy the way it is."

He says he tries to keep employee workloads in check, noting that "it's usually me telling people they can't work that much overtime because you can burn people out." He also tries to recognize employees through the newsletter or by giving them tickets to Ducks or Islanders games.

Even the little things mean a lot, says Thompson.

"It's showing gratitude for a job well done," she notes.

 Signs of Employee Burnout Syndrome 

 Exhaustion. Feeling overextended or overwhelmed by job demands.

 Cynicism. Developing a negative, hostile attitude toward the job. 

Inefficacy.  Negative feelings about your job performance.. 

Source: Christina Maslach