Insights

Three areas employers can address to prevent employee burnout

Over the last two years, many employees feel like they have been working non-stop as the Covid-19 pandemic forced workplaces to adopt a workfrom-home structure. With this shift from set office hours to online working, some employees believe that the lines between work life and home life have blurred, leading them to think that they are unable to log off once their day has ended. Here, Dr. Ryne Sherman, Chief Science Officer at Hogan Assessments, discusses recent research conducted by Hogan, which suggests that the pandemic hasn’t changed people’s personalities, but instead has only heightened certain traits that already existed

The pandemic and the measures taken to contain it have taken their toll on workers with 70% of employees reporting experiencing burnout. With a lack of time off and heavy workloads being the top contributing factors to those feeling the effects of burnout. This is a cause for major concern for managers and workplaces as employee engagement has a direct tie to business results.

Personality is key when it comes to work and burnout

If someone is extraverted and enjoyed the more social aspects of an office setting then their priorities haven’t changed. The isolation that comes with working from home could be having a detrimental effect on their work. Whereas someone more introverted might thrive in a work-from-home atmosphere and find that they get more of their tasks completed when they don’t have the added distractions that come with working in a shared space.

To avoid burnout and not place unnecessary stresses on employees during the return to the workplace, employers must work with team managers. Encouraging open dialogue between managers and team members will help to build a more flexible hybrid scheme that will generate maximum productivity from the people that they employ. Employees who choose to continue to work from home may feel the need to put in extra effort or hours as they are not as closely monitored, it is therefore important to keep a particular eye on this with regular messaging to remind them that their regular workload is more than enough. Putting in place a system that allows for and encourages open and honest discussions between employees and managers will help employees feel seen and heard and that their needs are being addressed.

Stress management is vital to easing the impact of burnout

Burnout can often be caused by an excess of stress. Covid-19 has led to employees feeling an increased pressure to disguise any difficulties they experience when coping with both the stresses of their job and the stresses of the pandemic. With only one in six workers feeling like their mental health needs are being sufficiently taken care of by their employers and workplace. An individual’s experience with burnout can often be traced back to how well they manage stress.

Organisational values link directly to employee engagement

Burnout is less likely to occur when people whose personal values line up the most closely with those of the company are hired. However, a company must also lead by example. Unless management demonstrates the values they want to see from their employees, they are at risk of being the driving factor behind unhealthy work practices. Making work-life balance a priority within a company is key to addressing burnout. Permitting employees to log off once their workday is over might not seem like a revolutionary concept, but it is important as that fact has been forgotten or pushed aside by many workers throughout the pandemic.

People and purpose to drive workplace culture in 2022

How and where work gets done has been permanently redefined since COVID-19 hit, and it is now up to businesses to adapt to emerging talent demands to remain competitive moving forward, new research has found. Here, Melanie Robinson, Senior HR Director UK, Ireland & Nordics for ADP, discovers that businesses that empower their employees to work in a way that suits them will see higher levels of engagement and productivity in the long run.

ADP Research Institute (ADPRI) found that 64 per cent of the global workforce was negatively impacted by coronavirus. However, 66% of UK workers feel optimistic about the next five years at work, and a third think COVID-19 will have a positive effect on flexibility (34%) and work-life balance (28%).

Around the world, and as shown through the establishment of the Great Resignation, employees are striving to find happiness more than ever before. People are now becoming a lot less tolerant of workplace stresses and are increasingly want their place of work to reflect their own preferences and priorities. They’re now putting more weight on the business to meet their needs compared to pre-pandemic, where employees would make every effort to reach their employer’s requirements.

• Research from ADP shows that in the UK, just over 50% of both essential and non-essential workers (54% versus 52% respectively) feel that they are paid fairly for their roles and responsibilities.

Additionally, 53% of non-essential workers believe that they are paid fairly for the skill set that they possess, which only marginally differs from 52% of essential workers. This alludes to the notion that job sector and salary based on workers roles and capabilities may not be a prevailing factor in employee satisfaction.

• Additionally, ADPRI has found that globally, more than half of working mothers (53%), and 46% of working fathers say that having children is holding them back from progressing in their careers. • When compared with UK specific data, ADPRI discovered that only 40% of mothers that are employed in Britain believe that their children are holding back their ability to progress in the workplace, in contrast to 54% of working UK fathers.

This suggests that British working mothers have a more pragmatic approach to their work-life balance, which could be a result of the new ways of working, including working from home and more flexibility in their working hours. In order get the best out of their staff, companies will need to take all reasonable proactive steps to recognise the issue and find solutions, without penalising their workers for working remotely or with more flexible hours around their childcare.

To overcome these challenges and rebuild worker confidence in 2022, ADP’s research and deep insight into HR trends points to the need for businesses to prioritise their employee’s wellbeing and provide an inclusive environment that values diverse perspectives.

As employers look for ways to drive inclusion amidst new work models, the connection will become a measurement of workforce culture. Employers will need to heighten their focus on their people and reflect on the larger purpose that unites their workforce. HR teams already hold some of the most valuable business data, and as the world of work becomes more people and culture centred than ever before, this data will only become more instrumental in driving strategy and change.

Insufficient support for the LGBTQ+ community in employee benefits

A third (33%) of employers think there is insufficient support in employee benefits for the LGBTQ+ community, according to new research from Peppy, the digital health platform. Here, Dr Mridula Pore, CEO of Peppy offers some suggestions for employers for improving the diversity and inclusion for employee benefits for all employees.

Sixty-three per cent of employers think that it can be hard to get senior management to buy in to benefits that do not support the majority of employees, but 34% strongly agree that employee benefits play a key role in fostering diversity and inclusion within the workplace. In fact, two thirds (65%) believe that besides the moral and societal imperative, there is a strong business case to provide employee benefits that demonstrate diversity and inclusion.

Sixty-four per cent of employers say they regularly engage with their employees about which employee benefits might be beneficial to specific employee groups or demographics, and 62% of employers believe they must actively seek employee benefits for minority groups within the workplace to demonstrate their diversity and inclusion. However, 65% say their organisation does not have employee benefits for specific minority groups, as they believe their benefits are broad enough to support all their employees.

It’s important to bear in mind that not everyone in minority groups or the LGBTQ+ community wants their private life to be known within the workplace, and some employees will be on a journey to determine their own identity. With this in mind, it’s important not to label certain benefits as only being appropriate for certain employees as this could prevent people from accessing help when they most need it.

Not all employee benefits may meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ community but many will, whilst also offering comprehensive support to the wider employee community too. Employers need to be selective about which employee benefits providers they choose to partner with and should raise the issue of support for different minority communities when looking at who to work with. Three out of five (60%) employers say their organisation’s diversity and inclusion policy makes reference to the specific employee benefits that it offers for minority groups, which shows that many employers are thinking about ways to integrate and embed support into day-to-day operations.

It’s great to see that organisations are joining the dots between their policies for minority groups and the benefits that they offer – this is really switched-on thinking and shows that an increasing number of employers are embedding D&I in to the fabric of their organisations.

One of the areas in which the LGBTQ+ community can feel very isolated is that of fertility. Deciding to start a family can involve complex fertility treatments including donor sperm, donor eggs, surrogacy or adoption and is often a tremendous strain financially, legally and emotionally. While these areas can also be an issue for heterosexual couples, there are additional complications for LGBTQ+ people so it’s really important for employers to be aware of the challenges this group faces and ensure that they offer relevant support. Bespoke support from specialist clinical experts is a great benefit and confidentiality is a must.

It’s vitally important that employers select benefits that are appropriate for everyone but with sufficient breadth and depth to meet the needs of every individual.

Time to send employees to sleep? The link between sleep, job performance and safety

Experts suggest we should get between seven to nine hours of sleep a night, however, the average UK employee only achieves around six hours. So, what can businesses and brands do to support and improve workforce wellbeing? Here, Matthew Elson, CEO at Evotix offers advice to businesses on how to recognise sleep deprivation in employees, and then what businesses can do to safeguard staff and improve wellbeing.

Lack of sleep can also have a profound impact at work, as feeling tired and trying to stay awake takes a lot of mental energy, making it more difficult to keep concentration and stay focused on tasks.

Sleep-deprived employees are also more likely to make errors, either through a lack of attention to detail or a mistake due to slower reaction times. Alertness, vigilance and concentration are negatively affected by long-term poor sleep, as are problem-solving, creativity and decision-making abilities. In some professions, increased reaction times may mean missing an important task, but in other professions - such as doctors, first responders, and truck drivers - slow reaction times can be the difference between life and death.

What does your business do to manage the risks associated with employee fatigue? Those working in certain industries, such as logistics, will be familiar with the strict rules surrounding drivers’ hours and the implications of getting it wrong.

As with any workplace risk, businesses must actively consider what might happen and not just wait for issues to reveal themselves. In regards to fatigue, it’s possible that some employees might feel reluctant to raise any concerns and others may not be able to recognise the signs of fatigue themselves.

As you’d expect, organisations are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of sleep deprivation on their financial performance, and more importantly their employees’ health and wellbeing. Many businesses have already taken practical steps to support sleep and recovery in their workplace. Everyone at work should be able to identify the signs of fatigue and know what to do about it. Many job-specific risks are covered during employee inductions and training, however, few organisations include fatigue.

Understanding the possible health issues that arise from poor sleep helps with identification, but also prevention. There is strong evidence to indicate that chronic sleep loss may lead to serious health consequences, such as an increased likelihood of cardiovascular diseases, impaired immune function and early onset of Type II diabetes.

These health issues are preventable, and employees at all levels should understand the impact of poor sleep, and ensure they understand the relationship between sleep and how it affects their bodies.

Business leaders should be looking at who is at risk, then whether their work is physically or mentally demanding, and how lack of sleep can impact the business, but also the employee’s engagement, happiness and performance at work.

Businesses need to monitor and track performance and there is a wealth of information available to employers as a way to identify potential fatigue issues. Leaders need processes or solutions, such as online specialist platforms to track and monitor such risks.

Being alert to your staff’s behaviour patterns will help you identify if any of your team are having issues with sleep. It’s vital to be aware of any changes in behaviour or listening out for workers who are always complaining about being tired. For high hazard roles, it is recommended to conduct regular cognitive testing. Don’t just brush it under the carpet, they might be reaching out and will benefit from your support.