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*Originally published by Inc.
Employee burnout has snowballed into a bigger problem for the everyday workplace--including yours. What's the consequence of burnout? Effects include negative performance, tense and disengaged work cultures, and an even higher risk of death for overworked employees. What most companies try to do is ignore it.
Don't think that burnout is happening at your company? A Gallup poll found 76% of employees experience workplace burnout.
1. Fewer Interruptions in Their Workflow
One of my earlier reads in positive psychology was from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of the best-selling book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. His concept of 'flow' can be likened to an athlete or artist feeling 'in the zone' when you're churning through work in a way that feels good, and almost nothing can stop you. In my early days of consulting and in our happiness model, we attribute flow as a commonly found habit in happier, more productive cultures.
Workplaces should focus on ways to support employees to get into their optimal flow of productivity, and that can be through flexible or remote work.
It takes an average of 25 minutes to return to the original task flow after you've been interrupted. If you're lucky as a leader or manager to have only ten interruptions a day, you're still losing out on about two hours of productivity.
What you end up with are offices full of people who are continually playing catch-up instead of reaching a state of 'flow.'
2. A Realistic & Achievable Work/Life Integration
It becomes impossible to juggle a positive work/life integration when you feel pressed for time. A Gartner survey found that 65% of employees have shifted their attitudes toward the value of aspects outside of work.
We encourage our team to make use of their flexible schedules. Parents can be on-call for their kids, sick employees can go to their doctor appointments without worry, and we all can make time for dinner plans.
This flexibility gives employees the opportunity to put more time into other parts of their lives more consistently, not just when they're caught up on work. When employees can invest energy in areas that support their well-being, they can be up to four times less likely to feel burnout at work.
3. Motivation to Show up & Stay
If your employees feel like the only reason they're at work is for a paycheck, then it's going to be extremely difficult to motivate them for the long haul. Incentives like bonuses or perks are useful to re-engage your teams for the short term. To sustain innovation, people want more time.
95% of people surveyed want schedule flexibility, while 72% of those dissatisfied with the amount of flexibility their employer offers said they're likely to look for a new job in the next year.
We've seen the payoff of flexible time manifest in significantly lower turnover rates and higher profits. If flexible work options can support a healthier work/life integration, improve productivity and focus, and motivate your people to want to work [and stay at their jobs], then your company culture will thank you for it.
Combat burnout by creating workplaces in which people can show up as their authentic selves with our Greenhouse Method.