During the pandemic, employee burnout became a reality for almost every employee globally. And it impacted the work and productivity of most of the employees negatively. If even only a few members of a team experience burnout, it can still have a significant impact on the entire team’s performance and what a business is supposed to deliver to its customers. Most of the employees worldwide reported having suffered burnout at some or the other time during the pandemic.
And it is easy to figure out whether or not employees are suffering from burnout. Organizations can also ask their teams to keep looking for COVID burnout signs like loss of focus, dip in productivity, and continually deteriorating physical and mental health, amongst others. However, not many organizations know how they can find out about the recovery of their employees from COVID burnout. Knowing that their employees are on the right path to recovery is very important for organizations to optimize resource utilisation.
To begin with, the organization will come to know if their employees have started to recover from COVID burnout when they see them in control of what they are doing. COVID burnout took power away from employees. It was tough for them to wrestle it back amidst the changes taking place so rapidly in the business world. And many employees also saw their workload increase. What helped them address burnout was taking these issues to their company. They worked with their respective employers and ensured that their work and communication didn’t go beyond the stipulated work hours. If there are still employees who aren’t able to take charge of their workday, it is the responsibility of the employers to provide solutions to their problems so that they can manage to find a way out of burnout. Flexibility in work timings, more control over projects, and other things can work wonders.
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One of the easiest ways for organizations to figure out whether their employees have started recovering from COVID burnout is if they see them being more productive than the last few months. Many employees could not cope with the challenges brought to the fore by the pandemic. The pandemic impacted their productivity, making them feel not-so-good about their careers. Burnout can make employees less enthusiastic about work, find it difficult to focus, and be out of sorts due to the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. Suppose organizations see their employees taking more interest in work, completing their assignments timely, and being more willing to get new jobs. In that case, they can rest assured that their employees are moving in the right direction.
The pandemic introduced many employees to an altogether new way of working. Remote working was a privilege earlier, but it became necessary after the pandemic. Most of the employees now understand that working with the most benefits is the hybrid way as it allows them to divide their work time to a remote and an office location. If employees have started reaching out to HR and admin teams regarding their work schedule and location options, they are now on the road to recovery from COVID burnout. It means that they now understand the flexible working options available to them and intend to make the most of them.
Employees who have started recovering from COVID burnout will begin to communicate more frequently with their team members and managers. Communication is one of the best ways to beat work stress and be more explicit about expectations. It can help employees avoid work-related frustration as well. Before the pandemic, employees pointed towards improper and inadequate communication as one of the biggest reasons for work-related stress. If employees are using the new communication tools introduced by organizations over the last year or so, it indicates that they are now moving away from burnout.
It is no secret that the pandemic significantly impacted employees’ mental health. In the early weeks or months of the pandemic, employees couldn’t find the support they were looking for to deal with the pandemic. As it was something completely new for even the organizations, they couldn’t answer their entire questions. However, with time, organizations are affecting their employees’ mental health and how important it is for them to support their employees at this time. This is why many employees are now providing additional mental health benefits to their employees. It is the responsibility of employers to ensure that employees know about all the benefits that are available to them. And they should also encourage their employees to make the most of these benefits to recover from COVID burnout.
Many employees didn’t take much time off from work during the pandemic. The COVID lockdown was one of the reasons but many of them didn’t spend time away from work because of the fear of being laid off. And many of them also felt that taking time off while working from home was making the most of the situation. A good indication that employees have already recovered or are on the road to recovery from COVID burnout is that they are aware of their paid time off benefits and utilizing them. A good way to prevent future burnout issues is to tell employees that the organization supports their time off.
Organizations were more concerned about managing their remote workers and providing the necessary tools and resources to be more productive. Earlier, their focus used to be on making their employees learn new skills. But now, both employers and employees know how they need to deal with pandemic-induced challenges. So, they now have more time and thinking space to focus on talent development and career advancement. Employees now ask about new reskilling and upskilling opportunities that have recovered from COVID burnout.
Reference:
- 10 Signs Your Team Has Recovered from COVID Burnout | Glassdoor | August 9, 2021
- 7 Signs of Recovery from COVID Burnout | LinkedIn | Nish Parikh | October 26, 2021
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