Be a Well Oiled Machine: 3 Steps to Address Organizational Stress
Are your employees experiencing burn out? Are your employees having trouble adjusting to changes in the workplace? Are you dealing with a recent workplace crisis? Most every organization deals with these problems from time to time, and experts agree it’s better to be prepared when these issues arrive rather than operating in damage control mode. Think of your organization as a complex machine of many working parts that, if one fails, can derail the whole system. Such a machine needs to work in unison, its health be maintained and all moving parts be well-oiled.
Likewise, as a business owner or manager, it is best to check-up and perform routine maintenance on your workplace, to really get to know the moving parts that contribute to the success of your organization and to not let your employees go on the fritz, which can compromise the system-wide function.
Consider using these evidence-based tips in preventing employee burnout and stress, as recommended by workplace wellness experts. Remember that employee stress and burnout can have a negative effect on your entire organization.
Get to know your organization! Use organizational assessment and data to identify wellness trends. An organizational check-up provides information on overall organizational health [1].
Prevent employee burnout and crisis before it happens [2]. Consider implementing a wellness plan that meets your employee wellness needs. Be proactive about employee stress, take a balanced approach to workplace physical and mental health.
Focus on engagement and improve workplace relationships. Engagement is a critical component of long-term behavior change [3]. Through engagement processes, your employees do more than just “show up” to work.
When dealing with workplace stress and employee burnout, knowing where to start can be the biggest challenge. Take a targeted approach that first identifies workplace stressors then addresses them with a customized solution.
Contact nikkiw@omhsolutions.com for more specific information on addressing stressors within your organization.
Dr. Nikki Williamson Weiner, OTD, OTR/L
References
[1] M. Leiter and C. Maslach, "Burnout and workplace injuries: A longitudinal analysis.," in Stress and Quality of Working Life: the Positive and the Negative, Greenwich, CT, Information Age, 2009, pp. 3-18.
[2] C. Maslach, "Burnout and engagement in the workplace: new perspectives," The European Health Psychologist, vol. 13, no. 3, 2011.
[3] L. Putnam, Workplace Wellness that Works: 10 Steps to Infuse Well-Being and Vitality into Any Organization, Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley, 2015.