Mimi Nguyen founded Cafely in 2023 with a mission to bring the unique Vietnamese coffee culture to the West. Her main focus has been crafting delicious blends that highlight the bold, dark flavors of Southeast Asia’s favorite coffee bean — robusta.
Cafely specializes in single-origin Vietnamese coffee. They sell a range of whole, ground, and instant robusta and arabica coffee as well as innovative products such as Vietnamese Coffee 2.0, which blends coffee with adaptogenic ingredients for longer-lasting energy.
Beyond the Break Room: Proactive HR Strategies to Combat Employee Burnout
Nowadays, employees are becoming increasingly burned out at work. While a few decades ago, the term didn’t really exist, increasing pressures, strains of daily life, and overstimulation are leading to increased rates of stress and burnout.
So, what can HR departments do to proactively prevent their employees from burning out, quitting, or going on sick leave? Let’s find out…
What is Burnout and Why Does it Matter?
First, burnout is more than just stress. It’s reaching a breaking point where you can’t continue. It’s a chronic form of stress and leaves people feeling overwhelmed and unable to do basic tasks. This, in turn, leads to employees taking leaves of absence or quitting jobs altogether to focus on their mental health.
A burnout can take you by surprise. I’ve always put my all into work and business and have unfortunately suffered from burnout before.
It’s worth noting that this is not an overnight shift. Often, this is a cumulative process that builds over time. Most people don’t even realize that they’re in the clutches of burnout until it’s too late. So, the workplace must be a safe space that isn’t overly stressful or overwhelming. Essentially, as HR, we need to ensure policies are in place to keep toxic behavior at bay, prioritize employee well-being, and ensure everyone feels taken care of as much as possible.
Burnout matters on a business level because it can bring workplaces to a grinding halt. When people are overwhelmed and stressed, they’re not working at their best. Employees aren’t thinking rationally when they’re stressed, they’re not efficient, and overwhelming behavior can be contagious in an office environment. As HR, you need to make sure people feel safe at work and that people can get the support they need to perform at their best.
What are Some Popular Proactive HR Burnout Policies?
There are dozens of popular proactive HR burnout policies and well-being activities that businesses can implement.
Some of the most popular HR burnout policies include:
- Time-off incentives
- Free mental health support
- Flexible working
- Wellbeing workshops
- Mental health days
- Regular one-to-one check-ins
- Free gym memberships
- Onsite therapists and well-being coaches
While some of these policies are more impactful than others, all of them rely on creating workplaces that are supportive of people’s mental and physical health.
How Do Proactive HR Burnout Policies Work?
Proactive HR burnout policies are effective because they equip employees with strategies and foster positive habits during times of stability, ensuring they’re able to manage stress when challenges arise. This way, when employees are stressed or overwhelmed by work or home life, they have the strategies they need to draw on to cope in a healthy and manageable way.
“The best treatment is prevention.”
As HR, part of your role is to identify areas where support is lacking and make sure that employees are aware of the support available if they need it. This includes highlighting burnout and wellbeing policies all year around — not just during Mental Health Awareness Week. This way employees can access support when they need it not just as a reactive action.
Why Do You Need To Be Proactive With Employee Burnout?
The rates of improvement from burnout and stress are greater when employees have been exposed to proactive policies versus reactive policies. Think of it this way, if you stretch before you exercise, you’re less likely to injure yourself. If you don’t put the groundwork in when times are good, it’s going to be way worse when challenges arise.
Statistically, reactive programs only support 1 in 6 employees. That’s not a great uptake rate for an employee assistance program. With proactive policies, they support everyone. Whether you’re overwhelmed and looking for help or you want to improve your mindfulness to quiet the noise from time to time, proactive policies are ideal for all.
Helping people manage stress and providing the tools necessary to combat burnout before it happens is much more efficient for the employee and the business.
Since I’ve learned how to cope with stress and realized that to be consistently productive I have to take some time off once in a while, I haven’t suffered a burnout.
Why Do Some Burnout Policies Fail?
As with any policy, not all burnout policies work. There are a few key reasons why certain burnout policies fail so it’s vital to understand why before investing.
1. They’re Too Niche
If your support is too niche, it won’t be effective for the wider cohort and won’t be worth the investment. Avoid employee well-being programs that are inclusive to a select few employees (yoga or meditation for example).
2. Reactive Instead of Proactive
We’ve mentioned briefly that proactive policies are the best options for HR departments, employers, and individuals. Reactive policies are expensive to the business in terms of lost working hours, the cost of qualified therapists and high-risk interventions, and the time it takes individuals and companies to recover.
3. Surface Level Approaches
Time and time again, workplaces organize pizza parties, daily fruit orders, or yoga classes to boost well-being and reduce the risk of employee burnout. Although these activities can boost employee satisfaction at work, they’re not an effective way to prevent burnout.
One-off events don’t create systemic and organizational change, but they’re necessary to support staff and foster a healthy working environment. Opting for interventions that aren’t as flashy, but have a lasting effect, like memberships to mental health apps, subsidized gym memberships, and flexible working policies is more effective long-term.
4. Not Enough Options
Similar to offering niche support, if employers don’t share different forms of mental health support, they may not be effective for everyone. People don’t react to stress in the same way and don’t find comfort and support in the same way.
Some people might find going to the gym a stress reliever, some might need one-on-one therapy, and others might benefit from meditation and mindfulness. We’re all different, so as an HR department, you need to offer a menu of options to give the best chance of preventing burnout.