American office workers are generally happy, but a large portion of them feel burned out, according to a survey report by Staples Advantage. How could this paradox be true?
While 43 percent of survey participants reported being "very happy" and another 43 percent reported being "somewhat happy" at work, 53 percent of the same group said they feel burned out at the office. Approximately 52 percent of burned out respondents attributed their fatigue to putting in too many long days.
Scott Behson, a professor of management at FairleighDickinsonUniversity (Teaneck, N.J.), believes the high rates of burnout could be a foreshadowing of upcoming problems for office workers.
Mr. Behson gives four tips for managers to relieve their employees' burnout, according to the Harvard Business Review.
1. Eliminate excessive time demands. Although occasional overtime is a part of the modern workplace, employees should not be given more work than they can handle during paid hours. People who take their work home with them do not have time to recharge and refresh. Focus on improving teamwork and sharing responsibilities among team members.
2. Offer more flexibility. "Workers are able to make the most productive use of their working hours when they can adjust the time and place of their work to best avoid conflicts with other responsibilities," said Mr. Behson. By allowing employees to construct their own working arrangements, they will have more time to complete work.
3. Waste less of workers' time. Over one third of Staples' survey participants said they experience email overload, and 25 percent said they spend time in inefficient meetings. Using email more effectively and planning meetings only when necessary can help employees feel more productive and less distracted.
4. Make work less exhausting. Employees who moderate the pace of their work and take occasional breaks are more productive. "Managers can model such behaviors and stop signaling in various ways that to be a great employee is to be a workaholic," said Mr. Behson.