4 Tips For Helping Your Employees Avoid Burnout

Updated November 2023

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You love what you do, and as an entrepreneur, you get to be your own boss. How much better could life be? Your instinct may be to scoff at the notion that you can “burn out” due to your busy and fast-paced existence, but the indications can sneak up on you like a whisper before becoming such a noisy clamor that you just can’t take it anymore.

Help your employees avoid burnout with methods such as incorporating physical activity into the workday and making certain positive changes to the work environment.

Before you find yourself being short-tempered with your employees, customers, and worse — your loved ones — make a few changes to get yourself on track to a more settled and steady existence. You can start small and ease yourself into some lifestyle changes that put your self-care on par with your business.

Start From the Inside and Work Your Way Out

Stress is an inter that is useful in certain situations, but like most things, too much is detrimental to our well-being. If you don’t take steps to curb it, you are likely to find yourself with a host of other conditions that manifest physically, such as skin conditions or even issues with your heart and weight.

An easy first step to ridding yourself of stress is to practice breathing techniques. Breathing is something you can do anywhere, right? So, as you’re trying to create a more balanced life, start with consciously incorporating simple breathing exercises a few times a day, even if it’s at your desk. In fact, practicing your breathing prior to a meeting may be the kindest thing you can do for your employees, customers, and other business associates.

Another good initial step is to make a few changes in your eating habits. Curtail any thoughts that “you don’t have time” to eat better; instead, resolve to decrease and then cut out at least one unhealthy food item each week. Get your employees on board by changing how you fill the vending machines or work kitchen — ask them what healthy snacks and beverages they would like to see in the office, and then try to accommodate those requests.

Once you’ve eliminated the most damaging food items, start adding in better ones. To make things easy for your schedule, take advantage of online grocery ordering for pickup or home delivery, or try meal kits that deliver everything you need for a nutritious meal to your home.

Get Physical

Next, start to incorporate more physical activity into your day. Again, starting small may be easier for you to process, like taking stairs instead of elevators or parking further from the entrance to get a few more steps in. Engage with your employees to get ideas about at-work activities, such as yoga classes or turning an old storeroom into a small office workout space. This can easily be done with our list of recommended at-home workout equipment (affiliate link)!

You may find that they appreciate your leadership in this healthy lifestyle effort as much as they appreciate your business leadership – just make sure your office policies reflect these changes so they feel encouraged to participate rather than penalized for taking time away from work.

See What Business Changes You Can Make

If you are the type of entrepreneur who follows an “if you want it done right, do it yourself” creed, it’s time to shift your mindset. Take an honest look at what you can delegate to another employee. Hire an assistant to take daily “busy” tasks off your plate. Talk to your employees to see who would like to take more responsibility and what types of things they like to do — you may be surprised by some of the responses you receive.

Even ensuring you have the right business structure can remove some stress from your life. If you’re set up as a sole proprietor, you are risking your personal assets should the business fail or if you get sued. On the other hand, if you are set up as a “C” corporation, it may be overkill and cost you more unnecessarily. Check your individual state laws about setting up a limited liability company or LLC. It may offer you just the right compromise — saving you taxes, offering some liability protection but with more flexibility and less paperwork than a C corp. You can also save on attorney fees by using a reputable online formation service and doing it yourself — without increasing your workload.

Set Yourself Up For the Long Haul

Exercising self-care prepares you to take your business to the distance, which is something your employees will appreciate. In addition to feeling better, you’ll likely find that you are also working better — and smarter. Remember that in all things — personal and business — longevity is the goal.