Deal With Burnout Before It Burns Your Business

The Kenyan work environment is at a general perspective characterized by high stress. This is due to high expectations and increasing demand on high productivity on employees. High unemployment levels have only amplified workplace pressure.

Employees who are constantly exposed to high levels of stress can experience burnout. Regardless of the position an employee holds in an organization, no one is exempted from burnout.

Some jobs are more stressful than others and among the “very stressful” category are, customer facing jobs. Customer service agents are prone to burn out because they work in a very busy environment.

Their jobs entail receiving high volumes of customer queries, often under extreme time pressures, have to deal with complex problems, and often rude customers.

This sets the interaction tone from the beginning and it’s for the agent to turn the interaction around. This can lead to agents feeling overworked, mentally and emotionally exhausted.

Customer service representatives are often dealing with disappointed customers and complicated scenarios and unlike most other jobs, the customer service job can be emotionally grueling.

The modern empowered customer has seemingly become less patient and less kind which has left customer representatives feeling abused and exhausted.

While a stressful work environment has been the major reason for burnout, the Covid – 19 pandemic came with its own share of chaos, uncertainty and worry.

A majority of employees had to adapt to working from home and just as they were getting used to this new way of working, some have been forced back into the office after feeling productive working from home during the Covid – 19 pandemic.

As an employer, one has to understand that for your employees to offer great customer experiences, even during difficult times, it starts with great employee experiences. So amid all the stress and uncertainty, who is taking care of employees?

As an employer, do you understand what Burnout means in order to protect and support your employees?

 

What is Burnout?

The World Health Organization defines work burnout as chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands.

It is chronic stress that results from unclear expectations, lack of a work-life balance, and other workplace factors that aren’t successfully managed and it consists of three primary features:

• Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
• Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job
• Reduced professional efficacy

Some organizations would like to shift the blame of burnout onto the employees. Maybe they just need to be more efficient? Maybe there is need to seek help outside of work? Maybe there is need to manage their time better?

However, burnout doesn’t happen by accident. It’s usually a combination of several workplace factors that come together and create a harsh working environment for employees.

A burnout can kick-start a vicious cycle that affects customers. An organization stands to lose when employees are not able to bring in their whole selves into their work due excessive exhaustion.

 

Negative Effects of Burnout for a Business

 

1. Decreased Productivity

When employees feel stressed and overworked, there is often little room left in their minds to think on their feet, act quickly, and stay focused. Instead, they start to lose focus and become less productive. Less productive workers mean a less productive business.

 

2. High Frustration Levels

Employees who experience burnout will often feel helpless and frustrated and some may take out their frustration on customers which may come out in different ways.

These employees feel unmotivated to help a customer who is being difficult or impolite. They may try to limit the communication to just the bare minimum, or even be passive-aggressive. This can all be disastrous for an organization if the goal is to improve the customer experience.

 

3. Increase in Errors

   Customer service agents experiencing burnout are not working with the same mental capacity as agents who are happy and fulfilled in their roles.

Sometimes, the customer service agents are required to capture information about a customer and even a tiny error can lead to big problems in some cases.

For instance, an error in an address can lead to orders getting sent to the wrong location, which will result in very unhappy customers and even more calls to the customer service team.

Employees who are experiencing a burnout will make errors and are also less likely to spot errors they have made when proofreading.

 

4. Lack of Interest

Employees who are stressed lack enthusiasm for their work because their work is the source of their stress. If burnout is not managed early on, the lack of interest in their work not only harms the employee but it can also rub on the other co- workers.

Negative emotions have the potential to spread throughout the team and decrease morale.

5. Absenteeism

Some employees but mainly customer service representatives and agents do not feel comfortable letting the company know the real reason when they feel they need to take some time off.

For the customer facing jobs, the main reasons are thought to be high stress, harassment, and childcare issues. Traditionally, call center employees have had a very rigid shift pattern and working hours.

This can make it difficult for employees to handle unexpected events in their personal life like childcare issues or personal appointments. Absenteeism puts increased pressure on the other staff and makes the operation less productive as a whole which is not ideal for a business.

 

Warning Signs and Symptoms of Work Burnout

In increasingly busy, high-pressure working environments, employees often become the shock absorbers, taking organizational strain and working longer and more hectic hours.

Burnout is a gradual process and sometimes it is not easy to spot.  It does not happen overnight, but it can creep up on you. The signs and symptoms start slowly at first, but become worse as time goes on.

Work stress shows up from our jobs in numerous ways. It could be that sinking feeling before a presentation to colleagues or a client, struggling with an unrealistic deadline or pressures and demands from upper management or the labored effort needed to just get out of bed.

 

Common Signs of Burnout

1. Exhaustion

The most undeniable sign of work burnout is feeling tired and drained most of the time. It could be feeling tired even before starting your work, feeling tired when undertaking a simple task or if you feel that your energy supplies always seem insufficient to handle your job demands.

Exhaustion could present itself as feeling physically and emotionally depleted and in the physical aspect, symptoms may include headaches, stomachaches, and appetite or sleeping changes.

 

2. Isolation & Self Neglect

People with burnout struggle from overwhelm and they may stop socializing and confiding in friends, family members, and co-workers as a result of the burnout.

People experiencing work burnout also tend to draw away from the usual essential self-care routines such as getting enough sleep, taking time off work to rest and rejuvenate and they may also take up unhealthy eating habits.

 

3. Obsessing About Work

Commitment is required for anyone looking to excel and be successful in their career. However, there is a thin line between commitment and obsession and it is therefore important for one to be aware of how obsession may present itself:

• Dwelling on what went wrong or what could have gone better at work for hours
• Thinking of work while you are doing your chores at home or during your time off, such as when you’re jogging, getting a massage or getting a manicure
• Frequently imagining depressing work situations such as getting fired, blowing things out of proportion and forgetting all the stellar contributions you have made in your job.

 

4. Irritability

The negative emotions, cognitive issues, exhaustion and lack of self-care brought about by burnout can cause people to lose their cool with friends, co-workers, and family members more easily.

Coping with normal stressors like preparing for a work meeting, driving kids to school, and tending to household tasks also may start to feel overwhelming, especially when things don’t go as planned.

 

5. Difficulty Thinking Effectively

Chronic stress which affects cognitive function – the brain’s ability to interpret the various factors in your environment and understand them. Some indicators of reduced functionality in this area include:

• Difficulty concentrating at work.
• Regularly forgetting important things at work.
• Difficulty solving problems including simple ones.
• Difficulty understanding what is said by others.
• Tuning out of conversations and meetings has become a habit.

 

6. Frequent Illnesses

Over a period of time, workplace burnout can cause health issues. Burnout, like other long-term stress, can lower your immune system making you more susceptible to colds, the flu, and insomnia. Burnout can also lead to mental health concerns like depression and anxiety.

 

7. Feeling dissatisfied about life

It is normal to feel dissatisfied about different aspects of your life, including ones that are totally unrelated to your job when you are suffering from work burnout.

Dissatisfied with the never-ending demands of a job, people with burnout may fantasize about quitting with no plan or going on a solo-vacation. In extreme cases, they may turn to drugs, alcohol, or food as a way to numb their emotional pain.

 

8. Decline in Work Performance

Underperformance is unavoidable when affected by occupational burnout. If you are failing in tasks you used to excel in, this can be a symptom of burnout from work.

So what can employers do to protect their employees’ mental health/well-being and keep employees around at a time when many are hitting their limit?

 

Strategies to Prevent Employee Burnout

1. Recognize burnout in employees

It takes empathy and a keen eye to identify when an employee is experiencing burnout. As mentioned earlier on, burnout does not just suddenly crop up. As an employer you will have noticed the reduced quality of work, lack of motivation, lateness or absenteeism.

Try to identify if employees are being treated unfairly, given unrealistic expectations or being micromanaged.

 

2. Provide Support for Employees Without Micromanaging

Customer service agents are frequently monitored throughout their shift to collect information about talk time, average handle time, and other metrics that relate both to the customer experience and their own work.

Micromanagers closely observe and control the work of their employees and they can easily default to closely tracking employees beyond relevant KPIs, creating an environment where employees feel overwhelmed.

The tracking of employee experience can create an environment where good employees feel under appreciated.

Employers can also support their employees by considering allowing call center employees to take personal or mental health days which can foster a better environment for employees.

Additionally, employers can look to increase the workforce which can give employees the time they need between shifts to unwind.

As opposed to criticism, employers can establish opportunities to offer important feedback to their employees. Thoughtful feedback given with context, support, and advice is usually more effective and helps drive the results that managers are ultimately looking for.

 

3. Invest in New Customer Service Technology

Outdated technology that is cut off from the other bits of software used by an organization can be a problem for the customer service agent.

Technology that allows employees to collaborate across teams, displays relevant information, and is intuitive to use, can be the difference between employees feeling empowered or hindered by their workplace.

Moving to an Omnichannel platform can dramatically improve workplace efficiency and productivity because less time is lost by employees changing from system to system during a call.

The repetitive nature of handling data in a call center which provides an opportunity for small errors or losing data is reduced by having an Omnichannel platform because all information is only captured once.

Investing in alternative customer service systems and software like Live Chat and Chatbots will also take the pressure off the call center operation and allow agents to multitask more easily.

These alternative platforms also reduce work load because simpler problems can be handled by chatbots.

 

4. Clarify Roles and Improve Communication

A contributing factor in workplace stress is lack of role clarity. When roles are well articulated it means more satisfaction with leadership, higher productivity, and a higher chance that employees will stick around.

Abiding by a consistent cycle of feedback is one way of addressing lack of role clarity.

 

5. Improve Work Environment

Employers and managers have a duty to foster the safest, healthiest work environment possible because it is better for productivity and it is better to keep people happy. This can be achieved by adopting the below:

Empathy: It would be ideal for an organization to prioritize empathy as one of its goals. Empathy training, in which skills like active listening and emotional intelligence are explored, can be of help to managers and employees.

• Sorting out unmanageable workloads and unreasonable demands: can also improve the work environment by Adopting modern technology, as previously discussed, enables agents to work more efficiently and can make a big difference in the quality of work.

As a manager, one may consider lessening the workload if employees are finding it to be unmanageable. Having people with industry experience and know-how can help balance out employees at the beginning of their career.

These are people for whom productivity comes naturally, and they can provide mentorship support to struggling employees.

• Where possible, be flexible: Allowing a range of shift patterns and allow agents greater freedom to choose which shift they want rather than boxing them into whatever shift they first picked. A more flexible work schedule allows customer service agents to maintain a better work-life balance.

 

6. Motivate Your Employees

To create a positive atmosphere in the customer service operations, as a manager you should find ways to motivate your employees through praise and positivity.

Consider:

• Rewarding employees who demonstrate the skills you want to encourage. Like when an agent find a creative solution to a problem? Give them an award, a small bonus, recognize them, let them go early, or give them a treat.
• Provide feedback, but always focus on the positives as well as the negatives.
• Hold team meetings regularly so the team can bond with each other and with the manager.
• Offer performance incentives and bonuses to customer service agents who are contributing to the success of your company

As a customer service agent, your work health is essential for long-term mental and physical viability and the trajectory of your career.

Whether you recognize the warning signs of impending burnout or you are already past the breaking point, trying to push through the exhaustion and continuing as you have been will only cause further emotional and physical damage.

There are also ways in which a customer support representative can keep themselves in check and make sure that they are happy, productive and in the right mindset for their job.

 

Personal Initiatives to Prevent or Manage Burnout

1. Reach Out To Other People

   When you are burned out, problems seem impossible to solve, everything looks bleak, and it gets difficult to muster up the energy to care, let alone take any action to change the situation.

Social contact is nature’s remedy to stress and talking face to face with a good listener is one of the fastest ways to calm your nervous system and relieve stress. This could be someone close to you such as your partner, family, friend or close colleague.

 

2. Re-evaluate the Way you Look at Work

Customer service jobs can sometimes feel mundane and it is important to find value in your work. You can therefore focus on how your role helps others and those other aspects of the job that you do enjoy, even if it is just chatting with your coworkers during break.

It would also help to look for meaning and satisfaction elsewhere in your life such as your family, friends, hobbies, or voluntary work. Focus on the parts of your life that bring you joy.

Changing your attitude towards your job can help you regain a sense of purpose and control. However, if a job is constantly busy, unfulfilling and mundane, it could be time to consider a different career or work environment.

3. Learning to Say No! 

Customer service agents tend to be “yes” people. They are problem solvers, like to help, get into everything right away and work things out⁠. However, saying “yes” to everything that comes at you becomes damaging.

In order to manage everything, you have to find a way to balance your time and not overwork yourself with everything that is thrown your way. Saying no to requests on your time is necessary especially when you have too much work or someone else could perform it.

 

4. Explore Your Creative Side

Creativity is a powerful remedy to burnout. Consider trying something new, start a fun project, learn a fun skill or resume a favorite hobby. Choose activities that have nothing to do with work or whatever is causing your stress.

 

5. Take time off

It is essential to take a complete break from work and maybe go on a vacation. If you experience burnout, request for a temporary leave of absence, just to remove yourself from the situation. Use the time away to recharge your batteries and pursue other methods of recovery.

While at it, set aside some time to relax. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing activate the body’s relaxation response, a state of restfulness that is the opposite of the stress response.

 

6. Practice Good Sleep Habits

Feeling tired can aggravate burnout by causing you to think irrationally. Our bodies need quality time to rest and reset, which is why healthy sleep habits are key for our well-being. Keep your cool in stressful situations by getting a good night’s sleep.

 

7. Take Mental Breaks

Sometimes we get caught up in work mode all the time and keep checking emails while in line for a coffee and type up notes on the flight back from a business meeting. While it may seem necessary when you are busy to keep pushing ahead, it is vital to take breaks.

Use spare time to read a book, listen to music, talk to a friend, or run through breathing exercises. Taking time out for yourself is crucial to your wellbeing and will ultimately benefit your performance.

 

8. Make Exercise a Priority

Rhythmic exercise, where you move both your arms and legs, is a hugely effective way to lift your mood, increase energy, sharpen focus, and relax both the mind and body.

Purpose to exercise for 30 minutes or more per day or break that up into short, 10 minute bursts of activity. A 10-minute walk can improve your mood for two hours as well as release stress and tension that can take a toll on your body.

 

9. Eat a Balanced Diet

What you put in your body can have a huge impact on your mood and energy levels throughout the day. Minimize sugar and refined carbs because these foods quickly lead to a crash in mood and energy.

Eating a healthy diet filled with omega-3 fatty acids can be a natural antidepressant. Adding foods rich in omega-3s like flaxseed oil, walnuts, and fish may help give your mood a boost.

 

10. Invest in self-Care

To maintain your emotional and physical health, develop self-care routines. You could try different activities that can improve your well-being until you find ones that work for you.

 

In conclusion
Even if you’re working long hours and trying to balance your personal life and work life, remember to sprinkle some joy into each day by making self-care part of your daily routine.

Try going for a walk, talking to a friend, or watching an enjoyable program on television. Small self-care gestures like these can stop stress from turning into something more serious, like burnout.

Remember, you are in control of your health, not your employer. Don’t wait for your company to decide what’s in your best mental and physical health interests. Take charge of your life by evaluating your job and life and decide for yourself what is reasonable.