Smart Ways To Help Out Your Exhausted Employees

The challenges that most employees face today are far more exhausting than ever. Primarily due to the growing competition in the market, employees are under heavy performance pressure to safeguard their spots in companies. It often leads them to compromise their health, mental and physical.

So, if you are in a leading position in a company, you need to keep an eagle eye on your employees. You must quickly spot and address fatigue-related issues among them, or else it might cost you dearly. There’s nothing more important than people’s health, and contributing to the improvement of employees’ health at the workplace is every employer’s duty.

Make Shift Planning Easy

Employees usually get exhausted because their schedules are all over the map. It happens when they are subjected to inconsistent work timings. For instance, if they are told to work 8 hours a day, and the next day you ask them to perform a night shift, this might become a bit problematic for them. It will deprive their bodies of establishing a natural and consistent sleep rhythm. Our hormones also undergo circadian rhythms, and irregular work hours will exhaust them surely. In such cases, you should, if possible, let your employees plan their shifts themselves. This will give employees time to adapt and work at their maximum potential.

Suit Their Needs

Many employees become exhausted because their work time differs from their natural work pattern. During their lifetime, people come through circumstances that change them accordingly. For example, if someone worked night shifts during their previous employment, they might want to continue working during nighttime. Ask your employees about their past work experiences and what makes them comfortable, as this will help you make schedules according to people’s preferences. 

Make a Team

A human is a social creature who prefers to work in groups. It is difficult for any employee who is exhausted mentally and physically to notice tiny details and remember essential points. In such situations, you can ask them to work in small groups. 

Thus, each group member will become accountable to other group members for their actions. As a result, everything will be noticed. A unified approach will also boost the unity among workers and enhance overall work efficiency as everyone will brainstorm together. 

Let People Take a Nap At the Workplace

A nap can contribute a great deal to productivity. If your employees are mentally exhausted and struggling to focus on their work, tell them to take a short nap and return fresh. Major companies are taking the positive results of nap studies into account. Some companies have even introduced nap rooms in their workspaces to ensure that employees are not deprived of taking a nap during their work hours. 

Identify What’s Going Wrong 

Many of your workers might be facing specific issues like malnutrition or an unhealthy lifestyle that can lead to fatigue. Some would not know what is causing the fatigue because of a lack of proper education on particular topics. For example, they might need to be more familiar with the side effects of consuming drinks high in caffeine and understand the consequences of working long hours.

Through group counseling, pamphlets, or one-on-one conversations, you can identify what’s going wrong and provide people with a solution. As employees are a valuable asset to every company, the responsibility trickles down to those in charge to take care of them. 

Keep the Temperature in Check 

The human body functions optimally at a specific temperature. If the workplace environment is too warm or cold, the body will have to go the extra mile to cope with unfavorable conditions that will drain its energy rapidly. 

So, make sure that the workplace is functioning at an optimum temperature. Also, allow workers to make basic wardrobe adjustments like wearing a sweater if they are cold. Make sure that the air flows smoothly and use air fresheners to improve the scent. 

Ease Psychological Pressure 

Unfortunately, psychological pressure is one of the problems that many people face at work. If they make certain mistakes, bosses react negatively. Don’t be a boss like that. Instead, if a worker does something wrong, constructive criticism is what you should turn to. Never raise your voice or talk to employees as if you are better than them.

One of the most effective ways to release psychological pressure is to hire a therapist. For instance, if an employee is going through a hard period, they need to tell someone about their feelings. A specialist can help them deal with life’s hardships and guide them towards something that will help. 

Also, if you want your company to stand out, allow your employees to bring their pets to work. It will improve the mood in the whole office. Pets will help lower stress and make people more productive. It will also be easy to tell what kind of people work at your company. Nuwber, for example, states that if people prefer dogs, then they are most likely to lean toward outdoor activities and sports like golf. If someone likes cats more, then such people are more likely to have interest in activities that require creativity and are done inside the home. You can use this information to get closer to your workers, which will make them realise that you are observant and care about what they like and do outside work.

Do Not Push Limits

Always encourage your employees to recognize their limits. Overtime payments can contribute to your workers’ financial stability, but this can compromise their rest time. In this case, you should tell them that a few extra dollars are not worth harming their health. Also, tell them how pushing their limits regularly can lead to exhaustion the next working day. 

Promote Healthy Eating At Work

Refrain from loading your offices with such food as chips and cookies. Such food lacks vitamins and important micronutrients. The lack of such elements can lead to sugar crashes, fatigue or weakness, which will eventually lead to serious chronic diseases. So, provide workers with products full of healthy sugars, such as fruits, that boost brain functioning. They should be coupled with protein and fat-rich products, such as greek yogurt, that will assist in keeping blood sugar in check. 

Show Appreciation

A few nice words said to someone can do wonders. Sometimes the only thing that people need is recognition of their efforts. Employees who are not appreciated will soon lose interest, which will impact the company’s functioning. You need to show your workers appreciation for what they do and make them feel valued. You need to act as their mentor to guide them properly and help them in maintaining work ethic.

To Sum Up

Work takes one-third of humans’ lives, and this time should not make people exhausted, uncomfortable, and unhappy. Most of the time it’s an employer’s responsibility to make people genuinely want to show up to work. All the above mentioned tips will be of use to employers who want to make people less stressed at work.