Oftentimes burnout may seem difficult — if not downright impossible — to overcome. The hectic lifestyle people have to curb is simply too taxing.

Do not despair, however. Humans are inventive souls capable of coming up with a plethora of ideas when push comes to shove, and burnout is just one such situation.

However, rather than waiting for all the chaos to break loose, you should think about preventing burnout before it gets the chance to materialize.

Spotting burnout is a straightforward process when you know the usual symptoms. Typically, you know you’re about to stress out when you’re irritated easily, are exhausted, tend to forget things, have difficulties concentrating and making solid decisions, and lack productivity.

Merely one of these signs should sound an alarm. Take action immediately!

Just how exactly do you do that?

 

Throw Generalized Advice Down the Drain

The usual mantra that you should take breaks, stick to your schedule, and work out regularly is so overused that it can hardly help anyone at this point. Seriously, don’t we all know that already?

The hectic world we live in can become so frustrating at times that neither can serve as a quick fix, fair and square. That’s exactly why you should adapt your approach to your personality, expectations, goals, and life.

A preferable work-life balance should be the primary focus, with all other tips revolving around it. While achieving work-life balance can be particularly challenging in certain professions, such as being a physician, you should still make an effort to prioritize your mental and physical health to avoid burnout.

You could explore an article to learn about physician burnout and strategies to prevent it, ensuring you prioritize your well-being amid demanding professions like medicine.

 

Make the Perks Enjoyable

Not to beat around the bush, it’s work that’s the cause of all the stress. The workplace has become so hectic and stupefying that regular breaks won’t do much down the road.

Businesses are trying to adapt to new trends but often overlook the simplest of facts: employees are the biggest investments.

That being said, new perks keep popping up. Of course, many of those are tailored to boost organizational efficiency, so you should learn how to use it to your enjoyment.

Take continual learning as an example. You’ll have a difficult time finding an employee saying they’re not looking forward to it, but often they are into it only to boost their career prospects.

While there’s nothing wrong with that approach, it’s still better to offer engaging courses that will help learners develop an interest in the subject itself.

In plain words, focus on making learning fun. Many people respond well to video eLearning.

But, there are many other ways to do this. One good idea is gamification.

 

Gamify Learning Experience

Games are fun; that much is evident. Adult learners can enjoy gamified courses no less than children do. The practice will help with staying on top of engagement as well, so it’s killing two birds with one stone, metaphorically speaking.

What is gamification?

Gamification is the use of game mechanics in non-game situations. It has wide uses as it can boost the problem-solving abilities of the subject. As a matter of fact, the military has been using it for quite a while, so obviously it’s a useful approach.

Gamification has three core components, namely meaningfulness, conditioning, and communication. At the very least, gamified courses should include the following:

•         Points – identify progress
•         Badges – display achievements (e.g., milestones)
•         Leaderboards – provide rankings

Additional elements that may or may not be used include progress bars, incentives, rewards for the milestones achieved, a narrative, feedback and interactive elements.

 

Offer Flexible Work Models

Flexible work models should be introduced to all businesses as they can be rather efficient at helping employees attain the desired work-life balance.

They also open new possibilities for businesses to reach out to talents anywhere in the world while maintaining balance for people who prefer office work.

There are six flexible work models, as follows:

•         Partially remote work, with flexible office space
•         Almost entirely on premises
•         Partially remote work, multiple hubs
•         Partially remote work, large office space
•         Almost entirely off premises
•         Multiple microhubs located in different cities/countries

As you can see, there’s a solution for every business, so don’t stand on ceremony.

 

Hire an Integrator (or Two)

Working with an integrator can help employees prevent burnout rather than having to deal with it once it has already emerged.

How come?

Integrators are capable at perfecting organizational procedures and practices so that everything will run smoothly. Simply put, when there are no problems, there’s no stress.

Who are integrators?

The term “integrator” was coined by Gino Wickman in his best-selling business books Traction and Rocketfuel. You typically learn about integrators when implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) as a management practice for your company.

“An Integrator is a person who is the tie-breaker for the leadership team, is the glue for the organization, holds everything together, beats the drum (provides cadence), is accountable for the P&L results, executes the business plan, holds the Leadership Team accountable, and is the steady force in the organization.”

(EOS Worldwide).

Overall, flexibility and fun should be in focus of all activities you undertake to help employees avoid burnout, so get creative!