Employees don’t enjoy constant work or the pressure that comes with it. Add to that the pressures of balancing work and a personal life, and you have a recipe for burnout. That why employees and employers should work together to offer more flexibility.
No matter what, there’s pressure now to be “on call” 24/7. We get emails on our phones, we can join in on video conferences while on vacation, and we’re constantly worried that, if we don’t do those things, we’ll fall behind. However, as a manager, you know some downtime is essential to having a productive team.
So how do you make your team feel less pressured into overworking? It can be a difficult challenge to take on, especially if you work in a high-pressure industry. However, there are some things you can do to help your team members, such as offering more flexibility.
Here are seven ways to offer more flexibility and keep your team from being overworked.
Consider outsourcing.
Outsourcing tends to be thought of as something bigger companies do, so many startups are reluctant to take the leap. Many startups go through growth spurts, and even established businesses have busy seasons. Outsourcing takes some of the pressure off, knowing there is someone out there to handle it who knows what they’re doing.
For example, if you need help filling orders, you may be able to work with a company dedicated to doing just that. It would help to free up a sales team to go after higher-priority clients. They’d no longer have to worry about the status of an order and if it was sitting in inventory or not—it would already be taken care of.
Save emails for work.
Sending out work emails at 10:00 p.m. might work for you, but it won’t work for everyone. Some people might feel pressured to respond immediately and go back into “work mode.” That’s pretty much the last way anyone wants to feel right before bed. Write off whatever messages you’d like, but save them to send out in the morning.
Discover a better way to recruit remote talent
Founded in 2007, FlexJobs is the most experienced remote & hybrid hiring platform.
- Unlimited job posts
- Low, flat membership fee
- Access top-level remote advice
- Unlimited resume searches
- Reach the right candidates
- And so much more!
Don’t make after-hours calls.
Unless it’s an emergency, no one really needs to have their personal lives constantly interrupted. Even with emergency situations, one would typically want to reach out to management-level executives for resolutions, not team members. Leave them to find out about the drama in the morning—they’ll be able to handle it better with a good night’s sleep.
Encourage breaks.
Leading by example is one the best ways to let your employees know it’s OK to take personal time. You don’t need to invite everyone over for a dinner party, but simple gestures can help to get the point across. Getting sandwiches for everyone and encouraging people to take lunch away from their desks gives everyone a breather.
Take time to walk around and chat with people about non work-related things and leave early sometimes. Encouraging flexibility in your routine can help others see it’s OK, and the occasional break helps to increase productivity while workers are at their desks.
Enforce vacations.
Americans don’t like to take vacation time. Even when they do, they’re often “working vacations.” That sort of thing doesn’t allow them to recharge their batteries very well. Start asking about vacation planning early.
Find out who plans to go the beach this summer during spring and ask about winter vacations in fall. Get people thinking about them early, and have vacation schedules up where everyone can see them. If no one is taken by surprise, everyone should be well prepared when someone’s off. No more interrupted vacation time!
Respect priorities.
There will be some people who are able to make work their first priority, but not everyone can do that. Be respectful of other people’s personal lives. Parents have to take time off for a sick child, so think about offering a more flexible schedule during flu season.
Anyone with a family always runs the risk of some kind of emergency, so try to be understanding, even if the timing isn’t good. There shouldn’t be so much pressure and responsibility on any one person that they can’t afford to take time off.
Empower your employees.
Giving your employees the ability to contribute to and control the direction of the company can be empowering for them. Small, simple changes can make a big difference, so ask people what changes they would like to see and encourage them to see those things through. Allowing them to take control of a project from start to finish gives them a sense of accomplishment that only total responsibility can deliver.
Readers, how to do you offer more flexibility to keep your employees happy and healthy? Share in the comments below!
Kayla Matthews is a workplace productivity blogger who loves list-making apps and working from home. She’s the editor of Productivity Theory, and you can follow her on Google+ and Twitter.
photo credit: istockphoto.com
Don't forget to share this article with colleagues!
