Workplace burnout can be very challenging and hard to combat, particularly when there are inevitable and ongoing stressors — both at work and at home. The best you can do is support your team with these eight easy-to-implement tips that will boost energy, alleviate stress, and, most importantly, beat feelings of workplace burnout.
8 Tips to help employees beat workplace burnout
1. Encourage your team to get a good night’s sleep
Clinical burnout and sleep deprivation are intricately related. According to research, sleep disturbances result in chronic energy loss and increased levels of stress — a lose-lose for both employees and employers. If your team is sleep deprived, expect to see work-related consequences such as diminished productivity and creativity, poor work quality, low energy, and a decreased attention span — just to name a few. The good news is that hitting the snooze button is a simple and supportive solution! At the very least, encourage your employees to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
Even better? Regularly stress the importance of healthy sleep habits with your team, and provide education and inspiration. Add sleep tips to your newsletter, pin resources to your office bulletin, or share articles like our Sleep Guide or 14-Day Sleep Challenge.
2. Promote healthy eating habits
Good news, there is clear evidence to suggest a nutrient-rich diet reduces symptoms of burnout! And because frequent consumption of nutrient-dense whole foods (such as colorful fruits and veggies and lean protein) has been shown to boost brain health, benefit mental health, support energy, and lower stress, a healthy diet can also boost employee performance and productivity.
If you want to encourage healthy habits, take the lead by filling the office or kitchen with healthy foods. This includes bringing healthy items to meetings and events, too! Ideally, workplace snack options should include a mix of lean protein, healthy fats, complex carbs, and fiber. This will help balance blood sugar, boost energy, and support brain function!
Some low-cost healthy work snacks include:
- Fresh fruit and vegetables
- Unsweetened Greek and non-dairy single-serve yogurts
- Raw trail mix
- Gluten-free rice cakes
- Single-serve overnight oats or unsweetened oatmeal packets
- Smoothie stations or pre-made smoothies
- No added-sugar healthy drinks like herbal tea, carbonated water, non-dairy milk, coconut water, and functional beverages
And if you really want to make the habits stick, continue to educate your employees on the importance of healthy eating while making it fun! Add healthy recipes to your monthly newsletter, or incentivize healthy eating with office challenges such as a “no added sugar” or plant-based” week.
3. Welcome mindful minutes and movement breaks every 1-2 hours
Mini work breaks are a must when it comes to beating workplace burnout. Not only do they reduce symptoms of burnout in the moment, but they also help prevent it from occurring. From reducing stress, to boosting energy, to enhancing productivity and creativity, the science on brief (but regular) breaks is pretty incredible. Whether it’s a brief walk or stretch, pressing play on a 5-minute guided meditation, or finding a quiet place to ground down and breathe, a few minutes can do wonders.
That said, work breaks need to be mindful to be effective. And keep in mind that taking breaks may not be easy for everyone. For many, there’s an ingrained notion that breaks are lazy and unproductive. Be sure to educate your team on the importance of mini breaks and encourage employees to take them.
If you want to take fear out of the equation, lead by example and take regular breaks yourself!
4. Do a 5-minute office meditation
Speaking of mindful minutes, research shows that meditation, particularly mindfulness meditation, is a powerful tool to support mental well-being. It can reduce stress, increase focus, enhance communication, and, you guessed it — help beat burnout.
To bring more mindfulness into the workplace, consider starting team meetings with a 5-minute mindfulness meditation. Even a mere minute would be beneficial! The best part? This can be done both virtually or in real-time. Press play on a guided FitOn meditation or exercise or simply start with an intentional moment of silence. If this is new territory, educate your employees on the benefits of mindfulness and welcome them to join in. Chances are, they will!
Not sure where to start? Share this 5-Minute Grounding Breath meditation with Rachel Ruth and encourage the team to give it a try.
5. Go for a walk — during work
Just 10 minutes — even on a call — can reduce stress and prevent burnout. Plus, it also helps team members sneak in some mood-boosting vitamin D! Though simple, incorporating movement into the workday has been shown to boost productivity and energy, increase job satisfaction, and enhance overall health.
To set your company up for success, integrate movement into the workday with these ideas:
- When possible, allow for walking meetings instead of sit-down talks
- If a stationary meeting is necessary, encourage team members to take a brief walk before the meeting to get their blood flowing and brain firing
- Give employees adequate time to take their coffee or lunch break outdoors
6. Fit yoga into the workflow
We’re not saying a yoga class is a quick-fix solution to burnout (hint: there are no quick fixes!). But, it’s certainly an effective and therapeutic intervention that has been shown to reduce employee stress and cortisol levels, alleviate anxiety, boost mental clarity, and even benefit sleep.
The best part? Even a 15-minute flow can do wonders for both the mind and the body. As a simple way to beat burnout, encourage your team to browse the yoga category in the FitOn Health app to find a flow that works for them.
You can even share seated yoga postures and mobility exercises with your employees — encourage them to try it while sitting at their desks! Think: spinal twists, heart openers, shoulder rolls, and neck stretches.
Check out the ‘At Work’ category on the app and have your team hit play on these fast and effective stretches.
7. Supply stress-supporting coffee swaps
Too much caffeine can leave employees feeling jittery, anxious, and on edge — the last thing they need if they’re feeling burnt out. Try keeping coffee alternatives like matcha and herbal tea in the kitchen or break room. Thanks to the amino acid L-theanine, simply swapping one cup of coffee with matcha could help promote feelings of calm.
8. Let employees WFH
As we’ve learned, most jobs can be completed remotely. If your team is back in the office (and if their position allows), consider letting your employees WFH — whether on occasion, part-time, or full-time. Encourage them to switch up their environment and truly work remotely! It sounds simple, but getting out of the office and embracing a change of scenery can be a game-changer when it comes to employee health and happiness.
Want to learn more? Download our free guide to beating burnout to get started.
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