There’s no doubt it’s been a tough road for small-business owners over the past few years and for those who’ve made it out the other side, there’s a new obstacle lurking on the horizon.
Staff wellbeing is at an all-time low at organisations across Australia and SMEs are not exempt. ABS data shows 1.3 million people or almost 10 per cent of the Australian workforce quit their jobs in the 12 months to February – the biggest number since 2012.
COVID really has been the thief of joy for Australian workers. People are burnt out and they’re struggling to find their purpose with constant uncertainty and poor work/life balance.
So, how can small businesses reinvigorate their staff and fix burnout when they don’t have the budgets and manpower of larger organisations?
The first thing you need to be able to do is to recognise which employees are struggling.
Key signs of professional fatigue in your staff:
- they’re late for work
- they’re late for meetings
- they’re not paying attention
- mistakes in their work
- deliverables get delayed
- days off sick
- noticeable irritability or hostility
- family problems
- disengaged in meetings and from their tea.
Unfortunately, the consequences for not addressing professional fatigue are pretty dire even in a small business. One employee’s lack of motivation and behaviour can have a snowball effect on other members of the team and end up dragging down the whole business.
There are simply things you can do as a small-business owner to address employee fatigue.
- Have individual conversations with your staff. Ask them if they’re okay. Set up an action plan to support that person and their unique needs. Perhaps they need an adjusted start time for flexibility or more responsibility in their role.
- If appropriate, set up an out-of-office channel for transparency on when they are online. This might be a Teams or Slack chat where staff can log their movements. It helps with open communication and also helps keep them accountable.
- A daily huddle in and out. It’s important to meet together at the start and the end of each day. It helps create the sense that you’re working towards a common goal.
- Wins and gratitude on Fridays. At the end of the week celebrate together! It might be as simple as an email highlighting successes or it could be an all staff drink at the end of the day. It’s a great way to improve morale and have everybody going home on a high!
Whilst these tips are certainly cost-effective and require little effort there are times when you will need to bring in the help of professionals. Coaching is often thought about as a perk for the executives of top-level companies but it’s now becoming essential for everyday business as well. Small-business owners may be surprised to learn how easy and accessible staff coaches are.
People who come to us for coaching often blame the business they’re working for when actually it’s a far deeper personal issue that’s causing them stress. A professional coach can find the root of the problem and put in place solutions to fix the issue for both the individual and the business as well.
Individuals and small-business owners have the ability to choose how they respond to professional fatigue, they just need to be proactive in addressing it and show they care about their most important assets – their people.
