The World Health Organisation has stated that burnout is a real problem, especially in the work environment. There are more and more employees falling ill or landing up in the hospital due to immense levels of stress which then leads to burnout.
They went a step further and listed burnout in its latest International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). The WHO defined it as a “syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”. Their report hinges on declaring burnout as a serious medical condition.
What can employers do?
By ignoring the fact that increased levels of stress can have dire effects on people, is just a lawsuit waiting to happen.
In the past, employers viewed sickly employees as a nuisance and wouldn’t hear that they felt stressed or too stressed to work. It was work work work or be fired.
Today, companies are starting to appreciate that piling on work and loading employees with ridiculous amounts of responsibly which leads to stress, is not beneficial to their business and especially not to the individual.
An Associate Director at the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jennifer Low, claims that WHO has put “understandable boundaries around workers’ compensation claims and medical treatment whilst guiding workplace interventions”.
This begs the question – “What are South African business owners doing about the levels of stress on our countries workforce?”
What should they be doing?
The one way to reduce the levels of stress is to assess the level of workload. This is a very good start but does require time and energy devoted to a full analysis of all staff members work duties.
The solution can be to bring in objective professionals who are adept at assessing workplace stress.
How it works in principle
1. First, the company is assessed by a team of professionals to ascertain at what level the burnout is for each employee
2. The workload for each employee is analysed to ensure there isn’t an overload
3. Each employee is assigned a mentor who will take them through a series of tests and be there for them to speak to in their time of need
4. The mentors are set up in such a way that they are available for all employees
5. Reports are sent on a regular basis to management with solutions to ensure that employees do not reach burnout status
Where to now?
It seems like a big step but employing the services of a team of mentors on a Wellness Program setup can help your employees and in the long run your company too.
Reach out today and explore the options that Valueneurs offers.
Bulk packages provided upon request!
Our professional Mentor Coaches on offer.
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