BY JACK WARKENTHIEN
When I had a real job—working for IBM in the decade between 1978 and 1988—one of the first impressions made, on Day 1, came from a sign in the lunchroom, “The difference between a career and a job is twenty hours a week”. The inference? You are expected to work at least 60 hours a week, for Big Blue, compared to other J.O.B.s (Just Over Broke), where you put in your 40 and call it a week. Fast forward to Jack Warkenthien, Small Business Owner, since 1995. When one works for a Small Business, you’re never “off the clock”, and every employee is expected to wear several “hats”, as there’s nobody to delegate to, in many instances. Hence, burnout is a common “disease”, and the symptoms must be treated before the “fire” gets out of control.
“Mary” (not her real name) taught me a lesson on causes of workplace burnout, and I’d like to share the top four we recognized, as well as the top four ways to address or prevent burnout in the office.
ROLE AMBIGUITY
Mary was the Office Manager. Her duties also included the role of Receptionist, greeting the walk-in guests, fielding the numerous phone calls from vendors, sales people, customers, and others. Of course, she was expected to perform her other duties, and ensure all departments were well-informed and supported. As the Owner, I never really defined her position, or prioritized her tasks. At the end of the day, Mary felt under-appreciated and over-worked.
SOLUTION: We promoted her to Director, and gifted her with shiny new business cards, with an impressive new title: Director of First Impressions. So apt when you think about it. Mary was the outside world’s first “touch”, no matter what direction they came, and we reiterated her tremendous value to the company. She now realized that everything she did, had everything to do, with everything she did (say that fast three times), and came to work with a new attitude.
JOB DEMANDS
A Small Business has all the same requisite departments as a large one, whether it’s Finance, Operations, Administration, Sales, Marketing, etc. The difference: few employees, some covering more than one functional area, often overwhelmed with demands and tasks, must keep up with the tasks, often before and after business hours. I always try to lead by example, and there’s never a day where I don’t take work home with me, and our Team usually did the same. However, knowing I have more “skin in the game” than my employees, I needed to thank them in another tangible way.
SOLUTION: We reward paid mental health days. Our cherished employees are given paid time off—approximately commensurate with the overtime they’ve invested—to do anything that makes them happy. Some choose to donate their time at a local Food Bank, or work on a special home project they’ve been putting off, and all appreciate the “gift” with the ability to extend a vacation or just do nothing. In every instance, you’ll notice a new attitude when they step back into the office, relaxed and refreshed.
MICRO-MANAGING
It’s often bad enough that we don’t encourage more decision-making participation—another cause of burnout—but when they feel like their being micro-managed, you’re stoking the burnout flames with pure oxygen. The less flexibility a worker feels like they have, the less they care about what goes on, around them. Now, they feel like indentured-servants, rather than integral members of a Team.
SOLUTION: Give employees leeway. Everyone knows the Marines have their sacred mantra: Semper Fidelis—Always be Faithful. We have our own mantra: Semper Gumby—Always be Flexible. When a deadline is unrealistic, we change it so it’s attainable. If we’ve assigned the wrong person to perform a task, we re-assign it. Above all, be generous with feedback—on ideas, job performance, opinions, etc. Your employees want to know they’ve been heard, and the best way is to acknowledge them (ie. “Let me make sure I understand what you’re suggesting….”), and set your ego aside as you implement their idea, concept or strategy, even if yours is cast in concrete.
LACK OF RESOURCES
Few things are worse than expecting your Team to slay their workload, and only arming them with a slingshot. It may have worked for David, but the chances of one working for your Team members are slim to none—and Slim’s left town. In many cases, they’ve not received the training they need, to exceed the expectations you’ve set for them. Maybe you think that training is too expensive, but consider the cost of ignorance. The only thing worse than investing in training for your employees and have them leave, is to not invest in training and have them stay.
SOLUTION: Equip your Team with the right tools and training. You will then set your employees up for success, and they’ll begin to execute their tasks flawlessly—or at least in a more effective and efficient manner. In fact, ask THEM what they need to ensure success. What classes or training do THEY think they need, to up their game? Don’t “poor boy” here. Ensure there is enough budget to fund their tools for success.
As a Small Business Owner, I’m asked daily, to do more with less. That becomes a daily source of stress. Nothing’s more stressful to an owner, than to lose a “Rock Star” employee to another employer, or worse: burnout or stress. I believe the corporate world has it all wrong, when they’re spending millions of dollars on classes titled, “How To Reduce Workload Stress”. Rather I believe a better solution is to help others increase their capacity for stress. Personally I’ve learned to thrive under stress, and I believe I perform better when there’s a little stress in my life. What can you do to help others do the same?
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Jack Warkenthien, CEO, NextStep Solutions. Email him at
jwarkenthien@nextstep-solutions.com or call him at 832-344-6998
