Why Taking Breaks at Work is Crucial for Wellbeing

Often when we’re working in demanding work environments, taking breaks at work can be perceived as a weakness or a sign of inefficiency. However, it’s important to recognise that our mental and physical wellbeing heavily relies on incorporating breaks into our daily work routine. It’s important that managers ensure their teams are taking regular breaks, no matter how busy they are, otherwise it can lead to employee burnout.


A study published by the National Library of Medicine, found that “when attempting creative problems requiring a wider search of knowledge, individuals benefit from a period of time in which the problem is set aside prior to further attempts to solve it. The effect of breaks also tends to be better reflected in subjective evaluations of performance and actual creative outputs. Therefore, micro-breaks make individuals feel more vigorous and less fatigued and stimulate them to feel more productive after the break.”

Reasons for taking breaks

As well as providing employees with physical rest, even just a short break at work can help preserve mental wellbeing and increase levels of motivation.


1. Increased productivity
Contrary to popular belief, taking regular breaks at work can actually enhance productivity. Research has shown that our brains have a limited capacity to sustain attention, and prolonged periods of focused work can result in reduced concentration and cognitive overload. By incorporating breaks into our work routine, we give our minds the opportunity to rest and recharge. This, in turn, improves our cognitive functioning, enhances creativity and boosts productivity levels.


2. Improved focus and concentration
Continuous work for long periods can lead to mental and physical fatigue and decreased focus. By scheduling regular breaks, we allow our minds to reset and refocus, enabling us to maintain a higher level of concentration throughout the day. Short breaks, such as taking a walk, doing light stretching exercises or simply enjoying a chat with our colleagues, provide the necessary distraction for mental rejuvenation, resulting in improved focus when we return to work.


3. Stress reduction
Work-related stress has become increasingly prevalent in today's society. Over time, overwhelming workloads, tight deadlines and demanding responsibilities can take a toll on our mental health. However, incorporating breaks into our work routine can significantly alleviate stress levels. Breaks function as a mechanism for stress relief, allowing us to distance ourselves from work-related pressures momentarily. Engaging in relaxation activities during breaks, such as deep breathing exercises or mindful meditation, can further enhance stress reduction and promote a sense of calm.


4. Improved physical health
The benefits of taking breaks extend beyond mental wellbeing. Integrating short breaks throughout the working day can have a positive impact on our physical health as well. Prolonged periods of sitting or engaging in repetitive tasks can lead to musculoskeletal issues, eye strain and reduced overall physical fitness. Regular breaks provide opportunities for movement and physical activity, helping to reduce such risks. Taking short walks or engaging in some form of physical exercise during breaks not only energises the body but also improves blood circulation and posture.


5. Enhanced work-life balance
By prioritising breaks and establishing boundaries between work and our personal life, we contribute to achieving a healthier work-life balance. Continuous work without breaks can blur the line between professional and personal life, leading to burnout and strain on relationships both inside and outside our place of work. By ensuring we take regular breaks, we acknowledge the importance of self-care and allocate time for personal rejuvenation, resulting in a more fulfilling and balanced life overall.



So, let us embrace the notion that by pausing to recharge our minds, we are actually optimising our performance and cultivating a positive work environment. Remember, a healthy mind is a productive mind!

Managing Parenthood and Full Time Employment

Gone are the days when women were expected to stay at home to look after the children while the man went out to work. Not only is the nuclear family no longer the ‘norm’, but many parents aspire to being successful in both their career and parenthood.

Whether you’re a single parent or in a relationship, juggling parenthood and full-time employment can certainly be tricky, and exhausting, at times. If you continue to struggle with the pressures of work, household chores, and looking after young children, you might start to suffer from anxiety, overwhelm and stress, which will eventually lead to burnout.

Not everyone finds the pressures of managing a successful career and parenthood a walk in the park. Juggling all the responsibilities of full-time employment and raising children can leave very little time for relaxation or social activities.

Because many of us want to appear as if we have everything under control and we worry what our boss or colleagues might think of us if we show any signs of struggling, we continue in silence and avoid asking for help.

Nowadays, companies have a responsibility to assist working parents and offer alternatives for their work situation. Being unable to work overtime due to parental responsibilities, for example, shouldn’t mean that you can’t do your job properly during normal working hours.

Ways you can lighten the load

• Ask your manager for flexible working hours. If you discuss your situation with management, they may help you devise a plan that will assist you, such as working from home a couple of days a week. Lunch time and the time you’ll save from commuting could free up much-needed time where you could perhaps catch up on some household chores.
• If your workload is unmanageable and it starts to eat into your home life, speak to your boss about how they can help. Maybe they can allocate some of your tasks to a colleague or extend the deadlines.
• If you’re in a relationship, ensure you share parental responsibilities. Perhaps one of you can focus on the morning routine while the other takes care of the evening routine. That way it can relieve some of the pressure for both of you. 
• Be more organised. We often get stressed because we don’t have any plans in place so the morning rush seeing to the kids and yourself and getting to work can seem frenzied. Make a plan the night before of what you need to do, or even prepare things such as packed lunches, PE kit, changing bag etc. You could even make meals in a slow cooker to save time when you get home from work.
• Don’t set yourself unrealistic goals. Try not to compete with other parents who might have more free time than you. There’s no pressure to bake the best cakes for the school fayre or volunteer for the parent’s committee! Although they might be nice to do, decide whether or not they are priorities.
• Make time for yourself either alone or as a family. When you do more of what you enjoy, your mental wellbeing will be in much better shape, meaning you’re more able to cope with any challenges and tasks that lie ahead. You might want to consider recruiting a childminder, friend or family member so that you enjoy some much-needed time off.

How to Bring More Fun into Your Work Life

In today's fast-paced and highly demanding world, finding joy and fulfilment in our work can often be challenging. However, incorporating fun and playfulness into our work life not only enhances our overall wellbeing but also has a positive impact on productivity and job satisfaction.

According to the National Library of Medicine, “Those who enjoy themselves inhale more oxygen, generate more endorphins, enhance blood circulation in the brain, and think more creatively. Moreover, individuals with clear and open minds can challenge conventions and gain new experiences…fun in the workplace promotes pleasant emotions and increases intrinsic motivation, which boosts the workplace’s creative climate and employees’ creative behaviors”.

By using several strategies and activities that can inject excitement and enjoyment into our work life, we can enjoy a more balanced, healthy and fulfilling career.

Discover your passions

One of the keys to infusing fun into your work life is identifying your passions and aligning them with your professional path. Reflect on what interests you, what excites you and what energises you. By incorporating your passions into your work, you'll find greater purpose and a sense of fulfilment, making it easier to experience joy on a daily basis.

Cultivate positive relationships

Positive relationships play a crucial role in creating a fun and enjoyable work environment. Foster connections with your colleagues, seeking opportunities to collaborate and celebrate achievements together. Engage in open communication, support each other and promote a friendly atmosphere. Remember, laughter and camaraderie have a significant impact on reducing stress levels and increasing overall wellbeing.

Break the monotony

Monotonous routines can drain the joy out of work and leave you feeling unfulfilled. Injecting variety and creativity into your daily tasks can reinvigorate your motivation and bring about a much-needed sense of fun. Look for opportunities to take on diverse projects, explore new skills or suggest innovative ideas. Additionally, try incorporating short breaks throughout the day to engage in enjoyable activities or stretch your legs. These small changes can make a big difference by breaking the monotony and infusing a sense of play into your work.

Make tasks fun

Turn your work into a game by incorporating elements of competition and reward. Set personal goals, keep track of your progress and celebrate achievements. Also, create challenges or friendly competitions with colleagues to boost engagement and enthusiasm. By making tasks more interactive and enjoyable, you’ll be motivated to approach your work with renewed energy and vigour.

Embrace humour

Laughter is an excellent way to bring fun to any environment, including the workplace. Don't be afraid to share a funny story or engage in light-hearted conversations with your colleagues. Embracing humour helps alleviate stress, fosters a positive atmosphere and creates lasting memories. Just remember to maintain professionalism and be mindful of your audience.

Engage in mindfulness

Incorporating mindfulness practices into your work routine can enhance your overall wellbeing. Take short breaks to practise deep breathing or engage in quick meditation exercises. Mindfulness helps to reduce stress, increase focus and improve overall job satisfaction. By pausing and being present, you can maintain a positive mindset and infuse your work with a sense of calm and enjoyment.

10 Habits of Successful People

Often when we see highly successful people who’ve risen to the top of their game, we assume they work much longer hours than other people, are mentally and physically exhausted, or compromise their personal life for their job. But that isn’t always the case.

If you want to become a high achiever but don’t want to put yourself at risk of too much stress and anxiety, here are a few tips on how to be successful while maintaining a healthy body and mind.

1. Keep fit and healthy

First and foremost, your wellbeing is of primary importance. Success just isn’t worth putting your health on the line. Regular exercise and a healthy diet not only benefit your physical wellbeing but also your mental health. In 2021 a mental health report published by the John W. Brick Foundation found that physical activity was closely linked to better mental health. The top three forms of exercise included general physical activity, yoga and cardiovascular activity. Good physical health and a nutritious diet reduces symptoms of depression and helps fight stress and anxiety, making you more equipped to deal with challenges.

2. Cut out the social media

Unless it’s work related, you won’t find many highly successful people spending hour upon hour scrolling through Facebook or Instagram. If you totalled up all the hours you spend on your phone each day, just think how much extra time you would have on your hands. Whether you use that time to keep on top of your work or complete other activities mentioned in this post, that’s a whole lot of time you can spend on being more productive.

3. Maintain routines

Having a routine on working days can be beneficial in so many ways. Getting into regular sleep patterns, making time for breakfast or committing to set times when you exercise will mentally and physically prepare you for the day ahead. But it’s also important to take a break from routine to recharge your batteries, so make sure you set aside some time each week for doing the things that you love.

4. Multi-task

While not everyone has the ability to successfully multi-task, it’s a great way to squeeze more into your day. Perhaps if you walk to work as part of your exercise routine, make important calls before you reach the workplace, or continue with a piece of work while listening to 'hold' music on a call.

5. Be organised

Two of the best ways to stay organised and keep ahead of the game are by always having an up to date 'to-do' list and making sure you put reminders in your calendar for everything! You’re unlikely to find any really successful person without a calendar and 'to-do' list, but even more importantly, they use them all the time.

6. Take risks

In any aspect of life, not just at work, taking risks is the best way to get ahead. You won’t find many high achievers that haven’t taken a leap of faith or failed at least several times at something before they finally succeeded. Although it appears daunting at first, the more times you take risks and fail, the more chance you’ll have of succeeding in the long term.

7. Become more resilient

It’s likely you’ve seen many quotes related to failure being the key to success. This is because it often takes many attempts at something before you achieve your goal. As long as you bear this in mind whenever you fail at something, you’ll gradually become more resilient and more determined to succeed.

8. Keep a positive attitude

Remaining positive isn’t always easy especially when faced with difficult challenges. But by keeping a positive mental attitude throughout, regardless of the pitfalls, you’ll have greater strength to reach your goals.

9. Network

Although networking is extremely useful in generating business, it’s also important for creating relationships that can strengthen your character. By connecting with other successful people, you can become more confident and increase your self-esteem, which will encourage you to take risks and inspire you to aim higher.

10. Be grateful

Possibly one of the most important tips of all is to be grateful for everything in your life. Gratitude is strongly associated with happiness and creates positive emotions that help deal with stress, improve mental and physical health and help you work towards your goals.

Ways to Reduce Absenteeism at Work

In any company, a certain amount of absenteeism is to be expected, owing to illness and occasional unforeseen events and emergencies. However, when staff aren’t turning up for work on a more regular basis, it can become a cause for concern, not only for the company but also for other employees. According to the World Health Organisation, the average number of sick days per employee, per year in the UK is 4.4 days.

What are the main causes of absenteeism?

There’s a whole host of reasons why employees might fail to show up for work, from illness to family matters. Some of the main causes of absenteeism are:

• Minor illness
• Mental health issues such as anxiety, stress and depression
• Family issues or a bereavement
• Paternity/maternity leave
• Workplace bullying or issues with work colleagues
• Serious illness or long-term illness
• Unforeseen travel incidents such as traffic delays, bad weather or road accidents

As well as financially impacting the company, absenteeism can also have a negative effect on productivity, motivation levels and the overall culture of the business, as colleagues may need to take on extra workloads.

How to reduce absenteeism

In many cases it’s difficult to control the causes of absenteeism but there are some instances where management can help to reduce the number of absences by taking the following actions:

Improve employee engagement and motivation

By introducing wellbeing programmes into the business for personal development, organising social events inside and outside of the workplace, and ensuring the working environment is positive and inspiring, businesses can increase morale and staff engagement, which can lead to fewer sick days and a happier and healthier workforce.

Offer more flexibility

Flexible working hours and home-working opportunities can be of great benefit to parents with young children or employees who are caring for a relative, meaning they can enjoy a better work-life balance that will reduce any additional stress or anxiety.

Show concern for employees

It might seem like a trivial action but by reaching out to employees who are struggling with their mental or physical health or other personal issues, you can really make a difference. It’s important to talk regularly on a one-to-one basis to understand how the company can support them and make their role easier and more manageable.

Reward attendance

When employees are recognised and rewarded for good attendance, it not only keeps them motivated but it also incentivises others with a high level of absenteeism to improve their attendance. Perhaps organise an annual bonus, allow staff to finish work early for a day or present them with a gift.

Have procedures in place

It is common practice for management to conduct a return-to-work interview once an employee starts back at work after being absent. This is a great opportunity to discuss any significant issues with an employee and to also create a strategy for improving their attendance.

Why Employers Should Take a Holistic Approach to Wellbeing

Following the unprecedented effects of the pandemic, it’s now more important than ever for businesses to support employee wellbeing in the workplace. By taking a holistic approach to wellbeing, employers can help prevent absenteeism due to stress, anxiety and depression. And promoting good mental and physical health can also create a more positive work environment and better employee engagement. A study published by The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health found that “the average employee takes seven days off sick each year of which 40 per cent are for mental health problems. This adds up to 70 million lost working days a year, including one in seven directly caused by a person’s work or working conditions.”

Ensuring that employees are happy at work also has a knock-on effect on their wellbeing in their personal lives. Having an effective wellbeing programme in place is mutually beneficial to both businesses and their staff and encourages everyone to thrive within their individual roles.

Benefits of taking a holistic approach

• Increased job satisfaction
• Reduced absences
• Higher engagement
• Increased productivity
• Better resilience to stress
• Positive working relationships
• Happier personal lives

To see greater benefits of holistic programmes, it’s important that they are embedded in the workplace culture and company management.

Ways to take a holistic approach to wellbeing

1. The first step any organisation should take is to create a strategy that incorporates how they aim to support employee wellbeing and what they want to achieve through taking a holistic approach. There are many ways that a holistic framework can be integrated into the workplace such as:
2. Offer support or counselling services for physical and mental health.
3. Encourage healthy day-to-day routines that include diet, sleep and regular breaks. Perhaps ditch the vending machine and opt for fruit and water instead, encourage breaks outside and limit the number of hours employees can spend at work at one time.
4. Undertake regular one-to-one meetings with employees to discuss their workload and wellbeing.
5. Consider introducing some flexible conditions for parents or carers, such as remote working or flexible hours.
6. Create an inspiring environment by introducing plants or flowers into the workspace, providing additional facilities for breaks, or having fresh interior design. All of these small adjustments are conducive to better wellbeing and productivity.
7. Make sure all employees are provided with all the resources they need to carry out their job successfully, whether that’s an up-to-date computer, comfortable desk and chair or specialist equipment relating to their role.
8. Encourage physical wellness by offering cycle to work initiatives, discounts for sport and leisure activities, or optional after-work classes such as yoga or Tai Chi.
9. Provide clear pathways for career progression and salary increases.

For more about employee wellbeing solutions, visit our website: https://www.firstpsychology-assistance.co.uk

The Importance of Taking Time off Work

Have you ever found yourself working through your lunch breaks or too afraid to take time off because the stress of catching up when you return to work can be so overwhelming? Often, we avoid taking time off because we feel as though we have to do twice as much work in the run-up to our holiday to ensure we’ve tied up any loose ends. However, it is vital for our mental and physical wellbeing that we regularly take a break from our job.

Although the human brain is capable of doing many wonderful things, it isn’t designed to be regularly overworked. This kind of constant pressure can be extremely damaging to both our mental and physical state. A study published by the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology showed that taking a relaxing or social break from work can help the mind to recover and can positively impact mood.

The effects of an overworked mind

• Lack of focus, concentration and memory
• Poor decision making
• Symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression
• Irregular sleep patterns
• Mental and physical exhaustion

It’s important that we regularly ‘switch off’ our brains to maintain a healthy mind and refuel our levels of cortisol, dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins. All these hormones play a significant part in regulating our mood and make us more able to deal with stress.

Benefits of taking time off work

A happier, more self-confident and balanced you

The saying “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is certainly true. When we don’t take time to do the things that we enjoy and don’t have a healthy work–life balance, we can lose our sense of identity and it can also affect our personal relationships with friends and family. By taking time off to socialise, play a sport or enjoy a hobby, you will generally feel happier, and it can also boost your self-confidence and sense of belonging.

Increased cognitive function

Taking time off to rest our brain is integral to improving cognitive health so that we are better equipped to make decisions, concentrate and focus on any task at hand.

Improved mental resilience

When our brains are under ongoing pressure, it affects our ability to cope with stressful situations, which in turn can cause even more stress. By taking time off work to recuperate and regenerate our minds, we are able to deal with day-to-day stresses more effectively.

Increased productivity

Being overworked and mentally exhausted increases our levels of cortisol which can impact our motivation and productivity. A holiday away from the office either just relaxing or doing activities that we love can balance out our cortisol levels and boost our motivation, resulting in increased productivity.

Promoting time off

Time off work doesn’t necessarily mean going on a long holiday, it also means resting outside of your working hours, whether that’s in the evening when you’re at home, at weekends or even in your lunch break. Managers have a duty to look after their employees’ wellbeing and should encourage annual leave and regular work breaks to avoid work-related mental health issues and total burnout. Not only does this benefit the individual but it also creates a better working environment where everyone can perform to their full potential.

For more on holidays and the benefits of taking a break from work, read this article on vacation research  written by work and organisational psychologist Jessica Bloom and published in 'The Psychologist'  >

The importance of promoting digital wellbeing

In 2020, the world was whisked into a new digital era where working from home and online meetings suddenly became the norm for millions of people around the globe. While some people could adapt to these changes relatively smoothly, for others it was out of their comfort zone and became an additional form of stress alongside the confusion, fear, and uncertainty of the pandemic.

A study described on verywellfamily.com delved into how technology can affect our wellbeing. It found that although there are many benefits to the digital world, many people are concerned that the growing use of technology is a contributing factor of stress, lack of focus, and cyberbullying.

Negative effects of increased technology at work

• There is increasing pressure to always be available online when we’re working from home. Yet if we were physically in our place of work, this kind of pressure would be less likely to exist. 
• With the new way of working from home, in many instances online meetings have increased. Although this may partly be out of concern for employees’ wellbeing, in some cases it might also be a way to check up on employees. For many people this new way of holding meetings digitally feels uncomfortable because they feel that their every move or facial expression is being scrutinised. 
• Not everyone who’s been unexpectedly thrown into working from home is familiar with the apps designed for online meetings, and this fear of technology can trigger anxiety. Learning how to use unfamiliar technology and the fear that external factors might prevent you from getting online in time can all add to the stress. 
• Prior to working from home, you may not have been aware of 'mirror anxiety'. The use of online meeting apps such as Zoom mean that you can constantly see yourself on screen and this feeling of vulnerability has been linked to heightened anxiety and depression.
• Excessive online meetings and use of technology through working from home means that there is more pressure and less time to complete work and meet deadlines. 
• Because you’re less likely to video call a colleague for a quick chat when you’re home working, it means there’s a lack of face-to-face socialising which can make you feel isolated.

Ways to promote digital wellbeing

There are several ways that managers can reinforce wellbeing and help their employees adjust to a more digitally focused way of working.

• During online meetings, give the option to have the camera switched off.
• Give plenty of notice for online meetings so that staff are less likely to feel on edge about suddenly being called to a meeting, especially when they aren’t dressed appropriately.
• Loosen up on the dress code and don’t expect employees to attend online meetings in more formal wear.
• Organise out of hours social events online so that employees aren’t just seeing colleagues in work mode. Often emails and other forms of digital communication can get misconstrued, so this provides the opportunity for everyone to socialise informally.
• Have trust in your employees so that if they do decide to go for a walk outside at lunchtime, for example, they aren’t in fear of management accusing them of avoiding work.
• Streamline all forms of communication and stick to a minimal number of online channels so not to confuse people or create more stress. Ensure all employees are familiar with the channels being used prior to their use.
• Regularly ask staff to feed back on the new digital way of working from home. What is good for one person might not be good for another so try to accommodate each person accordingly.

Further information

First Psychology held three webinars on the topic of digital working. You can read more about these webinars and watch the recordings for free using the links below. 

• Coping with a changing workplace >
• The impact of gender roles on wellbeing at work >
• How to prevent burnout and maintain visibility while working from home >

How to set boundaries without upsetting your boss

Juggling a challenging job and workload with your personal life can often be a huge pressure. These days it seems to be the norm to 'work hard, play hard', yet this kind of pressure can be doing long-term damage to your health.

So when you're just about keeping your head above water and suddenly, you're expected to take on an even greater workload, how do you react? in the back of your mind, you might be thinking you're not earning enough money to take on this extra responsibility or you simply don't have enough hours in the day to get everything done. This can leave you feeling angry, resentful or stressed which is sure to impact your mental and physical wellbeing. A study published by The Lancet showed that "employees who work long hours have a higher risk of stroke than those working standard hours".

Setting boundaries

Often we worry about saying no to additional requests from management for fear of losing our jobs or creating an unpleasant atmosphere in the workplace, so we continue to take on more work than we can realistically handle. Once work starts to impinge on our personal life or wellbeing, it's time to start setting boundaries.

Before you approach your boss, it's important to understand what your priorities are, such as enjoying precious family time and feeling physically and mentally healthy. This way when you do have to set boundaries, any feelings of guilt will have been diminished prior to the conversation.

A report published by Udemy shows that employee boundaries are often being crossed with 59% of managers feeling pressurised into working through their lunch breaks.

Don't respond in haste

If you've received an unreasonable request from your boss asking you to take on more work or to work longer hours, in the heat of the moment you could be tempted to reply in haste, especially if your stress levels are already high. however, it's important to consider the request before responding.

Arrange a one-to-one meeting with your boss so that you can discuss your current workload and explain how their request would impact your personal life and current workload. Also, if you offer an alternative solution, they could suggest that one of your colleagues takes over an existing project while you focus on the new task.

Be clear and polite

If you feel like you need to take some time to assess a situation or request, then do so. It's so important to respond in a polite manner while being firm and clear at the same time. If you want to offer an explanation, then that's fine but keep it concise.

Remember that by setting boundaries with your boss, you are respecting yourself and your feelings as well as protecting your mental wellbeing. And although you may fear a negative outcome. there's a good chance that your boss will also have more respect for you and be more considerate in the future when allocating tasks. In the long term this can lead to healthier and more authentic relationships in the workplace.

Why the work hard, play hard ethic is making you ill

Over the years, the phrase ‘work hard, play hard’ has become increasingly common and is often mentioned by ambitious workers who want to reach the top while enjoying a socially active life at the same time. Social media certainly has a role to play in this kind of ethic as there is a constant need for people, particularly of the younger generations, to appear that they have it all.

A study by Lonnie W Aarssen and Laura Crimi, published in The Open Psychology Journal in 2016, tested the theory of ‘work hard, play hard’. The results found 'a conspicuous association between desire to work hard and desire to play hard'.

And these kinds of pressures can be extremely damaging to our mental and physical health as we over-exert ourselves both in and outside of work to present the illusion of having the perfect life. When we burn the candle at both ends, we could find ourselves suffering from a range of mental, emotional and physical disorders such as:

• stress
• anxiety
• sleep disturbances
• headaches
• depression 
• exhaustion

In the long run, the ‘work hard, play hard’ ethic is not only bad for the company you work for but it’s also damaging to your health.

How can we have it all?

For those of you who still want to have it all: the high-profile job; the impressive bank balance; and the enviable social life, you can have all of this but be aware, it usually comes at a cost to your health and wellbeing. At some point in the future, something has got to give, so whether you cut back on your working hours or take a night off from the social scene, you need to make time for the simple things that let you recharge your batteries and avoid burnout.

1. Take a holiday and totally switch off. It’s so important to get away from it all, whether it’s to an exotic location or even somewhere closer to home where you can escape the rat race and party scene. Make sure you turn on your out-of-office message so that you’re not disturbed and try to resist the urge to party all night just so that you can post your photos to social media.
2. Know your breaking point and take a break before you reach it. Taking a break can take the form of many activities such as a walk among nature, 15 minutes of mindful meditation, or even getting lost in a great book. Just make sure whatever you choose to do, you aren’t thinking about work.
3. Take a nap. You don’t have to be of a certain age to enjoy a cat nap and even a 20-minute snooze can replenish your energy levels and refresh the brain. Try not to sleep for much longer than this as it could affect your sleep patterns at night.
4. Do some exercise. You might be thinking that exercise will make you even more tired, but a study published by Science Daily showed that regular exercise reduces fatigue and increases energy levels.

Inspirational ways to Prevent Employee Burnout

As an employer you will undoubtedly want your workforce to be a happy and productive one. Yet it is all too easy to forget that your employees have other things going on in their lives even if they are extremely dedicated to their job. Failing to address the issue of employee burnout can lead companies to lose some of their best employees. There are many ways to prevent things getting on top of your employees and to ensure they remain motivated and enthusiastic.

What is “burnout”?

According to The Mayo Clinic, job burnout is

“A state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.”

There are many symptoms of burnout, including:

• Lack of energy and motivation
• Irritability
• Difficulty concentrating
• Lethargy
• Being prone to physical illnesses
• Substance abuse

How do I prevent burnout in the workplace?

Boost morale

If an employee isn’t enjoying their work, or feels they aren’t appreciated, then chances are, their work is going to suffer. This is especially true when an employee is feeling over worked. It’s important to let your staff know when they are doing a good job. There are several ways to do this:

• Set targets to challenge staff so they can feel a sense of accomplishment
• Acknowledge achievements and goals at weekly team meetings
• Give rewards – this can be extra time off work or physical rewards such as vouchers or trips away
• Reward teams as well as individuals so that colleagues are encouraged to work together 
• Emphasise how important your staff are by rewarding them on a regular basis – provide Friday afternoon treats and host team trips away

Encourage conversations about wellness

Make it clear that employees can come to you to discuss their needs and concerns. You can provide these opportunities via weekly meetings with individuals in addition to teams. Don’t wait for burnout to happen but promote wellness as part of the workplace culture.

You can do this by:

• Emphasising that you are available to discuss each employee's individual requirements, including discussions about how the workplace can be adapted to assist with mental health needs, physical needs, and personal commitments.
• Offer flexibility – research conducted by the University of Manchester shows that both employees and their managers thought that flexibility increased a person’s efficiency, work effort, and focus. The study also found that flexibility led to a healthy life/work balance.
• Provide meditation, yoga or exercise classes that staff can take during their lunch break or before or after work– The NHS states that exercise has many health benefits, both mental and physical.
• Encourage employees to take five-minute screen breaks every hour to avoid potential eye strain.

Give clear directions and expectations

Some people suffer from job burnout because they aren’t sure of managerial expectations or what their role should be. As a manager, you need to let employees know what their role entails and the amount of autonomy expected within this role. Provide detailed job and role descriptions and always speak with staff if anything changes about their roles and expectations. Again, team and individual meetings can help ensure clear communication about such matters.

Consider implementing regular employee support 

Employees are a key asset of any organisation and it makes sense to help them stay healthy. Consider providing a wellness MOT to support employees maintain wellbeing and to promote good mental health. Research has demonstrated that a proactive approach to wellbeing and mental health pays dividends. It supports improved performance and identifies any problems or issues at the earliest possible stage.

Details of First Psychology Assistance's KeepWell Programme >

Read First Psychology's report on Work-Life Balance and technology >