Six tips to recognize and prevent burnouts in time

No longer being able to work due to burnout. This applies to as many as half of the people who drop out for a long period of time. Not fun for the person it happens to, nor for you as an employer, because this absenteeism can be very costly. Preventing burnouts saves a lot of misery. Erik Sprong, company doctor at the Arbodienst, explains how to recognize the first signals and intervene in time.

1. Know your Pappenheimers

‘Employees who are very flexible, work a lot of overtime and are always there for everyone. Great, such hard workers, but they are extra sensitive to burnout. Especially because they quickly take on too much. Therefore, keep an extra eye on them. The same applies to people in positions in which they are highly dependent on others or, for example, available stock, such as workshop planners and stock managers.’

2. Watch for these early signs

What should you pay attention to with employees? ‘A typical red flag is when a normally very involved employee suddenly appears less interested. Even if someone suddenly becomes more irritated, seems sleepy, is restless, forgets things more often or reacts curtly. These are all signals that it is time to have a good conversation with each other.’

3. Be there even earlier

‘Paying close attention to your employees starts with your RI&E. This allows you to identify the risks to health and safety within your company. You can pay extra attention to psychosocial workload: how do people experience the workload, do they enjoy their work and do they feel involved? You can make changes based on the results.’ Know that as a small employer you can use a recognized industry RI&E, such as that of OOMT.

4. Always give your employees attention

‘This is perhaps my most important tip: talk to your people regularly. Show genuine interest in how things are going, and don’t just talk about work. This creates a more open work culture, in which people dare to speak up when things are not going well. Moreover, you recognize any problems earlier. So: walk through the workshop, have a cup of coffee together, go into someone’s office for a chat or regularly call people who work from home a lot. If things do go wrong, the employee will not be surprised if you call every now and then to ask how things are going. And that benefits the recovery.’

5. Intervene quickly if things threaten to go wrong

‘Despite a lot of attention and care for your employees, things can still go in the wrong direction. In that case, it is even more important to have a conversation. What is not going well and what would an employee want from you as an employer? Maybe he wants to start a little later for a while or work fewer hours? It’s also a good idea to offer coaching to someone who is struggling with work or home life. For example via Sazyes. Research shows that when an employer automatically links an employee to a psychological care provider – not through a company doctor – that help is much more effective.’

6. Speak up if things aren’t going well

And then unfortunately things went wrong, someone is at home due to a burnout. ‘In addition to all the official steps you have to take, I advise employers to clearly agree when someone wants to have contact again. Agree that if someone does not want to have contact for a while, you will check in four weeks later to see how he is doing. And if someone reintegrates again, approach this in an accessible manner. Don’t immediately focus on work, but start with a cup of coffee and see if there are any chores. Here too, keep talking to each other and give sincere attention, then things can only go in the right direction.’

Insured against absenteeism

The above tips will hopefully prevent employees from dropping out due to burnout. If this does happen, it could be quite expensive. You have to continue paying wages, arrange replacement and pay employer’s charges. Our Sickness Absence Insurance will reimburse part of these costs.

Ensure that your company is and remains healthy with the Absenteeism Navigator

The Absenteeism Navigator has the largest collection of information about absenteeism and prevention, specifically for entrepreneurs in the mobility industry. Here you will find help to guide employees in the event of illness or to work together towards a healthy workplace. If you purchase a service for support, you will also receive additional compensation!