Preventing Employee Burnout in New Hires

Hiring an employee costs both time and money that can't be recouped if the person hired isn't a good fit. Therefore, it is important that you don't do anything that will cause an individual to become bored or otherwise burned out only weeks or months after onboarding. What can a company do to reduce the odds that this happens?

Ease a New Hire Into His or Her Workload

It is entirely possible that the volume of work that a new hire may be asked to do is larger than he or she has experienced before. For instance, a college student used to babysitting children for a couple of hours every weekend may not be ready to handle eight hours of customer complaints or conference calls. Therefore, it may be better to give that person a base set of responsibilities at first and slowly add to them over time to ensure that your new hire isn't overwhelmed.

Provide Proper Training and Guidance

When an employee feels like he or she is alone to perform his or her job duties with no help or guidance, that can create a sense of panic. Without clear guidelines or anyone to ask for help, an employee could try to do too much despite a lack of experience or training. Employers should make sure that management is responsive to employee needs and that there are training courses and other resources available to help both new hires and those who simply need additional support.

Help Employees Separate Work and Home Life

There may be times when an employee needs to be reached at home or when an employee needs to work overtime to get a project done. However, if there is no pressing need to get a task done outside of normal working hours, employers should leave their people alone during their off time.

If a worker feels like he or she is a phone call away from having to leave a party, a sporting event or a family dinner, it can make those events less enjoyable. In turn, that makes it harder to recharge while away from work and hurt worker productivity while on the clock. That is not the type of first impression that you want to make on a new hire who you hope to have for many years to come.

Give Employees Frequent Breaks During Work Hours

If possible, allow your workers to take walks to clear their head before or after a meeting. When there is down time after a conference call or because a worker has finished a task ahead of schedule, that person should be able to grab a drink from a vending machine or check Facebook for a couple of minutes.

These small breaks during the day make it easier to focus on getting work done without causing a significant interruption during the day. Flexible scheduling, the ability to work from home and mandatory off days or vacation time may also help a new hire acclimate him or herself into a new position without feeling burned out or underappreciated.

Schedule Progress Meetings With New Hires

Managers should be in constant communication with their new hires during the first six months after they begin work. A simple 10 to 15 minute meeting once a week or once every other week is both a quality talent management tactic and a way to foster a dialogue between a worker and his or her boss.

Opening the lines of communication may make it possible for a manager to adjust a new hire's workload, handle scheduling issues or solve problems that a new hire may have with others in the workplace. Managers can also use these meetings to offer positive feedback or otherwise inspire the new guy or girl to keep up the good work despite any obstacles that may come up.

Employers should be on guard against worker burnout at any point in their careers. However, it is critical that those who may be most likely to leave are given opportunities to integrate themselves without feeling like they have been pushed too hard. Employees who feel fresh and motivated to work generally produce more for their employers while helping to keep turnover costs to a minimum.