You're struggling to keep your team's workload under control. What can you do to avoid burnout?

In my experience and observation, the best ways to avoid burnout would be in the following order. 1- Thorough workload analysis and reassessing the tasks. Prioritising what is essential and lighten the load where possible. 2- Brainstorm together, share the struggles and find solutions together. 3- Emphasise taking breaks and celebrating little wins. 4- Keeping an eye on signs of burnout and addressing them early on as happy teams do their best work. :)

I would investigate the burnout problem objectively with a 5-levels of WHY exercise to understand the true cause. Doing this exercise with the team would bring out the blind spots. In my experience, the distribution of work was always a problem. 20% of the team members carry 80% of the workout. It is because of knowledge towers. Understand them and break the knowledge towers and distribute the work evenly (as much as you can). Also, negotiate the priorities with customers and deliver the most used features first (apply the 80/20 rule here too).

If you don't know your people, you are not going to know when something is wrong. Pay attention, ask questions, and make it known that you care about helping them balancing work life. Foster an environment where employees feel safe. Show interest in how they are doing and ask questions. If I notice something is off with an employee, I ask with a tone of concern, "Is everything is ok or is there anything I can help you with?" I tell my people to speak up when they need help because if something slips through the cracks, I will have to answer for it. I tell them to take time off when they need it because I will take a productive and happy team member tomorrow over a tired and frustrated one today.

As companies are shifting to automation of low level/simple tasks, team members are now burdened with handling more complex issues. They no longer have the easy tasks that they can do, where they feel like they made an impact, closed the task and got credit for it. The tasks they now have takes more time and is more stressful. This needs to be taken in account and their workloads need to be reduced appropriately to avoid burnout of even your best employees.

To prevent burnout we need to adopt/implement the following key actions 1. Prioritize tasks and focus on essential projects. 2. Delegate tasks to distribute the workload evenly. 3. Set clear expectations and boundaries for work hours. 4. Encourage breaks and time for relaxation. 5. Support team members by offering resources and assistance. 6. Recognize and appreciate their efforts to maintain morale. The adoption of above six will fix✌️✌️

Best way to Avoid Burnout at Work is to promote Self care. Exercise - Exercise is one of the most important ways to reduce Stress. It can lead to physical & mental well-being. Take Regular Breaks - Take Breaks while at work to Socialise. Also take vacations whenever possible, the same may help you to rejuvenate & prevent burnout. Team Work - Delegate work & Seek Help Whenever needed. It will not only help you to reduce workload but also creates a sense of team work & support preventing burnout.

For sure prioritizing and planning is essential. Strangely by just putting all my tasks down on a piece of paper and numbering them in order of priority, I can bring down my levels of anxiety a lot. I encourage our team to do this and we hold weekly discussions and ensure monitored effectively. Sometimes we find team members do the things they enjoy first or the easiest, but not the most urgent/important, so this needs to be eliminated to avoid panic and burnout later. Having the right people in the right roles can also impact this dramatically. This is something we have discovered in building our team in Location Intelligence software in Indonesia from 4 to 150 people. Certain people are very good at certain things and can do quicker.

Implementing these prioritization tools is essential, but equally important is cultivating a team culture that values balance and well-being. Drawing from my leadership coaching experience, I recommend scheduling regular check-ins focused not only on project updates but also on team members' well-being. This approach, influenced by Simon Sinek's emphasis on empathetic leadership, ensures that team members feel supported and valued. By combining effective prioritization strategies with a caring leadership style, you can significantly reduce the risk of burnout while maintaining productivity. #EmpatheticLeadership #BalancedTeamManagement

So much of what we feel is urgent, is self imposed. Analyze (and re-analyze if necessary) to determine your priorities top to bottom. Learn to say no. Learn to advocate for your team.

Don’t let workload impact your life. Prioritise , plan and eat your frog 1) Identify critical tasks that require immediate attention 2) Delegate effectively within the team based on individual strengths and expertise. 3) Break down tasks into smaller, more manageable steps to reduce overwhelm. 4) Use the Pomodoro Technique: Work in focused intervals with short breaks to maintain productivity 5) Prioritize high-impact activities: Focus on tasks that contribute significantly to overarching goals or outcomes 6) Set realistic deadlines to prevent unnecessary stress and pressure 7) Utilize task management tools like Trello, Asana, or Todoist to organize and prioritize work 8) Practice time blocking

Communication can help resolve burnout, but only when it’s done as an outgrowth of the other actions. First, evaluate what’s causing the issue, and encourage free, candid feedback from diverse viewpoints. Second, actively help your teams plan and prioritize, equip them with the resources they need, and empower them to get the job done. Third, with great power comes great responsibility. Hold everyone on the team including yourself accountable, and provide a safe space to evaluate, recalibrate, learn and grow. Fourth, constantly stress in all team interactions that we respect each other’s time off and different ways of getting the job done. Clear, candid and authentic communication flows organically from these essential actions.

One of the most critical aspects of your communication plan is getting comfortable saying "no". If your team is stretched too thin, you have to say no to things and communicate those decisions in a way that doesn't erode trust with your stakeholders/partners. One of my favorite ways to push back is using a stack ranking to determine which projects/tasks are really the most important.

Effective collaboration and communication are vital for navigating workload challenges and preventing burnout You should always: 1) Foster open communication and encourage team members to express concerns 2) Schedule regular one-on-one or team check-ins to discuss workload 3) Promote collaboration and teamwork to share the workload effectively 4) Foster a culture of flexibility where team members can take on different roles 5) Encourage breaks and time off to prevent burnout 6) Allow for flexible work hours or remote work options 7) Recognize and appreciate team members' efforts and hard work

Balancing the teams workload effectively is about setting the right example. As a leader, I believe in being a role model, especially in how I communicate. If I don't practice what I preach, it's tough to inspire others to follow. A healthy workload culture starts with me.

An often overlooked aspect of preventing burnout is clearly defined roles & responsibilities. Unclear swim lanes or ownership will lead to overlap and redundancies, which ultimately increase workload (and stress or even burn-out) without driving results.

Keep your hunger of learning high . Learning prevents boredom in life Some learning tricks . We learn - 10% of what we read - 20% of what we hear - 30% of what we see - 50% of what we see & Hear - 70% of what we discuss - 80% of what we experience - 95 % of what we teach Defy Burnout . Keep learning . Keep growing

I truly believe find a smarter way to do the same things. Team productivity has been increasing with new ways of doing things. We do not even write emails or do research the way we were working before ChatGPT. And, that is just one example. Next is automate things. Other than automation, ask question, do we need to do this task anymore? You may find your answer there. Before asking a question to yourself how this task can be done, please ask question why?

In my experience solutions that address staff burnout include. Mitigate gaps between supply and demand. Forecasts, staff requirements, and schedules are based on historical patterns of interval-specific work activity. Handling time reported to the interval work occurs, not when it was complete. Work items are processed by multiple employees in various rates. Morale levels impact performance. Additionally management must be in alignment with budget, spending and planning for bench strengthening or attrition and potential resource leveling by use of vendor resources.

View challenges as opportunities for learning and growth. Encourage your team to provide feedback on processes and workload management. Implement continuous learning through workshops, training sessions, or cross-training opportunities. This not only enhances the team's skills but also provides a break from routine tasks. Emphasize the importance of work-life balance and encourage taking regular breaks to prevent burnout. Servant Leadership, where the leader's primary goal is to serve and develop team members, aligns well with this approach.

Burnout is work overloaded & lack of support. Assess & gather feedback without judgement - listen openly. Early in my career, my manager noticed my overload, mandating I take 30 days off from travel. Her action gave me necessary perspective and rest. I paid that empathy forward with a contractor showing strain. Hearing beyond her words, I realized she felt financially trapped. I granted a paid week-long break. Alleviating pressures demonstrates caring leadership. Now when I see the signs - errors rising, engagement falling - I act. Create environments where people feel comfortable surfacing overwhelm, knowing leadership responds with compassion not criticism. Burnout risk is reduced when teams know leaders have their back.

Set realistic expectations from the beginning. Prioritize your tasks, and complete the most important first. Provide resources for Stress Management. Monitor workload and productivity. Encourage time management techniques. Lastly ALWAYS celebrate achievements and milestones, no matter how small!!!

Making it a priority to reflect regularly is game-changing. Identifying skills learned, and opportunities found in addition to challenges currently being addressed is not only helpful for you today but for those who may follow in your steps in the future. There's power in reflecting on a job well done, so don't forget to also bask in your wins for a beat!

Promoting balance and recharging is essential in preventing burnout. Equip your team with tools and resources that enable them to rejuvenate effectively during their time away from work. This might include access to wellness apps or subscriptions to mindfulness and exercise platforms, and implementing flexible schedules and remote working options. Offer both individual and group coaching sessions to guide them in managing stress and optimizing well-being across body, mind, heart, and spirit. Emphasize the significance of taking structured breaks to maintain focus and stimulate creativity. Prioritizing a culture that values well-being safeguards against burnout but also fosters a team that is more engaged, innovative, and committed.

Incorporate activities that align with your schedule and bring you joy. Additionally, counteract stressful or exhausting tasks with designated periods of rest and reflection. For example, following a prolonged meeting, take a five-minute break to rejuvenate and recenter yourself before proceeding with your day. Tips: -Align activities with enjoyment and schedule: Seek activities that align with your interests and fit into your schedule seamlessly. -Balance stressful activities with restful moments: Offset demanding or tiring tasks with scheduled moments of rest or reflection.

We tend to be more resilient when we are well. Taking care of your entire self allows you to respond to your team with compassion while setting an example that encourages them develop resilience while prioritizing their well-being. There are always factors outside our control in life, but when we invest attention and resources on learning and doing the things that help us be at our best, the positive impacts ripple throughout all areas of our lives including work.

In this scenario, in fact under normal conditions as well, look for simplifying the process that the teams work on. Keep working on increasing STPs and system enhancement and maintainance(people generally undermine maintainance part). Study the Process flow diagrams and keep fine tuning it and at the same time empowering the team with delegations and authorities wherever possible. Finally, outsource the work that you can and leave your team do real value addition to inculcate innovative culture.

If all these things are done, and you've removed as many barriers as possible, then your role as the leader is to be their voice. If you don't have the authority to either hire or reduce the project scope/load, then you need to be as vocal as possible with your leadership to ensure that you don't burn out your team. Make sure you show clearly what they are accomplishing along with the bandwidth issues to prove the case to either hire more help or remove a priority.

1. Understand what your team is spending their time on and eliminate work that is not value add. The needs of the business are dynamic and often 'task lists' get longer and need to be recalibrated routinely with your manager to ensure the team is not wasting time. 2. With the remaining items consider whether the distribution of work across the team is balanced appropriately by person and from a timing perspective. Maintain a work inventory so you can clearly see which items are adhoc vs. recurring and how the recurring work lands on the calendar. 3. Finally, challenge your staff to develop tools and methods to reduce the amount of time spent on each 'task', leveraging templates, analytic tools, automation and other available resources.

Doing the things mentioned above (assessing the situation, prioritising tasks etc.) are sensible ways to manage this kind of challenge. Something that I’d just like to emphasize and add: As the leader, you have to lead by example and empower your people to set healthy boundaries. Example, when you see that your people have been staying in the office late to complete their deliverables, be the first to tell them to take a break, to set-aside some of the work to the next day or to put a hard stop on the time they’re spending in the office. Gestures like this from leaders matter not only in avoiding your team from being burnt out but also in showing your people that you care.

Capacity planning is key so you know what’s coming and what you need to do. Not what you should have done Every business has key business indicators which trigger work Know what they are and use relationship with actual work to plan for the future It’s not rocket science