Have you noticed a drop in your performance at work? Do you feel like calling in sick a lot? These are just a few of the questions to ask to know if you are burnt out. Sometimes chasing deadlines at work blurs everything else in our lives. This same chase unknowingly leads a lot of us to burnout. It’s a real mental condition that’s common, avoidable, fixable, and nothing to be ashamed of.
Those working in high-pressure fields like marketing are more likely to suffer from burnout as they have to be creative, agile, and versatile all the time. Talking about burnout and taking preventive measures is something employees and managers need to start doing actively. Keep reading to know about some tips on how to prevent marketing team burnout.
Don’t Ignore These Signs of Burnout
How can you tell if you are burnt out? Here are some of the common signs, but keep in mind that there are other issues that share the same signs.
- Lack of sleep
- Low energy level
- Loss of appetite
- Drop in work performance
- Difficulty while focusing
- Decreased motivation
- Higher urge to call in sick
- Becoming short-tempered
- Aversion toward job
If you’re facing a few of these, a self-evaluation might help find their root cause. You could be experiencing burnout if most signs exist due to your job. Even if your job is not the problem, it would help to start thinking about your well-being.
How to Prevent Marketing Team Burnout
Get Enough Sleep and Eat Healthily
Being a good employee also means being someone who takes care of their mental and physical health. Read that again. Negligence about these will eventually affect your work. Adults need at least seven hours of sleep for the body to perform optimally.
The benefits of eating healthy and on time are something we’ve been hearing since our childhood. But meetings, deadlines, and calls can wreak havoc on our schedule. Skipping on meals and eating junk food regularly can cause stomach issues, weight loss or weight gain, reduced immunity, and more.
Exercise Regularly
We all love the idea of exercising but a lot of us live a sedentary life. Some of us might indulge in a sport on weekends, but that’s not going to cut it. While it may sometimes feel impossible, do your best to clear out at least 30 minutes every day, five days a week, for exercise. Joining a gym is great, but you could also take up other healthy activities like jogging, cycling, and swimming.
Ask Yourself What’s Important
A contributing factor to burnout is not having a sense of achievement. People go on with their lives like a boat without a destination and one day realize they are lost. Ask yourself hard-hitting questions like “What makes me happy?” “What is that thing I always wanted to do?” “What should be my salary in the next few years?” Ask a mix of questions about your personal life and professional life. Let their answers be your GPS. Remember to set both big and small goals. You’ll feel a strong sense of accomplishment and happiness after achieving these.
Set Strict Boundaries
Why are work-life boundaries important? Five years from now you’ll not remember making some spectacular PPT. But you’ll cherish going on that date, attending a friend’s wedding, or just being there for a loved one. Work is important, but it shouldn’t interfere with other aspects of life. By losing out on moments that make life worth living, you’ll slowly start to hate your job.
Working on holidays and beyond work hours is sometimes all right, but not if it happens regularly. An effective way of stopping work from invading personal space is to give and ask for realistic deadlines. Being transparent about your capabilities as an employee and expressing your needs as a person helps.
Take Care of Your Eyes
As kids, we weren’t allowed to watch TV for more than an hour or two because it could harm our eyes. Well, look at our screen exposure now! Staring at screens for long periods causes the eyes to dry out and their muscles to strain. A study showed six out of 10 American adults reported digital eye strain symptoms like blurred vision, headaches, etc. Solutions are easier than you might think.
Doctors advise people to take their eyes off the screen every 20 minutes and focus on anything around 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Splash cold water on the eyes at regular intervals. Use a blue light filtering app at night. These apps tone down the harmful blue light emitted from your screens to reduce eyestrain. Don’t look at the screen before going to bed as it will negatively affect sleep.
Reach Out for Help
Don’t you ask for directions on the road when lost? Then why not do the same when your mental health is at stake? Seek help right after noticing the burnout’s early effects. Talking to peers and colleagues can help as they could be going through something similar or could have battled burnout in the past. Seeking professional help is always an option. A few changes could save you from a lot of suffering. So, try to open up.
What Can Employers Do to Prevent Burnout?
As per a study, 74% of employees have experienced burnout at least sometimes. As an employer or a manager, here are things you can do to protect employees from burnout.
Plan out Better Roadmaps
Push your employees, but do not crush them. Asking someone to punch way above their weight regularly could stress them out and make them start questioning their capabilities. This might harm their productivity and cause other employees to have to take on some of their tasks. Such situations strain entire teams and you’ll end up pushing that deadline or underdelivering. All this hassle can be avoided by providing realistic deadlines to clients and considering employees’ capabilities while planning.
Create a Healthy Work Environment
A friendly and open environment in a workplace promotes productivity and encourages employees to be vocal. You need to pick up on signs of stress and burnout shown by some employees even though they might talk about it. A great way to take away the stigma around mental health is by making discussions about workplace problems and stress a monthly activity. You need to make everyone know that burnout can happen even to the best workers and it’s a fixable problem.
Appreciate the Employees
Whenever your employees are doing a great job, let them know by offering a promotion or opportunities to grow more. An appraisal or a heartfelt compliment can also go a long way. Employees need to feel valued and appreciated. This will particularly motivate those seeking validation in their career.
Encourage Them to Take Vacation
Employees might not take days off if they have a lot on their plate or are workaholics. Taking some time off work can act as a much-needed reset switch for many. You should encourage the employees under mental duress to take a vacation. A burnt-out employee won’t just underdeliver but could end up leaving the job.
What If I Am Burnt Out?
Now your next question would be how do you recover from burnout? Well, realizing that you have an issue is the first step to solving it.
- Discussing this with friends and colleagues could be helpful. Ask managers if you could get involved with a different kind of work. Maybe all you need is a change of tasks.
- If that fails, request a long leave and take a vacation. New scenery, different food, all fun, and no work could solve your burnout.
- If that’s not helpful, think of taking a sabbatical or if it’s best to leave your job. Going with the latter is a big move, but it will open new opportunities.
- If being off work doesn’t bring peace, it might be a sign that you could use professional help.
In Summary
Burnout is a serious problem that can hamper one’s mental and physical well-being, but it can be prevented if marketers and their managers normalize talking about work-related issues. By planning out considerate and honest roadmaps, opening up, seeking help, and taking better care of your health, burnout can be prevented.
FAQs
How do I know if I’m burned out?
The signs of burnout are easy to notice as they gravely affect your productivity, mood, and energy levels. Some of the most common signs are loss of appetite, inability to focus, lack of motivation, and becoming short-tempered.
How does burnout differ from depression?
Depression is a much more serious condition compared to burnout. The latter can start to get better from the day you leave the job or take a break from it. The other major difference is with burnout you won’t have the energy for hobbies, whereas a depressed person will not be able to enjoy their hobbies.
How long can burnout last?
Depending on the intensity of burnout, it can last from a couple of weeks to months. Serious cases can take years to get resolved.
Can a company fire you for burnout?
No, but you need to take some measures to resolve the burnout. Otherwise, your work will show no signs of improvement, and a host of other burnout-related issues will start showing up. Eventually, your employer might take the call to fire you.
External Links and References
Check out these links to know more about burnout and the measures to prevent it.
Life Optimization Strategies: How to Avoid Marketing Team Burnout | O8
Why Marketers Are More Likely to Face Stress and Burnout | Husky Marketing Planner
10 Tips on How to Fight Burnout, According to Experts and Data | Hubspot
