How can you reduce fatigue within your team?

In an era of hybrid working your work and home life can become intertwined. The lines between the two become blurred and it can become challenging to know how to separate the two. Conversional workspaces allow you a set desk to work from without distraction, once your day is done you can switch off and go home.

Hard work utilises energy which is perfectly normally but pushing your workers past the point of fatigue is one of the fasted ways to ensure burn out.

Employee burnout is an extensive issue for employees and employers alike. According to research by MetLife, employees could be costing UK companies as much as £700m a year in lost productivity with over 80 million hours of lost employee time due to sickness. The same research revealed that 44% of employees admit to calling in sick due to feeling exhausted, stressed, depressed, overwhelmed, and unmotivated.

Providing your team with a purpose can be a powerful motivational tool, promoting a shared sense of identity among your team supports them to identify more as a member of the team rather than a sole worker and with the motivation and connection increase the risk of burnout decreases.

A shared sense of values, direction and purpose should be maintained even if the workforce is separated.

It can become frustrating staring at a screen all day but it’s also bad for your health. Productivity paralysis is a symptom of an overworked and exhausted mind. Productivity paralysis is typically an unconscious response to feeling stressed or overwhelmed; especially when your to-do list has got so far out of hand that you can’t imagine ever getting everything done.

Being constrained to a 30-minute lunch break is a thing of the past. We live in a word where we are more aware of the short term and long-term damages of being tethered to the desk all day. Employers should make sure their team are taking regular breaks, drinking enough water, eating enough food, and managing their to-do lists effectively.

When fatigue settles in, and creative block strikes, employees should spend a little time outdoors, ensure your team are taking advantage of the local environment, greenspace, breakout spaces and co-working spaces within the office. Changing the environment can lead to your team becoming more focused and creatively inspired.

A 2021 report by the UK’s Mental Health Foundation found that 70% of UK adults agreed being close to nature improves their mood, and 49% said being close to nature helps them to cope with stress, so why not take your team on a walk through the local park and work on those team building skills.

Did you know that, drinking coffee throughout the day can increase your fatigue rather than dispelling it?

Caffeine works by binding to blocking receptors of the compound responsible for making us feel tired as the day progresses. However, the brain continues to produce the compound and as the caffeine starts to wear off you feel more tired than your would if you had not had that afternoon caffeine hit to get you through the day.

We all need a morning cup off coffee to get us going but trying to avoid caffeine after 2pm is normally a good rule.

Workers tend to be at their most creative and energised when they have greater control over their working hours. Being able to plan their working hours around the school run, gym sessions, or just some much-needed rest and relaxation can boost the quality and quantity of work produced. With true autonomy over their working hours, employees can achieve a much healthier work-life balance.

Make sure you regularly check in on your team and communicate with them, asking them what support they need is a great place to start and doing so could promote productivity and enhance your success.

St James Business Centre is an 80,000 sq. ft. building offering serviced, conventional, and virtual office space to rent in Warrington town centre, close to train stations and with extensive on-site parking. We also offer co-working space for anyone needing flexible working without the demands of permanent office space.

Our meeting and conferencing facilities, plus spacious internal courtyards in Warrington means your business has access to everything it needs under one roof. Contact us for more information.