Managing Stress & Burnout

Managing stress and burnout in the workplace is crucial for maintaining well-being and productivity. At Square Marshmallows we spend time with companies and their employees listening to experiences and devising plans to help alleviate the signs and symptoms of stress and burnout. We also carefully consider some of the following strategies:

Recognize the Signs

Self-awareness: Pay attention to physical and emotional signs of stress, such as fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.

Set Boundaries

Work-life balance: Establish clear boundaries for work hours and personal time. Avoid checking emails or taking calls outside of work hours.

Prioritise Tasks

Task management: Use techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance. Focus on what truly matters.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness techniques: As trained mindfulness teachers, we can incorporate practices like meditation, deep breathing, or short 'walk n talk' sessions to help talk about and explore ways to reduce stress and increase focus.

Take Breaks

Regular breaks: Schedule short breaks throughout the day to recharge. Even a few minutes can boost productivity and creativity.

Seek Support

Talk to colleagues: Share your feelings with trusted coworkers or supervisors. Building a supportive network can alleviate stress.

Use Resources

Employee assistance programs: At Square Marshmallows, we can devise support programmes as well as wellness courses to help your employees and the business take control of overall mental health and wellbeing.

Promote a Positive Culture

Encourage open communication: Foster an environment where employees feel safe discussing stress and burnout without stigma. Think about ways to implement a more 'Agile" way of working as a team.

Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Nutrition and exercise: Maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and ensure you’re getting enough sleep to support your overall well-being.

Professional Development

Skills training: Engage in training and development to enhance your skills and confidence, reducing feelings of inadequacy and promoting productivity. We live in a society whereby the goal is not to eliminate stress, but to expand our capacity for it. We look at realistic ways to face what overloads us and how best to balance work and life equilibrium in harmony without burning out.

Reflect and Adjust

Regular reflection: Take time to assess your workload and job satisfaction. If necessary, discuss adjustments with your manager or work with Square Marshmallow to help you identify what needs to change.

Consider Flexibility

Flexible working arrangements: If possible, explore options like remote work or flexible hours to better suit your personal needs.

Final Thoughts

Square Marshmallows help support your business and its employees to really explore the overall functionality of your business and whether your business is serious about tackling the roots of employee burnout and overload. The impact of burnout is vast. Damage to company culture: Burnout can create a toxic work environment and damage company culture. This can make it more difficult to attract and retain top talent. It can have a negative impact on customer service: Burned-out employees are less likely to be able to provide good customer service. Burnout can cause employees to lose focus, make mistakes and take longer to finish tasks ultimately lowering output and efficiency. As a result of lower productivity, the company may lose money. Employees may need time off due to burnout, and companies may have to pay for paid leave, temporary replacements or overtime and the list goes on.

At Square Marshmallows we look at the overall landscape within your business and how best to balance the business goals and objectives with nourishing and maintaining happy and motivated employees.