News
A recent study, which polled HR organisations across the United States returned some startling and concerning stats regarding the correlation between staff burnout and increased workplace turnover.
According to the survey, nearly half the respondents said employee burnout is responsible for up to 50% of their annual workforce turnover.
Here in New Zealand, stories of a similar nature are starting to be shared amongst HR professionals. We know that better guidelines need to be introduced, and the line between workspace and personal life be made clear and adhered to.
Getting the message
One of the big culprits is online messaging. Thanks to our smart devices, we can get messages from colleagues wherever we are, at all times of the day. It creates a culture of ‘always being on call,’ and can lead to frustration and even anger.
In a bid to improve work-life balance, French companies with more than 50 employees are now required to guarantee workers the “right to disconnect” from technology when they leave the office at night.
The law, which took effect January 1, makes it obligatory for qualifying firms to “start negotiations to define the rights of employees to ignore their smartphones,” the AFP reported.
Promoting good culture
One Kiwi business owner who has become a vocal champion for combating burnout, turnover and disillusion is Bernard Powell. He's become recognised as somewhat of a workplace happiness guru, and it's worked: his Hamilton-based paving company Premier Group International was rated the country's best workplace for 2016 by IBM Kenexa.
He was featured in a Stuff article earlier this year, saying that, ‘Good culture is more than after-work barbecues and crazy office decorations. At Premier, free lunches ensure workers are eating properly, promoting from within is preferred, and managers aren't too important not to clean the toilets.”
Kiwi business consultant Chris Reid believes that a low staff turnover and long standing employees are important goals to aspire to. "The lower the staff turnover, generally, the better the company's stability and growth prospects," he says.
"If you've got staff that are motivated by who they're working with and enjoy who they're working for and [the] support they get, they're going to keep loyal to that company."
If you’d like to talk staff retention strategies with us, our HR specialist would be more than happy to sit down with you and talk about ways to improve morale, keep staff engaged and love the work they do.
