The festive season is a wonderful time of year, but for some it can also have a darker side.

There's just more to do at this time of year – lots of catch ups, lunches and celebrations and that's just at work! In their personal life employees are also getting ready for Christmas adding even more catch ups, children's concerts, school wrap-ups and present buying to the list.

Alongside the festive celebrations there's looming deadlines and an increased risk of employee burnout.

At this time of year many people try to pack even more into their 24 hours a day.

Most local governments don't shut down for long or at all over the break, but even if you're not shutting down many employees take leave and there's still pressure to close our projects and place orders before the year closes.

COVID-19 and the uncertainty of 2020 has added another layer to the usual festive pressures.

It's a potentially stressful mix that can quickly result in employee burnout if you're not careful.

What is employee 'burnout'?

Burnout is recognised by the World Health Organisation as an 'occupational phenomenon'. It describes a situation when employees have exhausted their physical, mental or emotional reserves in performing their job role.

It's characterised by three dimensions:

• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
• Increased mental distance from one's job, or feelings of negativity or cynicism relating to one's job; and
• reduced professional efficacy.

It can be caused by many factors including stressful projects or clients, a lack of managerial support and resources (real or perceived), tight impending deadlines, or even just plain old exhaustion. It's also commonly seen in the type of employees who tend to set unrealistically high expectations on themselves.

How do you beat employee burnout?

Every workplace and team is different but it's important to realise that burnout is often a result of the workplace environment, not the individual. The Harvard Business Review reported that the top five reasons for burnout are:

1. Unfair treatment at work
2. Unmanageable workload
3. Lack of role clarity
4. Lack of communication and support from their manager
5. Unreasonable time pressure

When considering these reasons it's clear why the risk of burnout increases over the holiday period. There are a few important things that managers can do to make sure that festive cheer doesn't lead to festive 'tears'.

1. Know the warning signs

Keep an eye out for the warning signs of burnout. These could include uncharacteristic quality lapses, increased irritability with colleagues (or, even worse, with clients), missed deadlines, changes in time management, a deterioration in grooming standards and possibly a rise in the number of sick days being taken. The other big thing to watch for is employees who've accumulated large amounts of annual leave over the course of the year/s, but never seem to use it.

If you notice any of these signs take the time to check-in and ask the employee 'R UOk?'

2. Burning too many candles

Do you have employees burning the candle at both ends, with constantly early starts and late finishes? If you see this think about why it's happening and address the underlying reason.

Find simple ways to release the pressure valve a little – look at their workload, adjust deadlines and find ways for them to start and finish at a more reasonable time. There's also the option to give them a fun 'social' project to help provide a distraction. Or even reward them with a surprise paid day off, or a professional development day, at short notice.

3. It's okay to switch off

Even if you've managed to get everyone out of the office at a reasonable hour, what about the many employees who continue to work from home, or work remotely? In 2020 we've all become experts at working from home but not all staff are good at switching off and may end up working well into the night to get pre-Christmas projects completed.

The key here is to lead by example, both in what you say, but also what you do. Think about your own behaviour, do you send emails or call staff out of work hours? This can create pressure for staff to always be switched on and available.

Actively encourage staff to switch off from work – mentally, physically and digitally (stop checking  - and sending - emails at midnight and on weekends!) .

4. Protecting staff from themselves

Sometimes even the best employees need a gentle reminder it's in their own interests to recharge their batteries a little, especially when the pressure is on. Determined not to stop until every project has been completed perfectly – an almost impossible task – it can reach a stage where they're personally taking on so much responsibility it's almost inevitable burnout will take hold. Remind them that, while their workplace commitment is admirable, running themselves into the ground is no good for their career or your business in the longer term.

5. Lots of open communication

In today's modern, highly mobile workforces, it can be difficult to gauge just how busy your team members actually are. For this reason, it's a great idea to have an open-door policy where employees know they're always welcome to raise potential workload issues about current or looming projects – well before they become fully-blown problems. Listen to their concerns. Explore the alternatives. Then work together to implement a workable solution. Or, at the very least, help them see that the light at the end the approaching tunnel isn't a train!

Ultimately, frequent and honest workplace communication is the key to solving many of the issues that can lead to employee burnout, so be sure to keep talking and listening