Healthcare workers are heroes, saving lives and ensuring injuries and illnesses are dealt with correctly and promptly. With all their skills and training comes long working hours, sometimes without sleep.
Because of this, they may experience emotional, mental and physical exhaustion, commonly referred to as burnout.
It’s important that those who feel the effects of burnout are provided with the necessary help and resources.
Failure to do so could lead to mistakes being made and patients seeking compensation for the negligence experienced.
There are some ways that burnout can be reduced or prevented in the healthcare industry, which we will go into more detail about below.
Allow flexibility with working hours
Maintaining a good work-life balance and prioritising relationships can be difficult for those in the healthcare industry.
Workers who care for other family members or have a young family to raise may struggle with long hours and few breaks.
If possible, workers should be offered telehealth by working from home for parts of their shifts.
Additionally, if they require time off work to look after their family or their wellbeing, efforts should be made for this to happen.
Seek and offer support
Solid relationships both inside and outside of work are crucial in battling burnout.
A team who actively encourages and supports each other both emotionally and practically will typically struggle less with burnout.
This is improved further should leadership support the whole team in the same way and receive adequate support themselves.
Providing access to counselling, webinars, and support groups are good starting points.
Additionally, an internal website for employees that offers mental health services would be highly beneficial, providing a variety of resources to help them combat stress and anxiety.
Acknowledge hard work
No one likes to feel overlooked and underappreciated in any job, especially when they appear to be working all of the time and risking their own lives in the process.
Positive feedback should always be given when warranted and this should be direct and immediate.
Even actively looking for good work can be useful in recognising employees who may usually go under the radar.
The team should be told how much they are appreciated and rewarded appropriately.
Even small things can make a difference, such as free meals and a comfortable break area.
Make worker wellness a priority
If healthcare workers aren’t functioning at their best, your patients aren’t going to receive the care they require.
In order to find out the concerns of workers, surveys should be created or another anonymised platform, where issues can be brought up in a safe environment.
Concerns should be prioritised, if within reason. For example, if being understaffed is the issue, consider hiring more staff members.
If there are limited supplies, have someone oversee ordering more, ensuring each staff member has adequate PPE.
