FREE Policy and Procedure

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The Silent Crisis: Understanding and Combating Worker Burnout

In today’s fast-paced work environment, the phenomenon of worker burnout is becoming increasingly prevalent. Defined as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged and excessive stress, burnout can have serious implications for both employees and organisations. Understanding the signs, causes, and solutions to worker burnout is essential for fostering a healthy, productive workplace.

The Symptoms of Burnout

Burnout manifests in various ways, and recognizing its signs early can prevent long-term damage. Common symptoms include:

Exhaustion: Persistent fatigue that doesn't improve with rest.

Cynicism: Developing a negative or detached attitude towards one’s job.

Inefficiency: Reduced professional efficacy and productivity.

Physical Complaints: Headaches, stomach issues, and other stress-related ailments.

Emotional Detachment: Feeling disconnected from work and colleagues.

Causes of Burnout

Several factors contribute to burnout, often in combination:

Work Overload: Excessive workload and unrealistic deadlines.

Lack of Control: Feeling powerless to influence decisions affecting one's job.

Insufficient Reward: Inadequate recognition and compensation for hard work.

Unclear Job Expectations: Uncertainty about duties and responsibilities.

Poor Work-Life Balance: Difficulty separating work responsibilities from personal life.

Free Worker-Stress Reduction Policy and Procedure - Worker-Stress Reduction and Safety

Purpose

The purpose of this policy & procedure is to ensure that all staff working within our organisation are well managed and provided with the correct tools to reduce burn out and enhance work, health, and safety.

Related NDIS Practice Standard/Outcomes

Outcome: Each participant’s support needs are met by workers who are competent in relation to their role, hold relevant qualifications, and who have relevant expertise and experience to provide person-centred support.

Indicators to be satisfied:

• For each worker, the following details are recorded and kept up to date:

• their contact details;

• details of their secondary employment (if any).

Policy

Our worker-stress reduction and safety policy apply to all staff within the organisation. All employees are to report any signs that they may experience related to burn out and are to report any other employment outside of this organisation. This policy mandates all employees to report on any signs of work-related stress to reduce further injury to staff and minimise risk and incidents to the participants receiving supports.

Procedure

Our human resources and your management department are committed to ensure you are provided with the safest practices during your work hours. This policy and procedure require you to identify and immediately report any of the following burn-out signs and workplace stress related symptoms.

Signs and symptoms of stress include:

• Physical: headaches, indigestion, tiredness, slow reactions, shortness of breath.

• Mental: difficulty in decision-making, forgetfulness.

• Emotional: irritability, excess worrying, feeling of worthlessness, anxiety, defensiveness, anger, mood swings.

• Behavioural: diminished performance, withdrawal behaviours, impulsive behaviour, increase in alcohol and nicotine consumption

Management Responsibilities

For managers and employees off the floor, this policy is to be reflected upon to ensure:

• Employees have sufficient time to recover from shifts.

• Employees who preform overtime and have other jobs are consulted before scheduling further shifts.

• Ensure adequate break times, predictability work hours where possible, and multiple breaks if needed.

• Avoid pushing and encouraging long hour shifts, take home work, and working through breaks.

• Promote a healthy work-life balance.

• Educate staff on safe work procedures.

• Provide a judgment free and safe environment for staff to comfortably ask for time off when needed.

• Educate staff on early signs of work stresses and provide training where needed.

• Encourage staff to report on early signs of stress.

• Ensure the roster provides for a continuous seven to eight hours sleep in each 24 hours, and at least 50 hours sleep for every seven days.

• Minimise safety critical tasks during the early hours of the morning (3am to 5am).

• Limit overtime and do not allow workers to regularly exceed a 12-hour shift.

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Reduction of Related Work Stressors

To protect both participants and staff, appropriate safety practices are to be implemented. A series of steps are to be followed to control and manage any identified risks including:

1.Identify Hazards.

• Using this policy as a guidance, identify any psychological and psychosocial hazards that could cause harm, e.g. high job demands.

2. Assessing Associated Risks

• Assessing the likelihood and consequences of the work-related stresses as far as predictable to eliminate the chances of it occurring.

3. Controlling Risks

• Implement risk control measures to eliminate the work-related stressors as far predicated as possible.

4. Reviewing and Revising the Risk Measures

• Regularly reviewing and revising risk control measures to ensure they address the psychosocial hazards that have contributed or might contribute to work-related stress and psychological injury.

 For supporting files or personalised policies and procedures, get in touch!