How to Help Overworked Managers
Overworked and burnt-out managers and leaders are a real problem that organizations deal with consistently. Research shows that when someone works nonstop, they are less likely to do their best work. They are less creative, less motivated, and not as focused.
Being overworked impacts more than just physical and intellectual work. According to the World Health Organization, people working over 55 hours per work, have a 35% increased risk of stroke and a 17% increased risk of dying from heart disease compared to those who work between 35 to 40 hours a week.
As a leader, it is crucial to prioritize your team. When a manager is overworked and overwhelmed, they need your support. Below are three tips on supporting your team when they are overworked and helping them establish a more balanced workload without increasing your workload.
Talk with your Team member. Be very implicit and talk about the importance of quality work rather than a quantity of hours.
Help Prioritize Workload. Most people who are overworked have too much on their plate. Sit down with your team members and help them identify their top three or four priorities. Walk them through what to eliminate, what to delegate, and what to accelerate and focus on for increased success.
Encourage your team to have hobbies in their downtime. Talk to them about their hobbies and assign hobby time to them over the weekend. Having these conversations consistently helps to change your team members' behavior.
If you do these three simple steps, your team members will be happier because they will prioritize their well-being and help them be more successful at their job. It is essential that you speak up and have these conversations to help motivate your team to help them create a more balanced life.
Being a happy leader is possible! If you would like to learn more strategies to help your team, contact Tia today!
Arrive At Happy's mission is to inspire transformation through the science of happiness. Tia Graham, founder, partners with organizations and individuals to increase their daily happiness and success in all areas of their lives. Relying on science-backed empirical data, she has gained the insight needed to prove and teach that happiness indeed leads to success.
Tia has a Certificate in Happiness Studies and a Certificate in Teaching Happiness from Harvard's Tal Ben-Shahar and The Happiness Studies Academy. She is a Certified Chief Happiness Officer from Woohoo Inc., Europe's premier Happiness at Work organization.
Source: Environment International.