Written by Field service business owners take note: a 2018 Gallup study shows that 23% of employees feel burned out at work “very often or always.” An additional 44% of employees say that they feel burned out sometimes.
Burn out can make it nearly impossible for you to meet your business goals. When you and your employees struggle to finish tasks, your business can stall. Eventually, your reputation may even suffer from careless contractors that don’t pay close attention to their work.
You don’t have to let burn out hurt your field service business. Try these five innovative tips to keep everyone in your company feeling fresh and prepared for work.
Make Sure Employees Take Breaks
Employees want to prove that they work hard. Unfortunately, many of them avoid breaks so they can accomplish more during the workday.
One survey finds that 20% of employees worry that taking lunch breaks reflects poorly on their work ethic. To make matters worse, many bosses share that view. Over 20% of North American bosses think that employees that take lunch breaks work less hard than those that skip lunch breaks.
Don’t fall for these false beliefs. In reality, you want employees to take breaks. Stepping away from work increases productivity and improves mental well-being.
When you make employees take their breaks, you get more work from them and you help them avoid burn out.
Provide Vacation Benefits
If your company uses contractors, then you probably pay a flat rate that doesn’t include any benefits. If you have employees, though, you should provide a benefits package that includes vacation time.
Employees that earn vacation time know that they have an extended break to look forward to. Even on rough days, they can imagine relaxing on a beach next month. During vacation, they get chances to destress, pursue their interest, and spend time with loved ones.
When they come back from vacation, your employees should feel less stressed, which means they won’t get burned out anytime soon.
Vacation time will cost your company some money. In the long run, though, you may discover that the increased productivity makes vacation time a good investment.
Encourage Employees to Exercise More
Few things reduce stress as well as regular exercise. When people exercise, they:
- Sleep better
- Have more energy
- Feel more alert
Depending on your budget, you can encourage your employees to exercise by holding exercise challenges, paying for gym memberships, and organizing group runs after work.
Create a Fun, Relaxing Office Environment
Your service technicians work hard when they visit clients. Create a fun, relaxing environment that helps them recharge when they come back to the office.
You can make your office more welcoming by providing:
- Coffee, drinks, and snacks
- A quiet room with comfortable chairs
- Games that encourage socialization
Everyone needs a chance to relax. Your office should provide the sanctuary that technicians need between challenging jobs.
Automate Customer Notifications
Automating as much work as possible reduces the amount of stress that employees face during the day. You can’t automate things like cutting lawns or unclogging drains, but you can automate many of the tasks that take place in your office.
Start by adopting automated customer notifications such as:
- Appointment reminders
- “On-the-way” text messages
- Email responses
The more you can automate, the less time employees need to spend on tedious, redundant tasks that can lead to burn out. Also, you will give your customers a better experience with faster, more frequent communications.
You have a lot of options to prevent burn out within your field service business. Find some strategies that work well for you and your employees. A little effort might prevent the burn out that often leads to the expense, stress, and disruptions caused by employee churn.
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Last modified: August 8, 2019
