In May 2019, way before the pandemic took hold, the World Health Organization declared burnout as an “occupational phenomenon.” Fast forward almost three years later and burnout amongst U.S. workers continues to climb — it’s clear that traditional burnout strategies aren’t working. Instead of relegating burnout as an individual issue, managers can normalize employee burnout prevention strategies by leading from the front.

1. Encourage mobile meetings.

Whether your employees are in-person, remote, or hybrid, consider the benefits of walking or mobile meetings. Sitting at length inevitably causes fatigue, boredom, tight hips, and lower back pain — all of which can compound or contribute to employee burnout.

“Having a meeting while walking releases endorphins, gets the blood pumping, and stimulates conversation and ideas,” says Heather Arnett, senior director of account development and retention at Exos.

Promote walking or mobile meetings with regular communications to your teams, or get leadership onboard for company-wide walking Fridays. You can even work with your wellness program provider to set up workplace wellness challenges to see which team can get the most steps in a day.  

2. Provide non-meeting connection opportunities.

The pandemic highlighted something many employees and managers already knew: The collective U.S. workforce is more than capable of working effectively and efficiently at home. That said, the pandemic also highlighted core differences.

For some folks, the in-person office culture of meetings, water cooler chitchat, and frequent disruptions hinders deep, productive work and causes stress, while others were invigorated by it

“Some workers crave that constant in-person connection and feedback and that made it hard for them to work at home,” Arnett said. “But for others the option of working remotely at least part of the time not only reduces stress but increases efficiency.”

Regardless of whether your employees are extroverts (your more outgoing crew) or introverts (shyer teammates), your team will still benefit from in-person offerings and the sense of community these types of events cultivate. This is where your workplace wellness program comes in — a virtual offering allows employees to get in workouts, connect with the same fitness experience as on-site employees, and generally provide remote employees a sense of community.

3. Offer meditation opportunities.

Meditation is effective as part of a morning ritual or a midday break at work. But turning off internal chatter and quieting the mind can be difficult.  But like any skill, it improves with practice.

Provide employees with group meditation guidance, or try normalizing regular meditation sessions, scheduling an event to recur every Wednesday (hello hump day we see you). Bring a mindset professional in from your wellness team to lead a meditation session prior to a big OKR planning meeting, or guide employees to a virtual offering that brings these practices to them no matter when they want to use them or where they are.

4. Bring in a breathing expert.

The average person takes more than 8 million breaths a year, and yet chances are they haven’t been breathing for optimal performance. “One of the easiest and most effective ways to lower blood pressure, stress, and anxiety is by simply breathing,” Arnett said.

Simply by helping your employees learn to breathe better, they’ll be able to improve their posture and reduce tension in areas such as the shoulders, trapezius, chest, and neck (common problem areas for desk workers).

Ask your workplace wellness team to do a deep dive into breathing practices like the Wim Hof method, or even just coach employees through basic breathing tempos. Sharing a list of breathing tempos that can help your employees adapt to specific situations, like times of high stress or energy slumps, can be a quick way to reset throughout the work day.

5. Encourage regular breaks.

Brief breaks interspersed throughout the day can pay major dividends in reducing stress and increasing productivity. Managers can lead a stretch break midway through a meeting or encourage others to get up and stretch throughout the session.

We’ve found that our Exos Fit recharge breaks are our most popular offering, where employees can take a movement break to reset posture, reduce tension in the neck and back, and refocus the mind.

Above all, encourage your employees to take the time to recover. Fuzzy work boundaries can be one of the biggest challenges facing remote workers. Whether that’s encouraging them to sign off at the end of the day and getting in a workout, or using their lunch break to take a rejuvenating walk, creating a culture of wellness will remind your employees that you care about them as human beings.

6. Bring fitness to employees, no matter where they are.

The easiest way to get people involved is to give them flexible options they can participate in and fit into their day. “You want to create a culture of movement throughout the day,” Arnett said. “Whether it’s a five-to-15 minute break away from the desk to a full-blown class, you’re providing a framework to reduce stress and boost employee productivity.”

Flexibility is just as important as having a trusted resource and expert to guide you along the way. Exos Fit provides numerous holistic live and on demand classes, programs and one-on-one coaching and creates customized plans to help people achieve their goals and sustain long term results.

According to a study published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management, exercising on a workday can increase time-management skills and completed workload by 72%. Whether employees take classes before, during, or after work, they benefit from increased blood flow and the release of endorphins.

Is your company committed to optimizing your wellness program to support employees? Find out how Exos can help.