In the office, some employees thrive off a high-pressure environment and that shows in their stellar work effort. However, when top-performing employees start to slack off, this is one indication that they are burned out and need to jump start their motivation.
The Mayo Clinic describes job burnout as “a special type of job stress – a state of physical, emotional or mental exhaustion combined with doubts about your competence and the value of your work. If you think you might be experiencing job burnout, take a closer look at the phenomenon. What you learn may help you face the problem and take action before job burnout affects your health.”
Workers who do well tend to raise the bar for other employees – and the opposite could also be true if employers do not monitor their workers’ performance. Using incentive compensation software, employers can adjust their incentive program to help boost employee morale.
Here are 5 signs it’s time to switch to incentive compensation software:
1. Employee performance is suffering
When employees associate chronic stress with their job, they are most likely burned out, which is marked by an inability to concentrate on the task at hand, negatively affecting performance and preventing them from doing their job effectively. Look out for signs of burnout amongst employees, including not being interested or invested in their work. If this is happening in the workplace, employers can invest in incentive compensation software to help motivate workers by offering them creative and fulfilling rewards in turn for great performance.
2. Quality of work decreases
Lack of motivation could be the primary reason why employees who were known to turn in solid work are now slowly decreasing in quality. If they are turning in assignments with mistakes or their attention to detail is slipping, employers need to know why their star workers are not performing well. Incentive compensation management software could help them record important numbers to measure worker productivity. If their quality of work is deteriorating, employers can look back on their previous levels of performance to see if there were problem areas or issues along the way that may have been a factor.
3. Office morale is down
Burnout could start off with one employee and spread to the rest of the office once they see their fellow workers struggling. This spreading wildfire-like trend is what employers want to avoid. To keep workers motivated, it helps to remind workers that their goals align with the company’s. Incentive compensation planning helps employers determine realistic demands of their workers while giving employees the ability to take control of their own goals and needs.
4. Turnover rate is high
Employees reaching their breaking point think about quitting or may already be actively searching for a new job. This could result in costs related to recruiting, contacting, interviewing and hiring new employees. To prevent an expensive talent drain for the company, companies can use incentive compensation software to alert employers to their top performing employees to recognize them for their achievements before they turn to the competition.
5. Workers are late to work
If workers come into the office a few minutes late or turn in documents past the due date on a consistent basis with no sign of resolution on the employee’s part, employers should take this as a sign they are becoming unmotivated. When employees who are usually on time start to miss crucial deadlines, managers must take action as this decreases productivity for the company. Giving workers a reward after they meet certain compensation criteria will let employees know their work is valued while they are contributing to the company.
Knowing these signs of burnout and disengagement around the workplace, employers can take action to increase productivity for their company and boost employee morale.
