What to do if your team is fatigued

A fatigued, distracted and demotivated team can have an impact on much more than just work culture and internal dynamics. Poor mental wellbeing within a work environment also affects the bottom line with a cost of £34.9 billion to the UK economy from the consequences of fatigue or boredom, such as absenteeism. In many company cultures this issue is getting worse – a report by the Centre for Mental Health found a rise of 25.6% in the overall cost of stress, anxiety and depression to employers in the last decade. These issues were quantified in the report as an average of £1,300 per employee. But what do you do if your business is suffering from the effects of a fatigued team and demotivated, stressed staff?

Recognising where there is a problem

The signs of a fatigued team where mental wellness is an issue are all too obvious. You may find there is a lot of absenteeism and deadlines may be missed. There may be arguments and conflicts within the team, or between staff and management, that no one is very motivated to resolve. And you may notice that staff often seem bored and disengaged with what they are doing, are taking longer breaks or showing up late. The first step towards resolving the issue of a team that is fatigued is to acknowledge that there may be a problem.

Shifting the focus to mental health

Although around 90% of the demands most employees face are mental, as opposed to physical, it’s not often that employers prioritise a proactive approach to mental health. There may be some stigma around discussing issues such as stress or depression and many employers are more focused on targets and objectives, as opposed to daily employee experience. Shifting the focus to mental wellness in the workplace can help your team to achieve a much more balanced approach and to discover the tools to cope with the pressure of their role in a healthy and proactive way.

Nurturing interpersonal skills development

Interpersonal skills are essential for successful career development and yet rarely prioritised by either employers or employees. Giving your team opportunities to further develop their intrapersonal skills can have a much broader positive effect on the wider business. It will not only enable individuals to get more from what they do, to reduce stress and fatigue and to work better with others but also tends to lead to the development of other skills and competencies that could result in a better and more rounded and engaged employee.

Encouraging regular mental wellness check-ins

Learning mental wellness is like any new activity – the more it is repeated the better we tend to become at it. Flexing the mental wellness muscle on a regular basis by using newly acquired knowledge tools and practicing directing inner functions can help staff to cope better at work and to play a more developed role in the evolution of the business. Making time for this during the working day is something that employers can get better at encouraging.

Solving the issue of team fatigue can help businesses to blossom and stimulate growth – contact Inside Out Image to find out more.