Workplace survivors need to communicate concerns to avoid burnout: experts.

Due to the current economic situation many employers are laying off employees, and for those employees who are left it may mean more responsibilities and heavier workloads.  

The employees that are left need to make up for those who have been laid off.  As a result, these employees will face longer hours and higher stress levels.  

Nora Spinks is president of Work-Life Harmony, a Toronto-based international research and consulting firm.

At Health and Safety Canada 2009, a conference and trade show hosted by the Industrial Accident Prevention Association in Toronto this spring, Spinks led a workshop called "Workload Unplugged: Strategies for the Overworked, Overwhelmed and Overloaded."

Spinks said when it comes to workplaces trying to survive the recession it's all about keeping perspective and a positive attitude. She points out that this can be "really difficult to do when you feel like you're just drowning."

For employees who feel overwhelmed, Spinks said it's important that they know they have more negotiating power than they think.

Instead of agreeing to do the work of three employees, she suggests first asking a lot of open-ended questions of superiors.

"Instead of asking, 'How do I do that?' phrase it as in 'Tell me how to,' because they can't walk away from that or they can't say, 'You figure it out,"' Spinks said.

"You're communicating that you're taking this seriously, that you're willing to say, 'I'm up for this' and 'There's only 24 hours in a day' and 'I'm not prepared to give up my health, my well- being, my relationships for this job' without being rude or disrespectful to your boss or your co-workers," she added.

Spinks said employees shouldn't hesitate to offer a solution to a problem they're dealing with and asking for permission to carry it out to make their work-life balance more manageable.

Barbara Moses, a career advice guru, said workers need to understand and communicate to their employer that employees putting out 150 per cent are going to burn out and "end up an empty shell" doing 10 per cent of the work.

Moses, president of BBM Human Resource Consultants Inc., said while there are lot of people who are frightened to speak up or say too much, the bottom line is your employer doesn't want to lose you.

"People think that their employers want to fire everyone. Smart employers know as soon as the economy recovers, there are going to be skill shortages."

For managers and employers who are in a position where they have to make drastic changes like letting staff go, Spinks said they should look very carefully at what their objectives are, whether it's reducing head count or expenses.

Spinks said it is important to maintaining open dialogue between management and employees in order to solve problems and achieve success within and outside the organization.

"Be really honest. Don't try to say something's great when it's not, whether you're a manager and you're sugar-coating the situation or you're an employee and you're struggling."

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Posted by: suhujitha on 2009-07-20 16:34:01

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