Employee burnout is a chronic condition when an individual feels that their physical, emotional and mental resources are depleted. It is more of an occupational phenomenon. It occurs when the job demands exceed the individual’s caliber due to understaffing, poor administration structure or excessive workload.
Why is Employee Burnout on the Rise?
We are working so fast, and why not? The competition is more intense than ever. Employee burnout has reached critical levels due to high work pressure, constant digital connectivity and a lack of work-life balance.
A recent report by Gallup highlights that 76% of employees face burnout at some level, which impacts productivity and drives high turnover.
The major factor? The blurring lines between work and personal time. This is a severe concern for modern companies, making them think of a better solution: Intelligent Automation.
Automating repetitive tasks is the ultimate solution to stop employees from getting exhausted. They are stressing implementing intelligent automation to minimise burnout. Intelligent automation has a vital role in reducing stress and re-igniting workplace morale.
So, let’s look at how intelligent automation minimises employee burnout and boosts morale!
Reducing Employee Burnout with Intelligent Automation
Intelligent automation is the new intern for your company, capable of assisting at every step.
- Automating mundane tasks: A study by Smartsheet has reported that around 40% of employees spend a minimum of a quarter of a week on repetitive tasks. Intelligent AI and Automation systems can manage repetitive activities like data entry, routine reporting and inventory management, allowing employees to emphasise strategic and engaging work.
- Predictive Analytics: AI can help process vast amounts of data to predict when an employee might face burnout. Early detection will allow organisations to react effectively, providing them with proper support and accommodation.
- Improving quality: When employees are freed from repetitive activities, we can focus more on tasks that demand critical thinking and creativity, which leads to higher job satisfaction.
- Supporting work-life balance: As per The American Institute of Stress, 80% of employees are stressed due to high demands. Intelligent automation helps streamline workflows and minimise the need for overtime. It creates a supporting environment where work-life balance is nurtured and managed effectively.
- Empowering engagement: Employees who are not stuck in the heavy workload of monotonous work will be more productive and engaged, creating an optimistic impact on overall morale.
- Upskilling: Automation can handle simple tasks, allowing employees to spend more time developing skills. At the same time, they can prepare them for higher-level roles within the organisation.
Boosting Morale through Meaningful Work
- Collaborative tools: AI can improve collaboration and communication by focusing on interaction and coordination amongst the organisation’s members. For instance, smart scheduling is a feature of intelligent automation systems that find the best meeting times by looking into everyone’s availability.
- Real-time performance tracking: Intelligent automation systems can track the real-time performances of employees. These systems are designed to track and manage employee performance, creating real-time information for managers and workers. If an employee cannot perform a task, the system can instantly alert their team leader to provide them with necessary assistance or training.
- A sense of purpose: Automating mundane tasks is not just about reducing employees stress, can work on meaningful projects. This influences employee motivation, giving them a better sense of accomplishment and commitment to the organisation.
The Crucial 5!
While you think about incorporating intelligent automation systems, you need to understand the five questions that would help you figure out the best possible option.
- Which specific tasks contribute most to employee burnout?
- How will the automation systems be integrated into your existing workflows?
- What training should be provided to employees to help them adapt to automation?
- How will you measure the success rate of automation in minimising burnout?
- What is the long-term strategy for maintaining a healthy and empowering working arrangement?
Success Stories
Accelirate is a top provider of AI and Automation solutions. A prominent American convenience store and gas station faced challenges like inefficient transaction processing and limited data visibility. They partnered with Accelirate, which involved the implementation of an AI-driven invoice processing and inventor accounts payable automation. This helped improve accuracy and limit errors. A total of 19 opportunities for automation were identified, which allowed the creation of standardised processes while enhancing employee satisfaction. It helped the organisation optimise its operations and gain a unique position for growth by using real-time information to support decision-making. As a result, they uncovered 1 million dollars in potential cost savings and reduced 50000 hours of manual work.
Amazon has used intelligent automation to optimise its operations and enhance efficiency. For instance, the use of robots in fulfillment centers is a visionary. Automatic guided vehicles help improve products, enhancing the speed of speaking and packing processes. This automation technique has allowed Amazon to minimise order processing time and increase throughput. Amazon has also employed AI-given algorithms to streamline its inventory management and demand forecasting processes. It ensures that products are available to customers whenever they need them.
Challenges in Automation Integration
Resistance to change: Employees might be concerned about job losses while implementing automation. Open communication should be facilitated; proper training opportunities would help reduce concerns and gain acceptance.
Technical concerns: Legacy systems can limit integration processes. Compatible technology and gradual implementation are suggested to facilitate better transitions.
Security: Data-provided security measures and transparency should be facilitated in data handling as this would create trust among employees and customers.
Over automation: It’s essential to create an equilibrium between automation and human oversight. Employees should be involved in critical decision-making to maximise accountability and creativity.
Happier and Healthier Workplaces
While we understand the problem of employee burnout, we can sense its importance in real terms. In conjunction with intelligent automation, we should reshape what place policies and practices.
The most immediate response to employee burnout is to ensure that managers and employees are open about the factors of burnout.
Flexible working arrangements like hybrid work options allow employees to manage their work-life balance. Encourage employees to take proper vacations and understand the importance of unplugging during downtime.
While discussing implementing intelligent automation, we should understand that employees should receive proper training and development opportunities to understand new workflows. This will be more productive and effective for both employees and organisations.
The strategic use of intelligent automation and forward-thinking future-of-work policies is imperative for modern organisations that want to sustain and thrive. Embracing intelligent automation solutions and implementing engagement-oriented policies would allow companies to improve the employee experience and outcomes and create a more productive and successful workplace.
Author: Deepa Chauhan – SEO Specialist, Accelirate
Photo credit: StockCake
