Workplace Health & Safety: How to Decrease Burnout at Work

Finding it hard to get back into work mode and feel motivated after your holidays? You are not alone! It is quite common and normal to feel sluggish, uninspired and even down as you return to work and return to your daily routine.

Here are a few quick tips to help overcome the ‘Back to Work Blues”, and keep workplace health & safety a priority:

1. Ease in gently: Although it is a new year and a new beginning, you won’t be able to accomplish everything at once. The holidays are often filled with too much good food, lots of  good drink, many late nights and plenty of socializing. It takes time to get your mind and body back into your regular work routine.
2. Prioritize: Take a few moments to organize your work station and identify what needs to be done and in what order. Not every item in your inbox needs an immediate response.
3. Set attainable short term goals: What do I need to get accomplished today? What do I want to get accomplished by the end of the week?
4. Take breaks: Stepping away from your workstation, even for a short period, can help keep your mind sharp and priorities in focus.
5. Make a date: Give yourself something to look forward to, a lunch out, a get together with friends, a movie.

Remember if you are feeling this way, likely your co-workers and/or staff are too. Identifying post-holiday letdown symptoms (such as lack of enthusiasm, lack of motivation, feeling distracted or moody, and decreased work quality) is a key first step and addressing these symptoms is essential to getting back on track. Some ideas to rid your workplace of this holiday seasonal hangover can be found here and some suggestions for getting your employees moving after the holidays can be found here.

And although much of this focuses on employee morale and attitude and the effect it has on productivity, safety in the workplace is also a concern. Lack of attention and complacency are major mitigating factors in workplace accidents and injuries. The new year is an excellent time to do safety inspections on equipment, check and/or replace protective gear and review safety procedures.

In the end, back to work blues, post-holiday letdown or holiday seasonal hangovers are temporary and usually short-lived. Getting over the hump and settling back into a routine will happen and the holidays become distant, hopefully, fond memories.

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