How to shield your home healthcare employees from total burnout.
The home healthcare industry is rapidly expanding, placing workers under more pressure than ever. Not only does staff need to provide compassionate, medically accurate care, but they must do so to a growing pool of clients. With home healthcare professionals being stretched thin, they face a greater risk for injury. This is why it’s important to protect staff with the right workers compensation for home healthcare. Keep in mind that your staff also faces the risk of mental and emotional strain. Here’s what you can do to reduce the risk of employee burnout.
What is Burnout?
Burnout is the state that professionals enter when they can no longer effectively manage feelings of stress. In the home healthcare industry, burnout is characterized by the following:
- A sense of detachment from fellow employees and patients.
- Extreme fatigue that cannot be improved by rest.
- Inability to face the demands of the job.
- Careless mistakes in medication delivery, treatment schedules, and routine tasks like repositioning patients.
Preventing Employee Burnout
Because burnout is detrimental to home healthcare staff and patients, it is vital that employers recognize and prevent total burnout. The best way to prevent burnout is by creating a safe and open environment in which employees are encouraged to speak up if they are feeling overwhelmed by job responsibilities. If a worker does come to you expressing feelings of constant stress, then you need to take steps to reduce their workload. You should also discuss stress management strategies that the employee can try to better manage workplace pressures.
Another way to alleviate feelings of burnout is by establishing an employee wellness program for your staff. By promoting and providing resources to encourage exercise, healthy eating, and stress-reduction training, you can give your staff the tools to take care of their physical, mental, and emotional health. When your staff feels supported and encouraged, they are far better equipped to handle the professional demands placed on them.
This is what you need to know about preventing home healthcare staff burnout. Want another way to take care of your employees? Then make sure you have the right workers compensation for home healthcare. For assistance with all your commercial coverage needs, contact the experts at PMC Insurance Group today.
