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  • According to the American Psychological Association, workplace burnout is an occupation-related syndrome resulting from mismanaged chronic stress. This is a growing problem among the workforce, due to longer hours of operation and greater workloads.  

    Common symptoms of burnout are prolonged emotional exhaustion, physical fatigue, and social withdrawal. As a business owner, you need to observe the potential signs of burnout in your employees, as burnout can reduce productivity, increase turnover and absenteeism, lower job satisfaction, and more.  While there are different types of burnout, they can all be traced back to one source: stress.  

    How can you lower the risk of employee burnout and reduce stress in the workplace? Continue reading to find out.  

    What Employee Burnout Looks Like 

    Workplace burnout looks different for every employee. For example, one employee may start experiencing painful headaches while another develops insomnia. While every case of burnout is different, there are a variety of common symptoms that, as an employer, you should keep an eye out for: 

    • Job dissatisfaction 
    • Absenteeism 
    • Insomnia 
    • Depression 
    • Changes in appetite 
    • Headaches 
    • And more 

    Causes of Burnout 

    Burnout is caused by exhaustion, overexertion, and stress. Depending on the workplace and the job position, the cause can vary. Burnout can be caused by a heavy workload, interpersonal conflict, lack of professional support, and lack of clarity on job responsibilities. Experiencing any of the previously mentioned causes for a prolonged period of time can take its toll on your mental, physical, and emotional health. 

    Effects of Burnout on Employers 

    The importance of managing employee stress and burnout cannot be overstated. According to Glassdoor, employee reviews mentioning burnout have increased 32% over the past year. Not only are employees experiencing greater rates of exhaustion and burnout, but they are becoming more vocal about it. Glassdoor also found that workers suffering from burnout are substantially less satisfied with their employers. Workplace dissatisfaction can increase employee absenteeism, reduce productivity and loyalty, leading to greater turnover rates. To keep morale high, employers must examine how they currently manage their workers’ paid time off (PTO), support their work-life balance initiatives, and offer flexible schedules.  

    Ways to Reduce Employee Burnout 

    To protect your employees and business from burnout, it’s a good idea to have some coping strategies and policies in your back pocket. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to reducing burnout, but consistently communicating with your employees about their workload is a great first step. By showing your workers that you care about their well-being and health, they will have a greater sense of loyalty to your company, effectively reducing turnover.  

    Another great way to reduce the risk of employee burnout is by supporting their work-life balance. By promoting flexible scheduling, implementing work-from-home policies, or providing PTO, you can showcase your investment in their lives and their wellness, which can improve employee trust.  

    Check out some more examples of how to reduce employee burnout: 

    How GMS Can Reduce the Risk of Employee Burnout 

    A CPEO like Group Management Services (GMS) can be a valuable resource for significantly reducing employee burnout and improving morale. GMS offers top-tier HR technology that simplifies employee management, including administering health benefits, scheduling payroll, and providing training. 

    Additionally, GMS has a dedicated team that can assist in developing employee assistance programs. These programs help employees build coping strategies and effectively manage stress. Our experts can also help create policies designed to keep your workforce healthy and productive. 

    Want to learn more about how GMS can help you reduce the risk of employee burnout? Contact us today! 

  • Recently, I turned 48. Forty years ago, the age of 48 looked and sounded ancient. When I hit my 30s, it no longer seemed so old. I’ve been seeing a lot of stories recently about people I know or know of who are dying in their 50s and 60s. As I look at my two daughters, I grow more concerned about the prospect of only being on this planet for another 10-15 years.

    Every morning I curse my 4:55 a.m. alarm when it wakes me so I can meet my buddy Kurt for our 6 a.m. workout. Having a workout partner helps on those cold Cleveland mornings — and there are many! However, as I was making that trek in to work out, I thought how lucky I was to be working for a company that values employee wellness the way GMS does.

    Healthy Employees are Productive Employees

    There definitely is a financial component to this value. Small businesses and large companies alike can see a $3 reduction in their health insurance premiums for every $1 that they spend on employee wellness.

    In addition, healthier, fitter employees tend to be more productive employees. In a recent article, Lee Dukes, president of Principal Wellness Company says “It’s in every employer’s interest to have healthier, happier, more productive employees.” To that end, “Employers have to do more than offer wellness programs; in order to see the benefits, they have to incent participation.”

    Incentivizing Wellness

    In my travels as a sales rep, I talk to business owners across a wide range of industries. I have yet to meet anyone who dismisses wellness as a fad, but most only pay lip service to it. Most are not willing to offer employees incentives to stay healthy.

    Should we as employees be interested in our own health? Absolutely! Can we be more interested if there’s an incentive? Yes.

    I have seen firsthand at GMS an uptick in physical activities among employees every year in the third quarter when we have our annual wellness contest. I have also seen many of those habits in my fellow employees carry on throughout the year.

    Many of these same Ohio small business owners I talk to don’t think about healthier employees being more productive employees. They buy into the idea that it’s none of their business what the employees do with their personal time and habits. However, healthier employees are not just more productive, they also tend to work more injury-free, greatly helping small businesses in their risk management and lowered worker’s compensation claims.

    Long and Healthy Lives

    When I go home at night and I’m too physically tired to do everything my daughters want me to do, I do take some comfort in knowing that I’m doing what I can to make sure that I’ll be around for another 30-40 years.

    Have you thought about these issues? I’d love to hear what others are doing to help ensure they lead long and health lives. What are some ways employers can incentivize wellness?

  • When your employees are ailing, your business is also likely to suffer. The health and wellbeing of your employees can play a big part in your company’s success, as a happy, healthy workforce has several benefits, including:

    • Increased productivity
    • Reduced absenteeism
    • Decreased medical costs

    Many small business owners have turned to workplace wellness programs to help improve the wellbeing of their employees. Over time, these programs have evolved to address specific issues to better serve employers and their employees. Here are some recent wellness trends than may be a good fit for your business.

    An office worker stretching as part of the company’s workplace wellness program.

    Programs That Cover More Than Physical Wellbeing

    Physical health isn’t the only concern for your employees. While health concerns like chronic disease is a major issue for businesses, the stress caused by other factors can be a major source for lost productivity and morale. That’s why some businesses are expanding the definition of wellness to include areas like emotional, financial, and other types of wellbeing. 

    According to BMC Public Health, a peer-reviewed health journal, stress can increase health insurance costs for a business by 50 percent. This trend has led to the addition of skills training, financial counseling, and other outlets to some wellness programs. In addition to providing avenues for weight loss or smoking cessation, these programs focus on other avenues that can help improve both the physical and emotional health of employees by giving employees the knowledge and skills they need to reduce the stress placed on them by outside forces.

    Architectural Wellness

    You may not think about it, but your workspace can play a part in the wellness of you and your employees. Architecture and design magazine Metropolis notes that “new research about the effects of noise, light, and air quality—among many other factors—reveals direct links to long-term human health, not to mention daily productivity.” This means that certain changes to a workspace could help improve the overall wellbeing of employees, allowing them to be more productive while potentially limiting the number of sick days taken.

    Of course, most small businesses can’t do a complete redesign of an office. However, there are small changes you can make to create a healthier workspace. These include:

    • Air quality – Replace air filters and allow for fresh air flow to limit levels of carbon dioxide and other contaminants
    • Ergonomic furniture – Invest in seating and desks that relieve physical stress on employees over long periods of time
    • Private spaces – If possible, clear out some rooms or open spaces where employees can work privately when they need some space to focus
    • Noise control – Establish quiet zones for employees who need to get away from distracting conversations and use sound-deadening materials or furniture to help absorb noise

    Personalized Programs

    This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but every employee is different. This means that each worker can have certain preferences about what should be included in a workplace wellness program. Instead of trying to push aspects of a wellness program on disinterested employees, some businesses are personalizing programs so that users can take advantage of what they want.

    A wellness coordinator can meet with each employee to go over their health and to identify exactly what he or she wants to achieve through the program. Some employees may want to aggressively work to lose weight or quit smoking, while others may just want to maintain their level of health and learn other ways to improve their wellbeing. Coordinators can create personal health guides to provide workers with individualized information based on each specific user. 

    You can also offer “health hours” to employees to allow them to personalize their wellness on their own. This concept gives employees a set number of hours per week or month to go to the gym, take walks, or do some other healthy activity during company time. This can help workers who can’t find the time to work out on their own while still giving them the freedom to choose their own route to wellbeing.

    Small Business Guide to Health & Welness

    A Focus on Musculoskeletal Pain

    The U.S. Department of Health & Humans Services released a study back in 2015 that found nontraumatic joint disorders to be one of the five most costly conditions for American adults. Thanks to issues like back pain, arthritis, and carpal tunnel causing higher absentee rates and workers’ compensation claims, small business owners are now starting to realize that they may need to be proactive about musculoskeletal pain.

    A wellness program with a focus on musculoskeletal pain will help educate employees on how to prevent these issues. This may include:

    • Educating workers about what is considered a musculoskeletal disorder and how these injuries happen, which can include heavy lifting, bad work posture, and other practices that can lead to pain over time
    • Teaching prevention tactics such as important warmup stretches and proactive processes
    • Highlighting ways to improve workplace ergonomics

    Find the Right Workplace Wellness Program for Your Company

    While wellness programs can benefit small businesses, they’re only beneficial if they’re run effectively. At GMS, we can set up a customized workplace wellness program that’s designed around the needs and questions of your employees and features a quarterly review of claims and the impacts of your program. Contact GMS today to talk to one of our experts about how we can improve the wellbeing of your employees and your business.

  • In the past, business owners in Michigan had the option of whether they wanted to offer paid sick leave for their employees. However, Michigan adopted the Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA) Sept. 5, 2018, making it the 11th state to have a mandatory paid sick leave law in effect. Within a few months, the state’s legislature amended the bill, adopting the Paid Medical Leave Act (PMLA) as a modified version of the initial act that will go into effect starting March of 2019. 

    With all the changes in Michigan’s paid sick leave laws, it’s time for business owners in the state to take stock of exactly what the PMLA requires of them, if they should reevaluate their paid leave policies, and what they need to do to be compliant with the new law.

    An employee staying home through her company’s paid sick leave policy. 

    What the Paid Medical Leave Act Does

    The short answer is simple: staring in March, employees in Michigan will accrue paid sick time based on the amount of time they work. 

    Which Businesses are Affected

    While the ESTA originally impacted all businesses to some degree, the PMLA only covers employers with 50 or more individuals. However, small employers with fewer than 50 individuals may offer paid medical leave if they choose to do so.

    Which Employees are Affected

    The ESTA had a broader definition of eligible employees, which included full-time employees, part-time employees, independent contractors, and temps. The PMLA limits the scope of which employees are eligible for paid sick leave with a dozen exclusions listed out in the senate bill.

    • An individual who is exempt from overtime requirements under section 13(a)(1) of the fair labor standards act, 29 USC 213(a)(1)
    • An individual who is not employed by a public agency, as that term is defined in section 3 of the fair labor standards act, 29 USC 203, and who is covered by a collective bargaining agreement that is in effect
    • An individual employed by the United States government, another state, or a political subdivision of another state
    • An individual employed by an air carrier as a flight deck or cabin crew member that is subject to title II of the railway labor act, 45 USC 151 to 188
    • An employee as described in section 201 of the railway labor act, 45 USC 181
    • An employee as defined in section 1 of the railroad unemployment insurance act, 45 USC 351
    • An individual whose primary work location is not in Michigan
    • An individual whose minimum hourly wage rate is determined under section 4b of the improved workforce opportunity wage act, 2018 PA 337, MCL 408.934b
    • An individual described in section 29(1)(l) of the Michigan employment security act, 1936 (Ex Sess) PA 1, MCL 421.29
    • An individual employed by an employer for 25 weeks or fewer in a calendar year for a job scheduled for 25 weeks or fewer
    • A variable hour employee as defined in 26 CFR 54.4980H-1
    • An individual who worked, on average, fewer than 25 hours per week during the immediately preceding calendar year

    How Time is Accrued

    Both the ESTA and PMLA agreed that eligible employees are set to earn paid medical leave as soon as the act goes into effect March 2019. However, the FMLA changes the rate of accrual from one hour per every 30 hours to one per every 35 hours of service time. It also limits accrual to only one hour of paid sick leave in a calendar week. 

    In addition, the FMLA lowers the cap for paid leave to 40 hours per year instead of the ESTA’s 72. Time can be carried over into the next year, but usage is still capped at 40 hours. The PMLA also added an allowance for employers to add a waiting period of 90 calendar days before new hires can use paid sick leave.

    How Time is Used

    In terms of use, employees have a lot of wiggle room. Foreseeable leave, such as planned surgeries, procedures, etc., require up to seven days of notice. However, a sudden illness is not foreseeable, which means employees only need to give notice of sick leave as soon as reasonably possible. Earned paid leave can be used in one-hour increments, although the PMLA does permit employers to set a different increment policy in their employee handbooks.

    Another notable difference between the PMLA and the ESTA is that the amended bill gives employers more freedom to request documentation. Per the PMLA, employers can require reasonable documentation when employees use paid leave for absences of less than three days. In addition, employees have at least three days to provide the necessary documentation for absences.

    What it Means for Your Business

    If you have a business in Michigan and that business has fewer than 50 individuals, the PMLA won’t directly affect you. However, the act is part of a growing trend of more states adopting some form of required paid sick leave. This trend can serve as an opportunity to attract and retain better talent.

    Whether or not paid sick leave is mandatory for your business, you can still make it feel like a benefit for your employees. According to Access Perks, 88 percent of employees named sick leave as one of the most desirable PTO benefits. By offering paid sick leave—especially one that goes beyond any legally-required minimums—you can make your business more attractive to potential job candidates while rewarding your current employees.

    It is important to note that some business owners may be concerned that employees may abuse paid sick leave. However, that may not necessarily be the case. Monster notes that absenteeism did not notably increase when a paid sick leave law was passed in San Francisco and that the same employees who were likely to falsely call in sick in the past are the same who would abuse paid leave when it’s offered. 

    In fact, Access Perks notes that “89 percent of employees come to work sick with 19 percent admitting to doing this more than once a month.” By giving your employees the opportunity to take paid sick leave, they’ll be more inclined to use it when they really need it instead of forcing themselves to come to work and infecting other employees.

    How to Protect Your Business

    Regardless of your paid leave policy, you’ll need to adjust your policies and employee handbook. An outdated handbook can open you up to liability concerns, so it’s important to have your paid leave policy laid out so that employees have a clear understanding of the rules. It also allows you to have documentation in place to protect you from any legal claims against your company.  

    Another way to be safe is to work with experts who can help you roll out a new paid sick leave policy or any other program. As a Professional Employer Organization, GMS can help you establish an attractive benefits package and update your handbook appropriately. We can also help you stay ahead of new legislation or upcoming changes that may impact your business so you can act ahead of time. 

    Whether you need help with a paid leave policy or some other important business need, our Detroit branch or one of our other locations across the country can assist with risk management, outsourcing payroll, benefits administration, and other key HR functions. Contact GMS today to talk to one of our experts about how we can help your business.