How recognition can prevent burnout

Jessica Robinson identifies the importance of employee recognition and how this can help to prevent burnout in the workplace

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on This is Calmer

As an ambitious leader you want to take your organisation to new heights so you always aspire to keep your employees motivated and productive at all times – but can employees deliver the expected efficiency and results when they are in the middle of serious burnout?

Productivity, as we know, is a measure of mental and physical soundness. With this in mind, putting quality strategies in place could assist in helping your employees keep burnout at bay. This will greatly benefit your employees and also help you meet your organisational goals as well. If not addressed, high burnout rates can greatly affect the overall performance of your organisation and derail your strategic goals.

Speaking of tactics to assist your employees in preventing burnout, have you considered the impact of focusing on employee recognition? Here are some tips to help you deliver outstanding outcomes which, hopefully, will inspire a balance between organisational success and preventing employee burnout.

Recognition is the gateway to happiness 

What do you think is the biggest antidote to stress and mental fatigue? The answer lies in happiness. Happiness enables people to leave behind their stressors and look at the pleasant side of life. Moreover, nurturing happiness is quite an effective approach in itself and it can help people overcome various stressors.

The effect of the state of happiness on human health is well known; research has shown that happiness leads to optimism, a significant reduction in stress, healthy levels of blood pressure, and better sleep patterns. In short, happiness can help your employees to nurture their mental health and, as an additional result, combat burnout situations. 

So the key question is ‘What makes employees happy?’ While there are many different dimensions in the workplace which add to employee happiness, recognition can make a huge difference to how your employees feel. Employees truly value receiving recognition for their efforts from their managers and leaders; when their contributions are acknowledged this can boost feelings of happiness. In fact, as cited by OC Tanner, recognition in the workplace is of utmost importance for 37% of employees. 

Organisations with vibrant cultures of employee recognition experience 29% lower levels of frustration than companies that ignore recognition, demonstrating a direct correlation between employee recognition and fewer instances of burnout. Recognition can spark joy among employees, lowering the risk of burnout.

Recognition facilitates high engagement

A disengaged employee is more prone to burnout as they will be experiencing feelings of exhaustion while engaged employees will be happy to go the extra mile for the organisation they work for – so it is ironic that, according to Gallup, no more than 20% of the global workforce is engaged. This is where the real challenge lies for organisations and this is where burnout is emerging as a large problem.

Leaders need to try to take notice of their disengaged employees and identify ways to help them to rediscover their engagement, and be less at risk of burnout. Incorporating rewards and recognition is a core tactic in this pursuit – research reveals that 69% of employees assert that genuine appreciation can drive them to invest additional effort in their work – in simpler terms, employee recognition is a crucial factor for high engagement.

Engaged employees are more likely to work with diligence and commitment and they’re also likely to feel less frustrated when they have additional tasks and responsibilities to deliver on. In addition, they will be able to derive value from their work and, perhaps, feel more optimistic. As long as they are engaged, work commitments will appear less of a burden to them, which is quintessential to reducing burnout rates.

In reality, organisations with active employee engagement are 22% more profitable – so how innovative you can be with employee rewards and expressions of appreciation?

Recognition rejuvenates a sense of belonging 

Recognising your employees, and rewarding their contributions helps to nurture a sense of belonging. Their individual growth in your company is associated with the success of the organisation and, therefore, feeling like they belong will create a more positive attitude towards their workplace objectives, regardless of their workload and responsibilities.

As per the Harvard Organisation Review, a strong sense of belonging among employees can bring down absenteeism due to sickness by 75%. This clearly indicates that a sense of belonging has a positive effect on employee wellness, and further implies that, by fostering that feeling of belonging amongst your employees, this can reduce the risk of burnout. A strong feeling of belonging among employees can boost their job performance by 56% and, when employees feel they belong in their organisation, turnover rates reduce by 50% –  cultivating a sense of belonging via recognition is a win-win situation.

Recognition leads to employees feeling more secure

There could be a broad spectrum of reasons as to why employees may find themselves prone to burnout situations; among these, job insecurity can be a leading reason. In fact, ever since people witnessed major company layoffs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sense of insecurity among employees has risen. If your employees feel concerned about this, can you help to reassure them and encourage them to look beyond these apprehensions to focus on their roles?

One of the most effective ways to do this is to express recognition and appreciation, wherever it’s due. When employees receive recognition and rewards they feel a greater sense of security and more confident and focused in their roles.