Alissa Hawkins headshot Written by: Alissa Hawkins

Managing a Tired Workforce

If you’re a leader in any business, you’ve had to deal with your fair share of obstacles over the past couple of years.

Just a few examples of those obstacles:

  • Many of you have had to deal with a transition from an in-person to a remote or hybrid work environment. 
  • You’ve had to deal with rising costs and increased wages for employees. 
  • There have been supply chain disruptions, and you’ve had to get creative in order to navigate. 
  • You’re dealing with a tough hiring market and have had to work to implement new retention strategies.
  • You’ve been eyeing a recession, or the threat of a recession, for the past 2-3 years.

There are likely many things we haven’t captured on the list above. Looking at that list, though, it’s safe to assume that leaders and employees are exhausted. 

A report from Future Forum last year said that executives were reporting a record-low experience and sentiment score. These executives also reported, “20% worse work-life balance and 40% more work-related stress and anxiety.”

Man in front of laptop with his glasses in his hand, rubbing his eyes showing how tiring it is managing a tired workforce

How do you manage a tired workforce, especially when you are tired yourself? Here are a few things you need to focus on now that can help:

Spend time away from work. This means time alone AND with your loved ones.

As a leader dealing with all of the challenges on your plate and obstacles you’ve encountered through the years, one of the best ways to overcome this is to focus on your own well-being. 

Part of that means being intentional about taking time away from work to focus on disconnecting and personal well-being. That can mean doing physical activities and reading books (a mixture of fiction and nonfiction. These shouldn’t just all be about work). We also encourage you to take time off, enjoy a vacation, and take mental health days. 

These are practices that will trickle down to your employees, too. They will see the emphasis on personal time to help stave off burnout and that helps them deal with these challenges, on their own. 

Reach out to professionals for help/resources

Excessive stress can cause all sorts of problems. If a friend or family member was complaining of constant fatigue, sleep troubles and anxiety, you would encourage them to see a doctor. You need to allow yourself that same grace. You can’t do this alone and there’s no reason you have to. 

Being a leader or CEO of a company is hard. But you don’t have to go through it alone. Don’t ever be afraid to reach out to a friend or business partner you can confide in, or contact a medical expert who can offer practices to help you deal with workplace exhaustion so it doesn’t negatively impact your personal life. 

We have always put an emphasis on the importance of well-being at Handler. Here are some tips to help you improve your well-being in the workplace, and also help you put focus on regaining work-life balance.