As someone who enjoys playing the drums, I was shocked and saddened to hear about the sudden death of Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters. In a recent Rolling Stone article, two fellow drummers who also were close friends revealed in candid interviews that he was burning out from a hectic schedule. And with a toxicology reporting finding 10 different substances in his body, certain habits formed on the road appeared to fuel an unhealthy valve release for overwork and exhaustion.
As a business leader, this story made me think about the importance of finding work-life balance. It’s important that managers, supervisors and executives ensure that people working in their organizations don’t suffer from burnout or exhaustion and feel supported. That means providing a flexible work schedule that meets their lifestyles needs. My company offers unlimited paid time off, which dramatically reduces paperwork when you don’t have to track PTO. While it may seem to be overly generous, this benefit is rarely misused.
It’s about showing compassion and humanity to a company’s No. 1 asset, which as the pandemic and Great Resignation has reminded us, is more important than ever before. Other steps may include wellness programs to relieve both physical and mental stress, corporate or psychedelic retreats and scholarships programs. A caring culture helps build relationships, while also giving employees enough autonomy to feel balanced and avoid burning out. The result will be a healthier, happier, more engaged, satisfied and resilient workforce that’s more likely to offer new ideas and be increase their productivity.
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