Averting Burnout Within a Team Format: Guide in Loft

Definition of Burnout “A state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion cause by long term involvement in emotionally demanding situations.” – Ayala Pines and Elliot Aronson “A state of fatigue or frustration brought about by devotion to a cause, a way of life, or relationship that failed to produce the expected reward.” – Herbert J. Freudenberger

How to Identify Burnout Be on the lookout for: o Team Member absent or tardy often o Team Member muttering or complaining o Negative Attitudes o Lack of follow-through o Indirect communication o Body Language

Day-to-Day Prevention from a Leadership Standpoint Show caring, sensitive concern for them as human beings to build trust o Ask how people they are doing o Get to know individuals personally o Respect personal matters

Suggestions for Atmosphere Music played in the background Change of Meeting Space Add Unique Items to the meetings: o Food (Wine and Cheese) o Pets

Suggestions for Activities Nerf Gun Wars o Issue Nerf weapons to all members of the team and have leader initiate the war by sounding of an alarm Make wars no longer than 3 minutes Jam Session o Play Sample of a popular energetic song and have everyone get up and dance a little bit. No one is excused. Mid-Meeting Yoga/Meditation Session o Go to YouTube for a quick yoga/mediation video Celebrate Holidays/Birthdays Have fun meeting (“Team Bonding Activity”) after finishing up project checkpoints established by team leader o Watch Movie/TV Episode o Throw a party o Game Night o Team outing (bowling, tour the city, bocce ball, laser tag) o Campus Concerts/Talks

Checking up on Burnout Activities: o “Roll Call” During meetings, have someone yell “Roll Call”. Proceed to call out different names and have individuals give thumbs up or thumbs down on how they are doing mentally. If there is a thumbs down have a talk with that individual. o Evaluating burnout techniques Written survey every two weeks to identify issues with burnout techniques ahead of time