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Sarah, a dedicated nurse, has been working long hours due to staff shortages. She feels overwhelmed, stressed, and unable to keep up. This constant pressure has led to physical and emotional exhaustion, impacting her work performance and overall well-being. Sound familiar? Sarah may be a fictional example, but it resonates with many people working in a unhealthy workplace. Leaders and employees need to work together. According to World Health Organization (WHO) article: “A healthy workplace is one in which workers and managers collaborate to use a continual improvement process to protect and promote the health, safety and well- being of all workers and the sustainability of the workplace…” Let’s dig deeper about the topic of unhealthy workplaces and how we can make improvements.
Increased Business Cost
Businesses risk significant financial losses due to decreased productivity and the loss of highly skilled employees. These costs can skyrocket as companies incur expenses for hiring, training, and retaining new talent. Additionally, a company’s reputation and profitability can suffer, especially when workforce reductions lead to increased burnout. Physical injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, further exacerbate these challenges.
What leads to Employee Burnout?
Employee burnout is quite common in workplaces. It is triggered by either the highly repetitive tasks or pushing the limits to deliver technology advancements. This was spoofed by Nickelodeon cartoon characters SpongeBob and Squidward. Squidward works the same shift as a cashier taking customer orders, punch the register and route the order to the fry cook. SpongeBob, the fry cook, always working hard behind the counter and introducing a variety of ways to improve the Krusty Krab business as told by his manager, Mr Krabs.
According to a recent survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in the U.S., burnout in the workplace is not new – but worsening.
What is Task Automation?
Task Automation is utilizing technology or tools to reduce effort on consistently repetitive and time-sensitive activities. It could be customer inquiries, marketing, email responses, meeting minutes, inventory management, validating data, reporting and many more. Automating a defective process will make it worse. By utilizing Lean methodology, these repetitive activities (also called Lean wastes), can be identified and measured. There are thousands of solutions and tools available but then what if your process is broken. Automating a defective process will make it worse.
Think of how many emails are being received, read and responded with customer inquiries. How many times have you asked someone to take the minutes of the meeting then you must attend multiple meetings in a week? How many times has your source data been blamed as incomplete or incorrectly missed to be validated?
With these concepts in mind, can you think of ways to apply it to your business?
Adopt Lean Methodology
Lean Six Sigma is a continuous improvement methodology that focuses on the elimination of waste or reducing DOWNTIME and can effectively review your business workflow. With the combination of repetitive processes, employees who are willing to adapt to improvements, and a set of power tools to help your employees automate tasks, will be your key to sustainability and continued success. Implementing Lean requires personal or corporate behavioral change, and it takes repetition, practice, and guidance from a certified Lean Six Sigma practitioner.
If you think your business or IT implementations need help addressing these challenges, feel free to contact me here at MoosePlex or leave a comment.
Jorge Gallardo
Senior IT Specialist / ITIL / Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt