How to Prevent Burnout at Your Factory or Warehouse

Burnout is a real issue across the workforce, especially in factories, warehouses, and manufacturing plants. Employees facing high workloads, lots of stress, and very little downtime can feel overwhelmed and lose productivity – which affects the whole business. If you want your employees to be on the top of their game every shift, it’s important to minimize burnout as much as possible by working proactively. Check out these tips for how to prevent burnout at your factory or warehouse to ensure your employees can always be productive and meet their deadlines.

Know the signs of burnout

What is burnout and what does it look like? Burnout can look different in different people, but it is essentially a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that is caused by prolonged stress. It can make employees feel drained, exhausted, and depressed about their work, which can lead to a loss of productivity and in many cases, poor retention.

Typically, the first signs of burnout are reduced performance and productivity – so your employees will not be meeting their targets if they are in this state. Of course, poor performance can also be caused by other issues, so it’s important to look for other signs of burnout as well. Sometimes, other signs of burnout include anxiety, fatigue, and lack of concentration. Many people experiencing burnout have a short temper or show a sense of listlessness where they are not motivated to achieve any workplace goals. Burnout can also include increased absenteeism at work, as well as high job turnover. If your employees are showing one or more of these signs, it’s possible burnout could be to blame.

Maintain reasonable deadlines and workloads

Like any business, factories and warehouses go through busy seasons and slow seasons. There may be months where your business has to produce at over 100% capacity, and similarly there may be months where you’re below full capacity. Regardless of how high the demand is, it’s vital to maintain reasonable workloads and deadlines for your employees.

Be clear on what each team member is expected to produce on each shift, but also ensure those numbers are realistic. For example, if you’re expecting them to perform at 180% productivity each shift, it’s unlikely they will be able to meet your expectations without getting burnt out. Instead, see whether making changes in your production schedule or employee roster can help you maintain performance while not leading your team to extreme levels of stress.

Use staffing companies to support busy periods

Sometimes, your entire roster of employees may be on the schedule and you still don’t have enough people on the floor to meet demand. When this happens, don’t hesitate to contact a professional staffing company such as Noble Human Resources Solutions to get support for your team. A staffing company can provide your factory or warehouse with trained and reputable temporary workers who can help your company meet their production goals.

Any employees we send to clients are trained on safety procedures and have been fully vetted by our team. They have flexible schedules, are available to work multiple shifts, and can also be brought on for long-term contracts if needed. By adding more staff when you need it, you can greatly reduce the chances of employees experiencing burnout at your company.

Check in with employees frequently

Asking for feedback from your employees is an essential practice for stamping out burnout. Once a quarter, ask the managers to check in with their teams about how they are feeling with regard to workloads and deadlines. If the common theme is that employees are feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and stressed, it could mean that they are on the road to burnout soon.

Use this feedback to your advantage to make changes proactively at your organization. See how small changes in deadlines, workloads, and schedules can make a difference for your team, and help them feel valued and respected by the management at your company.

Recognize hard work

Employees need to feel that their hard work is appreciated by the management of the company. If your team has been performing well, be sure to have rewards programs in place at your factory or warehouse to show them some love. Rewards don’t have to be complicated or expensive. Catering team lunches, planning social gatherings, or providing workplace swag are great cost-effective ways to show your employees you appreciate them.

Some companies also have contests that help to shine the light on those who are focused on improving their performance. For example, you could have a contest where the employee who receives the most positive reviews from customers get a monetary prize, or one where the employee who has the highest productivity wins a day off. Such contests are great for organizations where competitiveness is part of the company culture.

Review your workplace culture

Achieving peak productivity while watching your bottom line are important goals. However, to ensure burnout doesn’t affect your factory or warehouse, it’s also important to ensure your workplace culture is welcoming, safe, and transparent. Do your employees feel comfortable talking with their managers about being stressed or feeling overworked, and if not, what can you change to make that happen?

Talk openly and often with your team about recognizing the signs of burnout in themselves and in others, and let them know that your company wants to ensure each employee feels healthy and fulfilled at every shift.

Let Noble Human Resources Solutions prevent burnout in your factory or warehouse



If you sense your employees becoming overwhelmed and burnt out, it’s time to take action now before things get out of hand. After all, you don’t want to have to deal with employee shortages because too many people are on leave. Get in touch with Noble Human Resources Solutions today to learn how we can support your factory or warehouse during your busiest and most stressful times. Just fill out this short Employer Contact Form to start the process.