Any manager knows that if employees are not properly recognized and compensated, their performance will go downhill. Employee burnout is a huge issue in the modern workplace, and many organizations are putting effort into combating it. It can be difficult to prevent burnout and many managers struggle to keep their employees stimulated. Here are some ideas that take a modern approach to fighting employee burnout.

Let your employees know they're appreciated.

Nothing shows your employees you value them like a good old fashioned financial reward. This is probably the most traditional approach to preventing burnout in the workplace. For many years a lot of businesses have offered incentives such as "Employee of the Month" where they provide special recognition to their top employee. However, the fancy title isn't good enough for a lot of employees. This reward system is most effective when the employee also receives a monetary award besides the title and workplace recognition.

Consider outsourcing to a company that provides employee recognition services.

As previously discussed, many organizations will resort to old-fashioned rewards such as a trophy to display on the desk or a gift card to a local restaurant. However, some companies are coming up with much more creative employee appreciation ideas. Some third party solutions employee appreciation program providers, for example, offer unique solutions to employee burnout such as a tiered reward program. Often, employees can even choose their own rewards or simply receive monetary rewards through programs. Some companies offer a more modern approach to sharing employee achievements. Their "wall of fame" allows employees to receive recognition through social media.

Allow your employees to talk about their problems and concerns.

If an employee feels like they have no say or their concerns aren't valid, burnout can occur at an alarming rate. This is why it's important to allow employees to talk about their problems in the workplace. Managers should be approachable and easy to talk to. An employee should feel like if they come to their manager with a problem, they will be respected. Making sure employees feel valued is a very effective way to prevent burnout and hard feelings in the workplace.

Don't forget about their achievements once the rewards are handed out.

If you choose to reward your employees with financial incentives or office-wide recognition, don't forget about their accomplishments after the excitement of the award has worn off. If you go back to treating them like a cog in the machine a month after the award, they'll feel like the gift was pointless. It's important to continue treating them with respect and recognition even after their time in the limelight has passed.

Make all employees feel like they have an equal chance at getting a reward.

One thing to avoid is giving rewards to the same employees over and over. This could potentially cause a lot of hard feelings among other employees. They'll quickly notice the favoritism and their quality of work will decline. Equal footing between all employees is very important.

All employees should feel like they can work towards excellence. It's important to give everyone something to stride for. Providing an equal chance for all people to receive a reward will breed good feelings in the workplace and lead to a sharp decline in burnout.

Last but not least, promote dignity and respect in the workplace.

One of the most common reasons for burnout is lack of respect. Employees report feeling taken advantage of and disrespected, and their quality of work goes rapidly downhill. Although providing incentives and rewards is a great way to keep employees in line, the most valuable gift of all is respect.