Q. "We're understaffed and heading into our busiest season. How can we help staff avoid burnout?"

Answer:

Here are a few things you can do to make this time run as smoothly and stress-free as possible:

Remove nonessential work duties.
For the areas that seem most stretched, work with your staff to make a list of tasks that could be put on hold.
Allow for flexible scheduling.
As the Christmas season ramps up, some employees will have long days filled with crucial set up or rehearsals. Give them the option to work fewer hours on other days of the week. (Note: some states have daily overtime, spread-of-hours, or split-shift laws. Budget accordingly for this!)
Ensure all equipment is fast and reliable.
It’s important to identify, troubleshoot, and correct any slow or nonworking equipment issues (i.e., computers, printers, internet hardware, vehicles, etc.). If not resolved, these issues can slow work and add to everyone’s stress.
Look for ways to automate.
Find manual or time consuming tasks that could be eliminated, outsourced, or simplified with the use of new or different technology. Utilize volunteers to address Christmas cards or hire a third party to send year-end giving statements.

If you're worried your team is burning out, check out our three part blog series on preventing, identifying and healing from burnout.