Recharge before burnout

This year has forced many of us to reframe what “work/life balance” means for our lives. Whether we’re living at home with a...

December 16, 2020
Press the button to generate random icebreaker questions.
There are 300 more icebreaker questions at the bottom of the article
How would you describe your job to a five year old?
What season would you be?
What is a weird food you have tried? Would you eat it again?
What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Would you go in the mother-ship with aliens if they landed on Earth tomorrow?
What is your favorite season?
Do prefer working from home or the office?
What is your earliest memory of this job?
What is the best thing you have bought so far this year?
What is the earliest book you remember?
If you had to move to another country, which one would you choose?
You are the best criminal mastermind in the world. What crime would you commit if you knew you would get away with it?
What is your favorite movie genre to watch?
What was the last thing you ate?
What person from history would you add to Mount Rushmore?
What is a weird fact you know?
What is your favorite part of working from home?
Were the Spice Girls a good team?
Imagine you can instantly learn any language. Which would you choose?
If you could live in any state, which state would you pick?
Which fictional team is the best team of all time?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
What do you usually eat for a quick lunch?
What simple food will you never eat?
Show us the weirdest thing you have in the room with you right now.
Would you rather stay at a hotel or an AirBNB?
What is your favorite movie genre to watch?
Are you more productive in the morning or at night?
Who is someone in your community that makes a difference?
Who was your most unique pet?
Choose one famous person from history you want on your team during a zombie apocalypse.
What is a good way to give back to the community?
Which song could you listen to over and over again?
Is Hugh Grant funny?
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
Would you want to have an imaginary friend today? Did you have one as a child?
What actor or actress would you want to play you in the movie about your life?
What is the best super power?
What is your New Years resolution?
You can only eat one food again for the rest of your life. What is it?
What is the best work holiday?
What is the first gift you remember receiving?
Would you rather join Metallica or Backstreet Boys?
What is the best example of a community you have seen?
What is an easy way to do something nice for someone?
Show us your phone background and tell the story behind why you picked this image.
What was your first job?
Pick any band to play at your funeral.
If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
Which superpower would you give to your arch enemy?
What is the most obscure superpower you would want?
What emoji best describes how you are feeling right now?
If you could live in any country, which country would you pick?
Would you rather live in a city or a town?
What is your favorite holiday?
What is something you accomplished as part of a team?
What is your standard office lunch?
What is your most used phone app?
What is your favorite season?
Have you ever won something as a team?
Imagine you are a professional baseball player. What is your introduction song?
Beach holiday or ski trip?
Have you ever been to a funny comedy show?
Would you rather live at the North Pole or the South Pole?
What is your favorite song to sing?
If you could live in any state, which state would you pick?
Imagine you could teleport anywhere. Where would you go right now?
What is the most unusual job you have heard of?
What was the last thing you ate?
You can visit any fictional time or place. Which would you pick?
What do your family and friends think you do all day?
What movie do you wish you could watch again for the first time?
Show us your most-used emoji.
What was the most unique style or fashion trend you ever embraced?
What movie defined your generation?
You are stranded on a remote desert island. Are you alone or with your worst enemy?
What is your favorite knock-knock joke?
Have you ever told someone Santa is not real?
Do you know how to speak more than one language?
On a scale of 1 – 10, how much of a team player are you?
What is your #1 recommendation in this city?
What is your favorite holiday?
What bucket list item do you most want to check off in the next six months?
What is your favorite mythical creature?
What was the first way you made money?
If you could be great at any Olympic sport, which would it be?
Which song could you listen to over and over again?
When did you start liking/hating mushrooms?
Where is your favorite vacation spot?
Do you take your PTO all at one time, or another way?
Which show do you remember most from your childhood?
Which beverage goes best with pizza?
Would you want to have a personal assistant follow you around everywhere and do what you asked of them?
Have you ever met your idol?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Would you rather live 100 years in the past or 100 years in the future?
What is your hobby?
When you are alone in the car, what volume is the music at?
Imagine you no longer have to work. How would you spend a Tuesday?
What is your favorite type of sandwich?

This year has forced many of us to reframe what “work/life balance” means for our lives. Whether we’re living at home with a full house and young children, caretaking for an older family member, or sharing a small space with a roommate or two, we’ve adapted quickly and to the best of our abilities. We’re moving fast because we have no other choice.

With our personal and professional environments in constant evolution, it’s easy to forget the importance of pause and reflection. How’s our energy? What habits have we formed that are serving us, and what practices have we developed that stunt us? What does balance look like in our new world today?

When left unchecked, increasing demands can lead to prolonged stress, and prolonged stress can lead to burnout. Now more than ever, it’s important to champion employee recharge (and personal recharge!) before burnout takes over.

What is burnout?

The World Health Organization added burnout to its list of International Classification of Diseases as an occupational phenomenon in 2019. The term later made its way onto the Mayo Clinic’s Adult Health webpage in November 2020. There, burnout is defined as “a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.” Burnout affects us mentally and leads to feelings of overwhelm and detachment. Feeling like we have little or no control in our work or the environment around us can contribute to causes of burnout and makes the season we’re in particularly vulnerable.

Possible causes of burnout

Professional burnout can stem from several factors. Some of the common causes include:

  • Little control or influence over your schedule, workload, projects, and resources
  • Unclear priorities, job expectations, and definitions of role success
  • Overly demanding workload and regular overtime hours
  • Limited connection and social support in the office or at home
  • Lack of recognition and reward for good work

What leaders can do for their teams to champion recharge before burnout

Two of the most critical actions leaders can take to prevent burnout on their teams are to one, normalize the conversation around mental health, employee wellbeing, stress, burnout, and two, make it a priority to check in regularly with their employees.

Put these five Cs into action:

  • Clarity: Articulate what success looks like for your team, set up regular check-ins to clarify performance criteria and metrics, outline objectives and key results for your team
  • Control: Provide employees autonomy to make decisions where possible, be transparent about why and how decisions are made
  • Context: Explain the bigger picture of why your team’s work matters, provide context when discussing new projects, directional changes, or critical findings and help your team set priorities while giving feedback along the way
  • Celebration: Highlight team wins and milestones, be deliberate about scheduling your next day off and share the date with your team, celebrate employees who demonstrate learning and growth, and recognize good work
  • Connectivity: Start meetings with informal conversation, set up virtual connectivity events, enable peer-to-peer recognition and engagement


If you’re stuck on where to start

Use one of the questions below to get the most out of your next employee check-in:

  • How are you doing this week?
  • Do you have enough understanding of what success looks like for your role?
  • Are there any blockers to getting your work done that I can help remove?
  • What part of your day feels the most energizing?
  • What part of your day feels the most draining?
  • Are you taking breaks throughout the day?
  • When was your last vacation, and when do you have your next one planned?
  • Do you feel like you get enough feedback on your work?
  • Do you think your work is recognized?
  • How do you feel about your work priorities?
  • Do you feel like you’re learning and growing?
  • Do you feel like you’re part of a team?
  • How often do you connect with your teammates?


What leaders can do for themselves to recharge before burnout

While leaders focus on uplifting their teams, they can’t overlook the value of recharging themselves.


Be intentional about recharging to prevent burnout

  • Focus on the basics: Take care of the foundational pieces of your health first — get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and eat in a healthy way that will fuel your mind and body
  • Prioritize your time: Audit how you spend your time in a given week, notice what tasks provide you with energy and deplete you of energy, list your priorities and delete or delegate what’s not a priority
  • Set boundaries: Lead by example by creating on and off-limits for yourself, schedule time for breaks and lunch, implement times during which you shut off from technology completely
  • Be authentic: Make room for small talk in meetings, share your own experiences, struggles, and relaxation practices that bring you balance, ask for help when you need it

Preventing burnout starts with awareness -- of yourself and your teams. Assembly’s recognition tool, employees can recognize their peers for their hard work, the impact they’ve made, and why it matters. They can earn badges, redeem culture awards, and collect points to be redeemed for gift cards or culture rewards, providing just-in-time engagement channels to recharge before the New Year.

About the Author: Marissa Morrison is the former Head of People at Factual, Inc. before it merged with Foursquare where she is now on the HR leadership team. Marissa is the co-host of the Let's Take This Offline podcast and also serves as Assembly's advisor where she provides guidance on narrative, product development, and much more!

Browse our Free Employee Recognition Guide

Get the foundational knowledge on creating an employee recognition program that boosts employee engagement and helps them feel valued.

Explore Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Assembly SOC 2 compliant?

Yes, at Assembly, security is a top priority. Each quarter, we have ongoing security work that is everyone’s responsibility. While we maintain a strong security posture, it was important for us to prove to our customers that we do everything we claim to do. This led us to pursue a SOC 2 Type II report that would provide evidence of our compliance with industry gold-standard security practice.

What's the ROI for employee recognition?

There is study after study showing that employee recognition leads to increased engagement. This in return creates an environment where employees are happier and more motivated which increase productivity and reduces voluntary turnover significantly. In order to filled critical roles, companies tend to spend nearly twice the value of an annual salary. Assembly is an investment in your employees that supports your bottom line.

Does Assembly offer longer-term contracts?

Yes, we will offer contracts for companies with longer-term agreements to help larger customers have more certainty around future costs.

The minimum agreement term is a 12-month subscription.

Does Assembly offer onboarding support?

We do and for FREE! Any new customer needing further support to get started with Assembly to ensure you're set up for success can request custom onboarding support. Improving your employee experience is about much more than just using our amazing software; it’s about transforming your business to create a workplace that people love. That’s much easier to do with the personal support and advice from our passionate people experts.

Is there a free version of Assembly?

Yes. We offer a completely free plan for up to 50 team members. This plan is intended for teams or organizations that are looking to get started with an employee engagement tool. Keep in mind, this plan is limited in features.

All customers can open an Assembly account for free and get started without a credit card. Then you can change plans as necessary.

How much do rewards cost?

At the time of redemption (when your employees exchange their points for a paid reward) you'll pay face value. If a reward is a $10 Amazon gift card, your cost will be $10. All paid rewards are billed for on a monthly basis.

The good news is that you don't have to pay for rewards upfront because we only charge you when points are redeemed, not when they're earned.

Does Assembly offer discounts?

We offer discounts or educational or charitable organizations. In order to secure a discount, you'll first need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.

For all other organizations, we are willing to consider longer-term agreements in exchange for discounts. To set up annual plans or longer, you will need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.

How do I cancel my plan if needed?

If you're on a month to month plan, you can go here and cancel anytime. If you're having concerns or need help setting up your account for success, you can always book a demo with a customer support specialist.

If you're on a longer-term custom plan, you'll need to reach out to your customer support specialist to cancel your account or email us at support@joinassembly.com.

What customizations are available?

Great question! You can customize your core values to match your organization's to boost and track alignment. You can change your currency from the 🏆 emoji (our default) to any emoji of your choice. You can swap our logo for your own. You can also set up company culture rewards such as, "Lunch with the CEO," "Buy a book on us," and so much more!

Who can give or receive recognition?

While we recommend a peer to peer set up where anyone in your organization can give or receive recognition, you can set up Assembly however you want. If you need to limit the people who can give or receive recognition, that's perfectly fine and can be done from your Admin, here.

What integrations are available?

Assembly connects to the tools your employees use every day to offer an easy, seamless experience with minimal change management.  

Assembly has integrations with HCM/HRIS systems like ADP, Google, Office 365, and Slack. We also integrate with communication tools like Slack and Teams so you and your employees can access Assembly wherever they work now.

What's your average adoption rate?

That depends on the company's permissions set up. That said, over 90% of the employees on Assembly's platform are recognized on a monthly basis. That means nearly every employee across all of our customers are receiving regular recognition from their peers, managers, or leadership. We're extremely proud of this.

Must rewards be set up to use Assembly?

They are not required. You can use Assembly without having rewards set up. However, we don't recommend it if you intend to have a high adoption and usage rate. You can always keep the costs down by offering internal culture rewards that are fulfilled by you internally.

Are points required to use Assembly?

No, you can remove allowances from anyone or everyone. It's up to you but we do recommend using points whether they're worth a real dollar value or not. Companies that use points have a much higher engagement rate even if those points don't exchange for real dollars.

Could find the answer you are looking for?

Please schedule time with an expert and we will help you to get all your questions answered