If you’re operating as a Solo Agent, you wear all hats – Sales, Operations, Admin, Accounting, etc. There’s absolutely no one else to share the load and responsibilities. Plus, as the work ebbs and flows, those flows that you’ve been working so hard to achieve can become overwhelming. All of that can lead to job burnout. Of course, burnout isn’t restricted to Solo Agencies. It can hit anyone who operates under a high level of stress.
Here’s what job burnout is, how to address it, and how to add staff to address increased workload with the reward of Freight Agency growth.
What is Job Burnout?
The American Psychological Association defines burnout as “physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion accompanied by decreased motivation, lowered performance, and negative attitudes toward oneself and others.”
Symptoms of burnout include anxiety, frustration, impatience, hopelessness, overreacting, and feeling overwhelmed. The physical effects can include headaches, fatigue, insomnia, aches, pains, and stomach problems.
The causes of burnout can be wide-ranging, from excess workload to not enough workload. They include a lack of control, conflicts with others, limited or no support, and uncertainty about what’s expected of you.
Burnout isn’t a medical condition, but the effects are real and need your attention. In the worst case, burnout can lead to depression, which is a medical condition.
What to Do About Burnout
Several things can be done to address burnout, chiefly changing your work and home behavior. Here are a few recommendations.
- Step Away. This can be as simple as stepping back from the computer for a few minutes, taking a coffee break, or going outside and breathing the fresh air. It’s important to recognize when to step away before your stress levels max out.
- Daily Routine. How often have you skipped lunch to attend to all the work piling up on your desk? And the breaks mentioned above, forget-about-it, shouldn’t be the answer. Establish times you can look forward to as a break from your crushing workload. And set those breaks regularly throughout your workday and workweek.
- Regular Exercise. Part of your routine should be a regular exercise program. It doesn’t need to be weightlifting or running. It could be as simple as taking a walk away from your desk and, hopefully, enjoying the outdoors amidst the changing seasons.
- Eat Healthy. If you’re locked to your desk and computer, it’s all too easy to grab a soda, chips, and candy to provide energy. Yet that sugar high will eventually let you down and, in turn, add more stress. Take advantage of your commitment to step away and add a nourishing meal of healthy food as part of your daily routine. That will do great things to your overall well-being and limit the growth of your waistline.
- Work-Life Balance. There are others in your life who need you just as much, no doubt more, than your customers. Make an effort to carve out time limits in the office versus time with family and friends. It’s all part of setting boundaries around your time and mental health. It’s also about supporting others with your time, effort, and smiling presence.
- Celebration Time. Look for rewards in your daily work. There are reasons you’re in the freight business. Part of that is achieving great things for your customers and growing your experience, expertise, and income. Set some goals and take the time to celebrate achieving those goals. It can go a long way toward justifying all that work you’ve accomplished.
Adding Team Members
Now that you’ve explored the range of options for addressing your workload and stress levels, it’s time to consider bringing on additional help. There’s only so much you can do to manage the stress. At some point, sooner rather than later, you’ll need to add more “hands on deck” to truly ramp up your business and, over time, save you from burnout.
Before you start the hiring process, make sure you’re tapping the full range of support offered by your Freight Broker. That includes all their back-office support and their technology. It may even be a good time to evaluate that relationship. For further thoughts, see our article Freight Broker/Agent Partnership: How’s It Working?
It’s also wise to discuss your next steps for staffing with them. They’ve been there and done that, and they should have great insight to guide your efforts.
Here are our recommended steps for bringing on new staff members.
- Identify Your Needs. Amidst your already stressful workload, you’ll need to carve out time to truly identify your needs. Is it a full-time Sub-Agent, or would administrative support be the right addition to free up your time? What are you best at, and what are the deficiencies you need to resolve to optimize your operations? This should not be a quick tick-the-box type of answer. You’ll need to consider many aspects of where your business is now, where you want it to go, and how best to achieve that goal.
- Cost Analysis. It’s one thing to add staff; it’s another to pay their salary and benefits. The financial burden alone could add to your stress levels and, instead of alleviating burnout, could add to it. This is also an excellent time to evaluate whether a full- or part-time contractor could meet your requirements. At a minimum, a contractor would allow you to test the idea and move on to a different approach more quickly than if you hire someone. Don’t forget about the option of a virtual assistant that can take on work and needn’t be present in your office. The additional workstation could be a cost as well.
- Vetting and Hiring Candidates. This is an entire study well beyond the scope of this article. Your needs assessment, noted above, should have targeted a specific hiring position. That should also include their skill level and experience level in the industry. That consists of the specific tasks that are needed. Then comes finding viable candidates, interviewing them, and making the hiring decision.
- Training and Guiding Team Members. Training new staff takes time and patience. Of course, it’s also one more level of work to add to your already overwhelming burden. However, the motivation needs to be to bring them up to speed quickly, not to throw them in the deep end without providing everything they need to be successful. Remember, you were once a new Agent in this industry. What experiences do you have that can benefit someone’s development to make a positive impact sooner rather than later?
- Performance Assessment and Feedback. Part of the training program needs to be regular, candid feedback about their performance. It doesn’t need to be a beat-down but rather a building process of what’s working and what’s not. Then, provide the support necessary to overcome any difficulties they encounter while trying to meet your requirements.
As you can see from the above, adding team members is not simple. If not done right, it will further burden your already overwhelming workload. But, over the long haul, the reward is not only easing your stress level but also growing your business through reaching more customers and delivering top-quality service.
Do You Have the Right Freight Broker as Part of Your Team?
As you deal with heading off potential burnout, it’s wise to consider how your Freight Broker is helping or hindering your efforts to minimize stress and manage workloads. If they aren’t helping, it’s time to look for one who will. Read more at Why Now is the Right Time to Transition to a New Broker.
Of course, we feel that our Freight Agency program is the best in the business. To see for yourself, look at our Agent Opportunities page. You can also hear directly from our successful Agents. Then, get in touch, and we can get started.
Call toll-free: 866.559.0203. Or complete the form at D&L Agent Requirements.
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