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At a time when 77% of respondents in a Deloitte survey say they have experienced burnout at their current job, it’s time to take a good, hard look at how we are managing our people.
Burnout is a real thing. And it sucks.
What exactly is burnout?
According to the World Health Organisation, burnout is defined as ‘a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed’. This definition was amended recently. Before this, it was characterised as a ‘stress syndrome’, which wasn’t great because it added to the stigma surrounding the condition.
There are still plenty of people out there who believe that burnout is a bit of a copout, and that people who are affected by it just ‘couldn’t hack it’. As a result, many employees feel too ashamed to ask for help, especially in work environments where slowing down is not encouraged. Taking time off to get to grips with it can be seen as weak, so instead people just tend to work even harder.
Big mistake. Huge.
Here are a few key takeaways from the Deloitte study we mentioned before:
- Burnout affects every area of a person’s life. It impacts the quality of your work, as well as your relationships with co-workers, and family members. Yes, it 100% spills over into your personal life. There aren’t enough Chinese Walls in the world to shield your nearest and dearest from it.
- You can’t out-passion it. While 87% of the Deloitte respondents stated that they are passionate about their job, 64% said they are frequently stressed. This does away with the myth that people who get burnout simply aren’t all that keen on their jobs to start with.
- Most companies gloss over it. Approximately 70% of respondents stated that their company does not do enough to curb burnout, while 21% stated that their companies did not offer any form of support at all. Yikes!
- It’s really bad for younger employee retention. Nearly 50% of Millennial respondents stated that they had already left at least one job because they had felt burned out (in comparison with 42% of older respondents).
Read more: How to calculate employee retention for your business
The COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant work-from-home measures that most businesses have taken has also contributed to a rise in burnout.
According to a survey by Flexjobs, 48% of respondents stated that they did not receive any emotional support from their employers when it came to tackling this momentous task. Additionally, 65% noted that they were working more hours now than they had when they were working in the office. Of course, this is all happening while a pandemic sweeps the globe and people are hoarding toilet paper.
It’s no wonder people are getting burned out. But what does this look like exactly?
What does burnout look like?
Burnout has many faces and can present a little differently for every person who nears, or reaches breaking point. As managers, there are a few telltale signs to look out for. These include:
- A regular inability to complete tasks on deadline.
- Often losing track of time and/or tasks.
- Noticeable mood swings that range from anger and sadness, to irritability and vagueness.
- Signs of depression such as a lack of concentration, slowness in activity, anxiety, apathy, social isolation (by choice).
- Regular illness and/or a rundown appearance.
Which brings us to the important bit, namely what you need to do to help your crew avoid this whole messy situation in the first place.
How managers can help employees avoid burnout
Here are a few tried and tested strategies that can help managers to support their team in a way that will pave the way for a healthier, less harried workplace:
Communicate with your team members regularly.
First of all, you need to open those lines of communication. If you don’t engage with your employees on a personal level on a regular basis you will never be able to spot the signs of burnout, simply because you don’t have a baseline to compare it to. An important part of providing effective employee feedback is to set up regular opportunities to do so. Check-ins don’t have to be long or intense, but they should be frequent.
Shine a spotlight on employee strengths.
Every employee who forms a part of your team has certain innate strengths – things that they are naturally good at and enjoy doing. While it’s all good and well to expect your crew to be adaptable and ready to tackle new challenges, giving them regular opportunities to lean into a project based on things they are already good at is a good way to pave the way for healthy engagement.
Help them to connect to their purpose.
Every company has a purpose, but it can be easy for the individual to lose sight of their role in the bigger scheme of things. Take the time to help each employee to connect to their singular purpose by framing the importance of their contribution to the whole on a regular basis. For instance, ‘Thank you for taking care of that customer query so quickly. We received a glowing recommendation from them that has driven our overall approval rating to 72% this quarter’.
Recognise and reward their efforts.
Employee recognition and reward is incredibly important, especially in trying times. Studies show that recognised employees feel highly motivated and able to contribute to their organisation’s success. When people are engaged and motivated, they care more, and feel happier in their jobs. It shows in the work they produce. And in the relationships they foster with colleagues, customers and clients.
These are a few ways in which managers can help employees avoid burnout. Keep fighting the good fight. Going above and beyond to create a happy, healthy work environment is not always high on the list of priorities of corporate management teams, but it really should be. Take care of your people and they will take care of you. It really is that simple.
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