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Employee burnout is one of the unseen epidemics of the workplace today. The “always on” mentality and rapid-paced work ethic foster an environment and culture in a workplace with dire and destructive effects – not just for the organization but for the well-being, effectiveness on the job, and longer-term career prospects of the employees.
Overcoming burnout goes beyond the individual looking in the mirror and getting themselves motivated at the start of each day. It’s a deeper issue that, left unaddressed, often results in concerning mental health issues. Let’s explore the essential leadership approaches and skills that can help prevent burnout and foster a healthier, more productive workforce.
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1. Empower by creating awareness
Burnout is often only identified retrospectively — but effective leadership can use analytics to avoid it preemptively. Proactively measure and watch for declines in productivity, rising absenteeism and spikes or dips in engagement. Periodic “eNPS” surveys with employees, optional (and anonymous) feedback opportunities for employees and less formal but intentional one-on-one well-being checks give leaders opportunities to assess how employees feel about their jobs and the company.
When leaders have assessment analytics in hand and apply good-heartedness to assess how their people are feeling, they’re able to respond empathetically then and seek remedies to improve the situation — whether at an individual employee level or throughout the company for more pervasive issues.
This approach serves to foster trust amongst employees and also shows that the company cares about them as individuals.
2. Fostering an agile and adaptive workforce
Burnout is compounded by inelastic work policies and the perception of unreasonable expectations that make employees feel they lack control over their lives. Instead of setting policies set in stone, leadership should focus on valuing outcomes and results rather than on prescribing how employees must work.
While remote work is a popular topic today, companies that do not offer remote opportunities can still demonstrate flexibility in other ways. This can include providing options for full-time versus part-time schedules, encouraging the use of vacation and time off and fostering a culture where employees feel comfortable saying no or discussing trade-offs and priorities.
This approach can help prevent employees from feeling overwhelmed and ultimately burning out. When employees see that their employer is flexible and balances the needs of the business with their personal needs, they don’t feel “trapped” or “on the treadmill.”
Related: How Remote Work Is the Great Equalizer in the Workplace
3. Supporting action toward mental well-being
Organizations are working more to support the mental health of their employees. Employer support used to be limited to employee assistance programs that offered light support for mental health or addiction challenges.
Now, many offer robust offerings ranging from mental health educational resources to self-help and meditation apps to support groups to access therapists and treatment programs. Offering programs like this helps to des