Chronic work stress is afflicting employees across all professions. Recognize the signs and try these two easy tips to help employees overcome burnout and find their purpose again.
The stark reality is employee burnout is at an all-time high across all professions. While industries like healthcare may rank higher especially after the past couple of years, a 2021 survey conducted by the American Psychological Association found that 79% of respondents reported feeling work-related stress in the month before the survey.
This means burnout—or chronic work stress—doesn’t discriminate. After the emergence and implementation of the remote and hybrid work environment, employees everywhere are grappling with compounding pressures that are impacting stress levels, their ability to perform their jobs, and whether they’ll look for a new workplace in the coming year.
So before you add “burnout” to the list of overused corporate buzzwords, leaders everywhere might do well to consider whether this occupational phenomenon is adversely affecting top performers in their own backyard and if it is, how to lead them out of this dark abyss before it overtakes them completely.
How to Recognize Burnout in Your Employees
As individual employees embody varying personalities and work styles, burnout affects everyone differently, too. This means some signs may be more obscure than others and you may be unaware that your highest-caliber performers are in the throes of burnout.
Identifying the problem is pertinent to implementing effective solutions. Some signs your employees may be experiencing burnout are as follows:
Increased negativity or cynicism about one’s role or the organization
Unexplained decrease in productivity
Feelings of decreased energy or exhaustion
Growing absenteeism
Disengagement
New or uncharacteristic physical symptoms
Help Burnt-Out Employees Reignite their Spark
Experts have a lot to say on how to overcome these historic workforce challenges and lead employees out of burnout. But the truth is, it’s going to take more than a group outing or relaxing the dress code to get your team happy, healthy, and proud to work for you again. However, it can be done.
Here are 2 ways to fervently lead employees through this difficult season:
1. Set boundaries (and lead by example).
The pandemic and predominantly remote work environment over the past couple of years has inadvertently promoted a “be available 24/7” decree that many didn’t even realize they were taking part in or perpetuating. After all, you work at home now, so there’s no reason you can’t respond to that Teams message at 8:30pm, right? Wrong.
While hybrid work environments have made strides toward work-life balance, the always-on mentality is not only counterproductive to this balance but is a strong driver of employee burnout, muddying the waters between employees’ home life and work life.
Leaders can set healthy boundaries and (arguably more important) lead by example. Here’s how:
Don’t respond to emails or IMs while on vacation or out sick.
Don’t expect your team to respond to emails or IMs while on vacation or out sick.
Empower your team to share and prioritize their own self-care/wellbeing needs, and be supportive of what the team needs to stay happy, healthy, and productive.
Prioritize your own self-care and well-being so your team members will follow your example.
Ask thoughtful questions to gauge where your employees are emotionally, mentally, and physically, so you can best support them.
Be a leader your team feels they can share openly and honestly with and not just be heard, but understood and connected with.
2. Talk about burnout at work.
Corporate America has this bad habit of throwing gasoline on blazing organizational fires, pretending problems don’t exist, or assuming they will magically disappear if they ignore them long enough.
Sadly, this approach is akin to feeding a Gremlin after midnight—it only makes the problem bigger and more of a challenge to contain. Whether it is because leadership may not know how to effectively handle a problem or they are just too inundated with other obligations to spend the time necessary to work through and fix it, something as simple as talking openly and honestly about a problem can be the biggest catalyst to overcoming it all together.
A good leader is one whose team feels comfortable with sharing their struggles. An even better leader is one who is not ashamed to display a little vulnerability and admit their own struggles.
Don’t be afraid to broach the subject of burnout with your team. In your next 1:1, instead of asking overused small-talk questions more fit for a stranger than your direct report like, “how are you doing,” ask more thoughtful, calculated questions that provoke thought and emotion like, “What is the biggest stressor for you right now in your work?” or, “What is one thing that would make your job a lot easier?” You’ll be amazed at how your employees respond and how simply taking an interest in lightening their load will help them rekindle the spark that has burnt out over the course of the pandemic.
Get Empowered for Impact
If you are facing the challenge of burnt-out employees or are struggling with burnout yourself as a leader, ExecTrek™ can help. Achieve peak performance and discover how to zero in on behaviors that can impact business and propel you forward.
From communication and time management to decision-making and image optics, RC3 Partners provides transformational Executive Coaching and Leadership Development to leaders seeking their competitive edge. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you achieve results.
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