Burnout, Employee Experience, Employee Well-being, Psychological Safety
Here鈥檚 what great workplaces are doing to help their employees build resilience and find balance.
The immediate crisis of the pandemic has receded. But for many workers, the risk of burnout has never been higher.
In a recent report, 62% of women and 57% of men .
To combat the rising tide of burnout, many leaders are doubling down on resilience, pushing for mindfulness practices and psychological safety. Crucially, great workplaces understand that burnout isn鈥檛 something that an individual employee can control.
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The insurance firm cites research from UKG: For 69% of people, :
1. Employees don鈥檛 trust management. Employees experiencing burnout are three times less likely to say leaders鈥� actions match their words.
2. Employees say they are micromanaged. Employees with burnout are three times more likely to say they are micromanaged in experience surveys.
3. Employees say they aren鈥檛 informed about the business. Employees feeling a lack of control over their work often express it as feeling like they lack important information. Workers with burnout are 2.5 times less likely to say they are kept in the loop with important updates about the business.
4. Employees don鈥檛 see their workplace as fair. Employees experiencing burnout were much more likely to respond to the question 鈥淲hat would make this a better place to work?鈥� with phrases like:
- 鈥渇ear of retaliation鈥�
- 鈥渄颈蝉肠谤颈尘颈苍补迟颈辞苍鈥�
- 鈥渞emove favoritism鈥�
Taking action against burnout
Here are some of the strategies that are having the best results for improving employee well-being and reducing burnout:
1. Train managers
An employee鈥檚 direct supervisor has an extraordinary impact on the well-being of the worker. That鈥檚 why many companies are focused on training their leaders to identify burnout and intervene.
鈥淭he top way to prevent burnout from my perspective is first to ensure you have strong, well-trained managers that focus on engaging and supporting their team members,鈥� says Anna Avalos, chief people officer at SoFi Technologies.
鈥淓mployers need to create a true culture of acceptance surrounding mental health and make it safe for employees to talk about it in the workplace." - Tina Thornton, AVP, well-being and safety, Nationwide
Managers can prevent burnout by connecting employees to tools to manage stress, reassigning projects to ensure employees have a balanced workload, and providing coaching on how to prioritize tasks.
At Nationwide, leaders are encouraged to connect with employees in huddles and one-on-ones to identify when burnout might be starting. A crucial question to ask in these meetings: 鈥淗ow can I support you?鈥�
2. Measure outcomes 鈥� not time spent
When you change how you manage your workforce, such as rewarding employees for completed projects rather than hours logged, workers can find a better balance.
鈥淲hen business needs allow, providing employees flexibility can produce better work and a happier, more engaged workforce,鈥� says Chrissy Kendrick, vice president, human resources with Shields Health Solutions. 鈥淏y measuring outcomes, we can continue to drive the business forward, focusing on results, not the time spent to get there.鈥�
3. Provide employees with tools to set boundaries
At Ryan, a global tax services and software provider, leaders help team members craft messages for clients when they close their office for a weeklong break in July. Clients are alerted well in advance of the week off and respect the company鈥檚 decision to take a break.
The example stands out in how leaders are ensuring their workers are able to unplug from demanding, client-facing roles. Without the extra communication to reset expectations for both team members and clients, an attempt to give all employees a week off wouldn鈥檛 be as successful.
4. Lean on resource groups
Social connection is a key ingredient in building resilience for employees. For many companies, supporting relationships across the organization is done through employee resource groups.
鈥淭wenty-five percent of our team members are part of our mental health and wellness employee resource group, EMPOWER,鈥� says Charlene Naumann, VP, talent at Shields Health Solutions. 鈥淭his has been instrumental in creating a supportive, inclusive, and safe environment for everyone.鈥�
5. Reset expectations about post-crisis recovery
The pandemic offered plenty of lessons about the causes of burnout, particularly in the field of health care. One dynamic that stood out: Employees pushed past their limits to meet a crisis with an expectation of recovery time that never materialized.
Psychologists at Scripps Health say that many in health care burned through their reserves with the expectation they would be able to stop and 鈥渇ill up their tanks鈥� at a later date.
Instead, the experts at Scripps recommend different coping strategies: 鈥淲e never know what is on the other side of a major stressor, or if there will be time to stop and recharge, which is why having a preventative approach to mental health can be so important. Practice the coping and strategies before the crisis and stressor hits so we have the skills in place to navigate it without depleting ourselves.鈥�
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