According to Gallup, 90% of the workforce has experienced burnout in the last year alone. Many of them feel the overwhelm, stress and pressure of their job and leave to find a job where they think won’t feel that way.
They go to the next job and find out that burnout follows them there or they end up going to a company who cares how they feel.
Very few leaders are actually committed to helping their people prevent, navigate or address burnout, and people are suffering from it. In fact, many leaders don’t even want to talk about it.
Whether it’s keynoting at conferences or through client calls for our burnout training, some of the issues we’re hearing most often these days about leaders and burnout are…
Our leaders:
- know we’re in burnout, but don’t want to talk about it
- say they’ve experienced burnout before and were able to get through it, so we should be able to just get through it too
- recognize burnout is an issue but don’t want to invest in it
- think if they discuss burnout, it gives people permission to not work
- have had others come to them saying they are burned out but they don’t want to address it, because they think people will leave the company
Have you experienced any of these with your leaders?
Burnout won’t go away on its own. It’s imperative to be proactive and strategic with it, and it’s beyond a wellness program you might have in place.
Employees will leave an organization when it’s not addressing burnout (it’s one of the biggest issues impacting the workforce), and go to another company that is, so it’s vital for leaders to implement tactics to help with burnout.
The first step is talking about burnout. When you discuss it, you allow your people to know they are not alone, that your company is on the cutting edge of what’s impacting them, and that you care about them as a whole person. Otherwise, you risk losing more people…something you can avoid.
You may be asking, “Why do leaders not want to talk about burnout?”
- They may fear when they address it, it gives people the idea they are burned out and permission to not work as hard or as much.
- They aren’t sure how people will respond to talking about it
- If they discuss it and people weren’t in burnout before, now they might think they are and want to quit their jobs
- They might believe people are burned out talking about burnout
- They aren’t sure what to do about burnout itself, how to handle it, or where to start with it
If these are your concerns, as a leader, here are some things to consider:
- You’re not giving anyone a “new” idea about burnout. Almost everyone in the workforce has heard of burnout, especially if 90% of them have experienced it recently. Gone are the days of work, work, work, go, go, go. With this mentality and culture, your people will be burned out. Research shows you’re most productive in a day, when you work for 50 minutes and take a 10-minute break. Work for 50 minutes and take a 10-minute break. They shouldn’t be working as hard or as much as possible in order for them to be their most productive self.
- You never know how people will respond to anything, that doesn’t mean don’t address it or discuss it. When you talk about burnout, it allows your people to know it’s okay to feel however they feel and to know they’ll be met with compassion, empathy, and understanding, which is what people want most at work. The more they feel this, the longer they will stay at your organization. If you’re not a culture of compassion, empathy, and understanding, what needs to change so you can become one?
- Burnout is not a new concept. It’s been around for decades. When you talk about the things that are impacting your people the most, the more they know you care about them as a whole person and the better they will engage, produce, and lead. They won’t quit their jobs, because you talk about burnout. They will quit their jobs because you don’t.
- When people are experiencing burnout, they want the tools, resources, and strategies to help them manage and get through it. The only way they would be burned out talking about burnout is if your company isn’t providing them what they need to help them with it, because they will realize your words are baseless. When you have training, programs, and tactics in place to help them, they will recover and re-energize themselves to be their best versions of themselves.
- If you’re not sure what to do about burnout, ask experts for help. That’s what we are here for. The first place to start is to talk about it, discuss it, have conversations and get to the core issues of what’s going on. Put out a survey to your people solely asking different questions in relation to burnout and how you, as an organization and as a leader, can help. The more you care, the more people will know you care and the longer they will stay at your company, the deeper they will connect, and the stronger they will engage.
If you’re finding your leaders are reluctant to address or prevent burnout, we have your solution. I’m sure you agree that your leaders need to get on board with addressing it, or you’ll continue to lose your top talent and employees will become disengaged, with low performance, morale, and motivation. People will recognize your company doesn’t care about them as a person (which is not true) and go to one that is doing more to help them with what they need most.
>> If your leaders are reluctant to discuss burnout, we have your solution.
One thing we’ve found that works really well to help leaders become more comfortable discussing burnout is through our executive forums. These roundtables are conducted inside a company with the organization’s leadership team. It creates a safe place, where leaders (who themselves are often burned out and lead teams who are burned out) can discuss their hesitation, struggles, and ideas around burnout.
It provides an atmosphere for them to be open and honest and also hear from other leaders in the organization on a topic that is hitting them and impacting their people and bottom line.
It’s a great way to start the conversation around burnout, because the more you talk about it, the more light you shine on it, allowing people in your organization to know they are not alone…that you get it and understand…and most importantly, that you care about them as a whole person, which is what people want most these days.
>> Starting in June (can you believe it’s already about to be June?!), we will begin our monthly free virtual leadership forums by invitation only. These forums will include leaders from different industries.
If you’re interested in joining the conversation around burnout and getting some strategies and tactics to help yourself, team and company, send us a quick email (info@blazeyourbrain.com) letting us know your interest. We’ll add you to the list to receive the information for our first one.
In the meantime, reach out and let us know how we can help you, your company, and your leaders discuss, address and prevent burnout. We’re here to help you!
