Burnout is a serious issue that can affect your team's performance, well-being, and morale. It can result from excessive workload, lack of recognition, unclear expectations, or poor communication. As a leader, you have a responsibility to prevent and address burnout in your team, and to foster a healthy and supportive work environment. Here are some tips on how to do that.
If you notice signs of burnout in yourself or your team members, such as decreased productivity and quality of work, increased absenteeism and turnover, low motivation and engagement, irritability and frustration, fatigue and exhaustion, or physical and mental health problems, don't ignore them. Instead, take action to find out the root causes and intervene quickly. Doing so will help prevent the situation from getting worse.
I was once managed a team of 5 at a start-up working group of one of the government bodies. The workload was crazy and the hour was long. When I joined the team, the moods were already gloomy. I could sense some negative vibes and irritability towards the management. As I observed their antipathy, I gathered them and initiated regular check ups, which held every Monday for breakfast potluck. It's nothing fancy and often times we met in my room or their desks. Turned out, this moment gave them a safe space to let go of what had bothered them, what was blocking the way. This helped me to adjust their workload and raise the issue to the higher ups. Key tips are to observe, identify the problem, provide an open and safe space environment.
If your team is overwhelmed and at risk of burnout, it's crucial to address the situation promptly. Start by acknowledging their efforts and expressing empathy. Encourage open communication to understand their workload and stressors. Prioritize tasks, delegate effectively, and set realistic goals to manage workload. Implement flexible work arrangements if feasible. Offer resources for mental health support, such as counseling or stress management workshops. Encourage breaks and time off to recharge. Foster a culture that values work-life balance and well-being. Regularly check in with team members to monitor their well-being and adjust strategies as needed.
Burnout isn’t a new phenomenon — it was identified as early as 1974 —but in May 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially recognised burnout as a legitimate medical diagnosis. 1- Set goals and expectations early on. 2- Use the 80/20 rule. 3- Emphasise wellness and encourage time off. 4- Give employees autonomy and control. 5- Ask for feedback. 6- Create a clear pathways for progression. 7- Always give feedback. 8- Be public about praise. 9- Be fair about pay. 10- Organise social activities to encourage team bonding. 11- Review your internal communication channels. 12- Consider mentorship programmes. 13- Be inclusive about flexibility.
If your team is overwhelmed and at risk of burnout, it's crucial to take action to address the situation and support your team members. Here are some steps you can take: Acknowledge the Situation: Start by acknowledging the workload and stress your team is facing. Let them know that you understand their challenges and that you're committed to finding solutions. Encourage Open Communication: Create a safe space for your team members to express their concerns and share their workload issues. Encourage open communication so that everyone feels heard and understood.
1) Identify how their loss of energy is impacting their work, team, and organization. This way, as a leader, you know what needs to either be placed on hold or needs to be covered by those not burnt out. 2) Ask and LISTEN to their concerns. 3) Ask them what they need to recharge and (as best you can) provide them what they requested. 4) Upon return, partner with them on building sustainable business practices to prevent burnout moving forward. 5) Consistently do audits, have open conversations, and monitor your team's new activities to ensure the solutions y'all put in place are energizing and preventing burnout.
The second step is to communicate openly and empathetically with your team. You need to create an environment where they can express their concerns, feedback, and suggestions without fear of judgment or retaliation. Active listening and acknowledging their feelings and perspectives is key. To do so, schedule regular check-ins and meetings with your team and individual members. Ask open-ended questions to encourage honest dialogue and express appreciation for their efforts and achievements. Additionally, provide clear expectations and goals, offer constructive feedback and guidance, and seek feedback from your team on how to improve the work processes and environment.
As a leader make sure that you create a culture where the members of your team can be open, honest, and vulnerable to communicate there they are in terms of their engagement and energy. Spend time listening to your team during meetings with full presence so that you can create an environment of trust where team members feel they can show up and say the things they need to say, not what they feel someone wants to hear. Take on the responsibility to set a positive tone that your team can follow and hold consistent conversations focused on their energy levels, frustrations, and their level of motivation. Withhold your judgement and engage with curiosity to listen and understand rather than "fixing". Create a space where they can be heard.
Regular Check-Ins and Feedback: Schedule regular one-on-one meetings with team members to check on their workload, well-being, and any challenges they may be facing. Provide constructive feedback and guidance to help them manage their workload more effectively.
The third step is to adjust the workload and priorities of your team to make them more manageable and meaningful. To achieve this, you must balance the demands and resources of your team, and ensure they have the skills, tools, and support they need to complete their tasks. It's also important to align their work with their strengths, interests, and values, so they can see how their work contributes to the bigger picture. You can do this by delegating and distributing tasks fairly and effectively, setting realistic and flexible deadlines and milestones, prioritizing and focusing on the most important and urgent tasks, eliminating or reducing unnecessary or low-value tasks, providing training and development opportunities for your team, and encouraging collaboration and teamwork among your team members.
Prioritize Tasks: Identify critical tasks and projects, then prioritize them based on urgency and importance. Delegate non-essential tasks or consider postponing them to alleviate the immediate workload pressure.
The fourth step is to promote well-being and self-care for yourself and your team. Modeling and encouraging healthy habits and behaviors can prevent and reduce stress and burnout, while respecting and supporting personal and professional boundaries can help the team achieve a good work-life balance. To do this, establish and maintain regular work hours and routines, take breaks throughout the day, engage in physical, mental, and emotional activities that boost energy and mood, seek social support with your team and others, offer professional help if needed, and celebrate accomplishments.
Creating a safe space to openly communicate with the team that members are feeling burnout is valuable. For me, focusing on self-care and my wellbeing is critical. That begins with setting healthy boundaries with work and prioritizing activities that promote positive habits like rest, a walk, being in nature, meditation, or reading a book for leisure.
Promote Work-Life Balance: Emphasize the importance of work-life balance and encourage employees to set boundaries between work and personal life. Implement policies such as flexible work hours, remote work options, and wellness initiatives to support their well-being.
The fifth step is to review and improve your team's performance and well-being on an ongoing basis. This includes monitoring and evaluating the impact and effectiveness of your actions and interventions, as well as soliciting and incorporating feedback from your team and other stakeholders. You should also conduct regular surveys and assessments to measure satisfaction, engagement, and well-being, analyze and report on results and outcomes, hold debriefs to review what worked and what didn't, implement changes based on findings, and communicate progress with your team. Burnout is not inevitable or irreversible - by following these steps, you can prevent it in your team and create a positive work environment.
Offer Support and Resources: Provide resources and support to help team members cope with stress and workload challenges. This could include access to counseling services, stress management workshops, or peer support groups Implement Time Management Strategies: Encourage the use of time management techniques such as prioritization, batching similar tasks together, and setting realistic deadlines. Provide tools or training to help team members manage their time more effectively.