IS ALWAYS-ON OUR NEW NORMAL?

Burnout: The?cost?of success, and what you can do about it.??

In today’s uncertain and complex environment, employees face frequent change, increased workload, fewer resources, and more demanding customers and clients. This is a world of work in which we feel guilty about taking a rest.??

It’s almost like there’s a collective delusion that burnout is simply the price we must pay for success. And this mindset is often cultivated and driven from a leadership level.??

We live in a world in which organizations?reward?hours worked instead of value creation, and?performance over?renewal.?

But,?the way we’re working is not sustainable.?This?always-on culture has led to?a global energy crisis. Employees everywhere are depleted.?

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Clear and present danger?

It’s easy to see why in 2019 the?World Health Organization ?(WHO)?started ringing warning bells. The WHO updated its definition of burnout as a ‘syndrome’ - conceptualized as resulting from chronic?workplace?stress that has not been successfully managed.?For the first time, burnout was defined as an occupational phenomenon.?

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How did we get here??

The burnout and stress that we’re seeing in the workplace didn’t always exist.?

We’re faced with a situation where demand now exceeds capacity.?The biggest culprit in this?increased demand is technology. Having the world at our fingertips, and in our pockets, has accelerated the pace of our lives unlike ever before.??

Boundaries for work don't exist the way that they?once did.?Now, it is very difficult for us to declare an end to our workdays.?

This lack of switching off keeps people in survival?mode?and this has a detrimental effect not only on our productivity at work but also on our health. Too much time spent in the survival?mode?leads to burnout.?

The?COVID-19 pandemic?has?introduced?new and unknown stressors to the world of work. The 24/7 always-on pace accelerated, boundaries blurred, and always being at home made it nearly impossible to fully detach from work.??

On top of that, the social connections normally found at work have?all but disappeared. Zoom?replaced?face-to-face meetings and?water cooler moments disappeared.?

The pandemic exacerbated an already stressed-out global workforce.??

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Even if we had an off-switch, would we use it??

Typically people respond to increased pressure and demand by putting in more hours?and pushing harder. But, humans are not machines and we are not meant to operate?continuously, for long periods, without renewing our energy.?

But when our bodies send us signals that we’re exhausted, stressed, or depleted—whether physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually—instead of taking a break from technology or work to recharge our batteries, we push through like there’s no off switch.??

We now live in a world where ‘busyness’ is often seen as a badge of honour. A world in which we feel guilty about taking rest.??

We’re in a situation where people?are completed exhausted. Employees?have empty tanks and are operating with only a fraction of the?potential?capacity they have available to them, because?they’re not refuelling.?And because culture doesn't give them permission to do so.

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How to make a (real, sustainable) difference?

Burnout is insidious because it happens slowly, over time. It’s been referred to as 'the erosion of the human soul.' It is a myth that burnout can be cured with some time off or a weekend rest or a?holiday.??

What is required is a fundamental mindset shift in organizations around what it takes to be sustainably effective.??

The solution is not in pushing harder or working longer hours. More and more and more equals less and less and less over time.?

The solution lies in learning to manage ourselves and our energy more effectively.?And for leaders to acknowledge that this is the gateway to high performance.

The energy of our people is the most precious resource in organizations today. The more energy people have, the more capacity to work they have?and the better able they are to meet the intense demands that come in deadline-driven environments.?

Leaders must actively make the energy of their people a strategic priority.

There's no point in offering employees wellness programmes and perks and benefits if leaders are sending emails at 11pm.

Senior leaders are stewards of wellbeing and must take responsibility for driving cultures that reward regular renewal of energy. This doesn't mean just on weekends and in the evenings but as part of day-to-day work.

This is a culture conversation and it needs to happen top-down, starting with 'do as I do.'

Leaders must role-model self-care and renewal and cascade this through the organization as 'this is the way we do things around here.'

That's how we change culture.

That's how we put a stop to burnout.

If you're a senior leader ready to have this conversation and recharge your people, I'd love to connect with you.

Please reach me on + 27 83 682 3674

[email protected]

www.thebreatheco.com

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