Burnout – a Barrier to Disruption

Many people and articles are buzzing about burnout, especially in response to the pandemic. However, no one is really clear on what exactly burnout looks like.?

So, what?do?we mean when we say we are suffering burnout? The World Health Organization (WHO) has a helpful definition. They call it an occupational phenomenon, workplace stress that has gone unmanaged, manifesting through cynicism, exhaustion, and disengagement.

Which, for people suffering burnout and those who are working with burnt-out people, is no fun.?

I recently spoke with Jennifer Moss on the?Disrupt Yourself?podcast . Jennifer is an award-winning journalist, author of?The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It,?and she works with others to disrupt how we think about burnout.?

Burnout isn’t just a result of individuals choosing to juggle too many things or a culture of busyness. Burnout ties to what is happening within workplaces; it isn’t an individual problem—it is a “we” problem. It’s systemic, and it begins at the top. Burnout is a result of relentless and sustained heavy workloads and a legacy of overwork. And the consequences are deadly - the WHO and International Labour Organization reported that overwork contributes to the death of 2.8 million people globally each year.?

Jennifer works with organizations to improve their workplace culture and wellness practices. Over the last 12 years, many organizations have been reframing their thinking about the role of employee wellness in company performance. Jennifer helps them understand that improved wellness will result in greater productivity, enhanced engagement, and higher retention of employees.?

However, the reality is that most organizations are not in a neutral position where productivity is enhanced by prioritizing wellness. Instead, organizations are in crisis; employees deal with mental illness, chronic stress, and burnout. As a result, Jennifer has focused her research on burnout prevention.

There is no quick fix to burnout.?

There is a common narrative around burnout that indicates it can be addressed with self-care. Sleep a little longer, take breaks from your computer, and carve out time to have dinner with your children. But while self-care is essential, the root causes of burnout must be addressed at the leadership and organizational levels.?

In our discussion, Jennifer drew a comparison to physical health. In the same way exercise and proper nutrition serve as preventative health measures, organizations and their leaders must be proactive in setting behaviors and modeling work habits to stave off future burnout. As leaders, often unintentionally, we create conditions where burnout occurs for our employees. The time we invest in our work and the way we prioritize our own time puts pressure on our teams and influences how work is done. This has become even clearer since the global pandemic as people manage the increasingly blurred line between work and life.

How can you as a leader battle burnout on your team?

In her work, Jennifer emphasizes that we must place the same emphasis on gathering data around mental health and burnout as we do on capturing performance metrics. Consider three approaches to battling burnout:?

• Gather anonymous feedback.?Implement a five-question burnout status check for people to answer regularly to track the ebbs and flows and make adjustments before things get too bad.?
• Strengthen the direct report feedback loop.?Consistent and authentic communication is critical. This communication must include conversations about non-work-related issues to allow managers to read between the lines and understand what people are truly facing. We must allow and encourage our managers to lead with empathy.?
• Empower your people.?When people are in the sweet spot of their S Curve of Learning?, they tend to experience less burnout. But this is not true of all points along the learning curve. A low sense of self-efficacy at the bottom of the curve can lead to feeling burnt out, and so can the boredom that comes with the top of the curve. Support team members at all points along their S Curve by providing the resources they need to be successful and giving them opportunities to continue learning and growing when they reach mastery.?

My career is devoted to individual transformation and organizational growth. On the landing page of the?Disruption Advisors website , you find the words “unlock your potential” and?“grow smarter: achieve sustained organizational success with critical insights on momentum.”?Burnout is the ultimate momentum killer - a key reason why many cannot fully unlock their potential.?

Scaling an S Curve requires energy and clarity. While powering through stress and exhaustion may seem heroic; eventually, your rocket ship will run out of fuel and stall out.?

In what ways is burnout hindering your ability to climb the S Curve??

What is one thing you can change in your organizational culture to decrease burnout?

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