Burnout is Killing Your Employees (and Your Company)
Burnout is a term that most of us are familiar with these days. Although we probably don't have a clear definition of it so I took the liberty of providing one courtesy of our friends at WebMD:
"Burnout is a form of exhaustion caused by constantly feeling swamped. It happens when we experience too much emotional, physical, and mental fatigue for too long. In many cases, burnout is related to one's job."
That last sentence is important to call out: "In many cases, burnout is related to one's job." If anything WebMD is underplaying this one because a recent study from the American Heart Association reported that burnout — chronic, unmanaged workplace stress — is on the rise, with 4 in 5 employees (82%) at least sometimes feeling burned out in their role.
That's a crazy statistic. Over 80% feeling burned out?
The unique part about this issue is that no one is benefitting from it. Let me explain. I tend to think that most of us in business are a mix of good capitalists and are also altruistic. We get the need to perform but we also have a humanity side so we understand the need for a balance.
Regarding burnout even those on the fringe capitalist extreme - heartless Montgomery Burns type "leaders - who don't care about peoples wellbeing are getting the short end of the stick. They may think driving people into the ground drives more value for their business but it clearly does not. Burned out employees become more disengaged and according to a study from Gallup this costs U.S. companies approximately $1.9 trillion in lost productivity.
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And the hits just keep coming. In addition to lost productivity (and an overall horrible way to live one's very short life) these negative workplace experiences can lead to an increased risk for conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke, with the combined effect of workplace stressors on the body being akin to the dangers of secondhand smoke.
The survey suggests three things that can help: connection to the organization, connection to their roles and connection to their wellbeing. The detail within each makes sense and is fairly logical.
But it's important to point out that any change must be led AND modeled by leadership. If leadership continues to reward those who "burn the midnight oil" - every night - than nothing will change. It starts at the top. People tend to follow the behaviors of their leader.
We can turn this around. We can put people in a better place for themselves and their employers. The tools exist in most organizations. Your EAP program is a good place to start. Any quality EAP will have varying number of tools to help you start the process to mitigate burnout. Action is the answer and there is no better time to start than now.
Sources: BehavioralPolicy.org, AHA, Forbes
Master Volunteer, Philanthropist, Thought Leader, Yes-Man, Human.
8 个月My view is that empowerment is the killer of burnout. Burnout is processes gone mad, Amazon calls it a Blocker, Micro management and managing also a process. Mindset kills Processes.
Culture Consultant for Primary Care Clinics and Organizations
8 个月Burnout was a scary experience for me. I used to be so passionate and ambitious, and then I was directionless. Nothing felt like it mattered anymore. Once I navigated my way back from burnout I created a time management course that teaches how to manage time in order to prevent burnout. I teach how to manage life so people can find time for the things that fill them up inside.
Digital & Merchandising Executive | E-Commerce, Omni-Channel Retail, & DTC Leader | Accelerating Profitable Growth
8 个月Personally, burnout has been mostly self induced. Grinding away until my body shuts down and says no sir, no more. High performing work cultures should come with a mandatory look out for each other mentality that supports rather than pushes to crash and burn.
Results driven leader with a diverse background in retail, health, telecom, and State and Federal government. Seeking a management role in Strategic Partnerships, Projects, Operations, or a Chief of Staff position.
8 个月From my experience very few organizations live out their mission and values. They are so focused on outcomes - financial and ratings (i.e. mid-year and end of year reviews) that the people are left behind. Managers don’t care. In 2017, months after my mother passed away, I was laid off from my job. I devoted more attention to my job than her because I thought it was the right thing to do but I was sorely mistaken. They didn’t care about me, and this was a company in the health industry. Companies need to look at people beyond numbers and ratings and encourage them to work to their strengths and interests. Best Buy, during our time allowed that. I never had more fun at a job than I did there.
Marketing Manager at AndHealth
9 个月I read this article with your voice in my head and it made me miss our chats! I still appreciate you helping me when I was stuck. You continue to teach me :)