How to Avoid Nonprofit Workforce Burnout During the Busiest Time of the Year

Welcome to the latest edition of Moving Forward, a newsletter designed to help nonprofits exchange ideas and learn from one another to unlock the full potential of the sector. With the holiday season in full swing, your team may be working hard to make the most of the end-of-year giving. To help you protect employees’ well-being during this busy time, we connected with Steph Cousins , Global CEO of Talent Beyond Boundaries , to hear her tips for preventing burnout.?

The final weeks of the year can be very busy for nonprofits. What does your organization do to help employees maintain a healthy work-life balance and avoid burnout — while still ensuring they end the year on a high note?

Our employees bring extraordinary emotional energy to their work, which is literally life-changing for refugees, and it takes a special kind of dedication. The geographical spread of our team also necessitates frequent out-of-hours meetings.?

As a result, we take work-life flexibility very seriously. We place enormous trust in our people to take control of their own diaries, and encourage them to do what they need to do to stay healthy and happy. Our staff also have 36 days of paid time off per year, including four global “shut-down periods” where everyone downs tools simultaneously for a four-day weekend.?

What role do managers at your organization play in modeling a healthy work-life balance, especially during a period when many staff want to disconnect and spend time with family?

Our managers actively support one another to organize our lives in a way that lets us show up as our best selves — at work, at home, and everywhere in between. For some, this looks like scheduling a no-meeting window in the evenings so they can be present for their kids’ bedtime routine. For others, it looks like knocking off early so they can do some exercise, or call their Mum, or get a haircut.

I’m a big believer in taking time off to recharge and connect with loved ones, and I try to set this example for the team. It’s liberating to have more team members now who can pitch in so we can have proper time off (in the early start-up phases, this was much more difficult).?

When our leadership team models this flexible, “whole-of-self” approach, it encourages a broader culture of being intentional about our time and energy and supporting each other to protect our boundaries and well-being. It’s not easy though. Many of our team are juggling work and little kids, and I feel especially for our team members in Lebanon, where the economic crisis has made daily living so difficult. We’re all on a journey to navigate these challenges, find the right balance, and be fully present in all the important aspects of our lives.?

Helping staff achieve and maintain a healthy work-life balance takes time. What are three things nonprofits can do in the short term to improve work-life balance?

1. Don’t wait for people to speak up if they’re struggling. Instead, ask about their work-life balance, stress, and general wellness on a regular basis. This question is a standard part of our fortnightly check-ins.
2. Consider regular, organization-wide shut-down periods. Our staff have reported that these are extremely effective for creating an environment where they feel they can completely “switch off” from work and properly rest.
3. Talk about “vicarious trauma” (trauma symptoms that can come from being exposed to other people’s experience of traumatic events). Encourage staff to pay attention to their own well-being and the well-being of their colleagues — and establish connections with professional support services for when they’re needed.

I’d also recommend an old episode of Adam Grant’s Work Life Podcast, “When Work Takes Over Your Life ,” with Arianna Huffington, for some more great tips!

What steps does your nonprofit take to prevent burnout, especially during busy periods? Join the conversation by sharing your thoughts in the comments section.

Lindsay E. Mueller, ACC , Managing Director, Program Innovation at Women's Business Development Center (WBDC) , shares some themes and questions her team covers when planning for the coming year.?

Ikimi Dubose-Woodson , Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Roots Fund Incorporated , celebrated National Indigenous Peoples Month in November with a series of thoughtful, informative posts, including this one on astronaut Nicole A. Mann.?

Erna Kindli , CEO of Bátor Tábor Foundation , shares an article outlining why the organization has published a sustainability report and what the three pillars of sustainability it covers mean for nonprofits.?

• 6 Ways to Reenergize a Depleted Team : If you notice your team’s energy waning during the holiday season (or beyond), try these six strategies for replenishing it.?
• What If You Quietly Quit THESE Things? (Instead of Your Job!) : The Center for Creative Leadership’s Andi Williams and Pete Ronayne share research-based tips for avoiding burnout on your nonprofit team by ditching harmful assumptions and reactive behaviors.?
• Hire With Your Values : The National Council of Nonprofits shares a great reminder about the importance of centering your orgaization’s core values in your hiring process, based on its own recent experiences.?

Is there a particular topic you'd like us to cover or a nonprofit thought leader you'd love to hear from? Let us know in the comments!