How to Create a Work Culture that Prevents Burnout

The concept of burnout has been around for decades. And according to the Harvard Business Review, burnout has gone from “rampant” to “unignorable” due to the pandemic.  

Burnout is defined by the World Health Organization as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” This definition is important, because most people think the solution to burnout is self care. 

However, burnout actually stems from organizational practices — how the company treats its workers. In addition to lowering the well-being of employees, it decreases productivity in the company, so addressing burnout is important on many levels. Read on to learn more about burnout and how you can create a work culture that fights against it.  

The Background on Burnout 

During the 1970s, burnout came to light for the first time as a psychological and medical phenomenon. Researchers knew that burnout originated from six major sources: “1.) Unsustainable workload, 2.) Perceived lack of control, 3.) Insufficient rewards for effort, 4.) Lack of a supportive community, 5.) Lack of fairness, 6.) Mismatched values and skills.”

While all of these causes are the results of workplace culture, the most common prescription for burnout has been “self-care” (i.e. more gym memberships and mindfulness apps). To resolve burnout, companies need to adjust their own culture, otherwise the problem will never be truly solved. The following are a handful of solutions research suggests for changing your workplace culture in a way that will address burnout. 

Adjust Workload 

Heavy workloads contribute greatly to the experience of burnout. Studies show that working more than 50-60 hours per week greatly increases the incidence of the phenomenon. Working around the clock was common before the pandemic, but has become even more prevalent now that many people are working from home. 

To combat heavy workloads and work-life imbalance, you can check in with your employees regularly to ensure they are not working too much or have a disrupted work-life balance. If you are to truly create a culture that prevents burnout, leadership must regularly evaluate their employees’ workloads to allow time to rest and recharge.

Allow Flexibility 

Working from home is not automatically synonymous with a flexible work schedule. Depending on the type of work that your employees do, they do not necessarily need to be seated at a desk in front of a computer eight hours a day, five days a week. 

Flexibility not only gives autonomy to your employees, but it lets your employees know that you trust them to get their work done. Allowing your employees to rest and refocus throughout the day will increase their productivity and even loyalty to the organization. 

Flexibility is especially important for women, as many have been burned out with childcare responsibilities during COVID-19. The pandemic has been especially difficult for women in the workforce, so as we move forward with these times, ensure that your female employees are getting the flexibility they need so they can remain successful in your organization.  

Ask for Feedback 

Many leaders may think they know what their employees want, but it is important to engage in meaningful conversations to understand what teams really need. The feedback solicited from employees will keep leadership decisions relevant and communicate to the employees that the organization is actually interested. 

Managers on all levels of your organization should be trained in noticing the signs of burnout and taking preventative steps to support their teams. However, this type of organizational culture shift will come from the top, so be sure that all leadership positions are exemplifying the importance of rest and a work-life balance. 

Next Steps

Do you want help creating a work culture that offers solutions to burnout? We at Boston Business Growth are happy to help you with our proven people-engagement strategies.

Remember, preventing burnout starts at the top and not only increases employee well-being but productivity. To get started creating your happy, productive culture, contact us at Contact Boston Business Growth.