Let's Talk About Burnout

In 2013, I burned out. I was short-tempered, cynical, unreasonably upset about trivial things, and had lost all interest in my job. Taking my months of unused vacation didn’t fix it. Rest didn’t fix it. I thought I was OK and just needed a break, but every time work intruded on that break with the smallest or most mundane request I was pissed. Like “someone kicked my dog” level of pissed. My memory overall is foggy from that time, but I know my manager suggested I talk to HR about options for leave. That nudge changed my life.

I talked to my doctor about taking short term disability leave for mental health reasons. She agreed on the condition that I talk to a psychologist to help me take positive steps to get back to health and regain my ability to work. I learned I had ADHD with a comorbid anxiety disorder. I learned about burnout and how it physically rewires your brain. I took an honest assessment of my life and decided to do something I hadn’t done since high school – not work. I had enough savings to get by for a few years and I needed time to heal, to find my identity outside of work, and to determine what I wanted to do next.

A thoughtful manager changed the direction of my life. As a manager or people leader, you are uniquely positioned to address the root causes of burnout and to understand and support people as they work to recover. This article will help you better understand burnout and how you can help prevent it.

Understanding Burnout

Burnout is a psychological syndrome distinct from depression and anxiety, though it can mimic the symptoms of both, and they can occur together. A unique aspect of burnout is that it’s caused by chronic, unmanaged, workplace stress. A person who is burnt out may still enjoy other aspects of life and be fine in a non-work context, but emotionally exhausted, cynical, withdrawn, and poorly performing at work. They may also suffer from fatigue, headaches, and changes in sleep and diet. While burnout has negative impacts on job performance and satisfaction, its long-term effects on the person are potentially devastating. Burnout can increase the risk of diabetes by 84%, hypertension by 40%, and depressive disorders by 180%. It can also result in structural and functional changes in the brain impairing short-term memory, attention, and other cognitive processes. To this day, I must manage the long-term effects of burnout on my nervous system and how I react to stressful situations.

Causes of Burnout

Burnout is unique in that, by definition, it’s caused by workplace issues. Those issues include feeling a lack of control over work, unclear job expectations, conflicts with colleagues or management, too much work with too few resources, a lack of support and feedback, poor work-life balance, and negative workplace cultures that reward long hours and presence over performance. Burnout can impact anyone, but is more prevalent in people working in high-stress occupations, people who are deeply committed to their work, people with high levels of baseline anxiety and emotional vulnerability, and high performers with the classic “Type A” personality. In essence, the employees that bring the most benefits to an organization are the ones most prone to burning out.

The advantage of a condition that is triggered by workplace factors is that those factors are largely under the control of the organization’s leaders and managers. Employee burnout is largely a result of choices made by those leaders. ?

Making Healthier Workplaces

You can create a healthier environment for your team members and reduce burnout through a mix of workplace changes, culture, and modeling healthy behaviors.

1. Respect boundaries. Vocally support disconnecting from work and use features like “delayed send” to avoid interrupting others during their downtime. If your organization’s communications tools don’t support that functionality, save your work as drafts and manually send them during normal work hours.
2. Set and reassess priorities. There’s a saying that “when everything is a priority, nothing is a priority” but I argue the opposite is also true “when nothing is a priority, everything is a priority”. If you don’t make priorities clear to your team, they must assume everything is equally important and may burn themselves out trying to accomplish low value tasks. When new tasks are assigned, review current tasks with your team and pause or remove items to make space for the new ones.
3. Right-size workloads. Covering up staff shortages by overworking existing employees is a short-term strategy that will hurt your team and your organization in the long run. Chronic overwork puts your highest performers at risk of burnout and tanking productivity. Masking workload challenges also makes it harder to build the business case for more staff. As a leader, you need to push back on unreasonable requests to maintain the same level of productivity with fewer people and work, relentlessly, on building the case to increase resources for your team.
4. Give your team control. Find opportunities to give your team more control over their work and how it gets done. Use team agreements to help align expectations and keep people grounded in core principles that work for the team while maximizing flexibility. For one employee this might look like starting later so they can drop their kids off at school then work for an hour after they put the kids to bed. For another, this could mean giving input into team priorities.
5. Model healthy behaviors. Managers aren’t immune to burnout, so modeling healthy behavior can help you and your team. Take breaks throughout the day, leave work on time, and fully disconnect on weekends on vacations. Focus on your output and not how many hours you are at your desk. Be transparent about time off. For example, telling the team you are taking an afternoon off for a family event makes it OK for them to prioritize family.
6. Build psychological safety. Employees who feel comfortable and safe being honest about challenges give you an opportunity to intervene before they become burnt out. To create a psychologically safe space, you should actively listen, model vulnerability, and establish clear communication norms that emphasize respect and inclusivity. You should also foster an environment where risk-taking is encouraged, feedback is constructive, and open communication is consistently reinforced.
7. Create a caring culture. Once psychological safety is established, focus on creating a culture of mutual care among your employees. Use regular team meetings as a place for employees to ask for help and for the team to redistribute tasks to balance workloads. Recognize employees who prioritize well-being and encourage the team to share resources that help them build resilience and manage stress.

Final Thoughts

Burnout isn’t just a personal issue; it’s a workplace crisis that demands proactive leadership. As a manager, you have the power to shape the environment where your team spends a significant portion of their lives. By prioritizing boundaries, promoting healthy workloads, and fostering a culture of care and psychological safety, you can help your team not only avoid burnout but thrive in their roles. Remember, the changes you make today can have lasting impacts on the well-being and productivity of your team, ensuring that they feel supported, valued, and capable of bringing their best selves to work every day.

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Additional Reading

https://www.apa.org/topics/healthy-workplaces/workplace-burnout

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9478693/