Preventing Burnout In The Workplace - Tips for Managers and Employees

Last month we celebrated our Employee Appreciation Week at TD . One of the talks that I delivered to TD was on Burnout.? This has been an important discussion for those of us in Healthcare, but this discussion extends far beyond healthcare. All organizations that want to be successful should be acutely aware of this topic, as over 1/3 of employees claim they are burnt out at work.? Burnout often leads to disengaged employees, who have 37% higher absenteeism, 18% lower productivity, 15% lower profitability, and are 2.6 times as likely to leave their current employer. Its an important topic that we at the Cleveland Clinic Advisory Services have aimed to address with many of the organizations we advise. Several people have asked, so below are a few perils.

First, burnout is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion brought on by being in an intense and stressful situation for a long period of time. The key hallmarks are emotional and physical exhaustion, cynicism, and perceived ineffectiveness. Its important to understand there is a continuum of Stress, Burnout, and Depression. Chronic stress can lead to burnout, and unaddressed burnout can lead to depression.?

It should be clear that working less doesn’t necessarily mean solving for burnout. I can personally attest to this as well, as some of my hardest working days/nights have not led to burnout. Working hard is part of life and there is so much more complexity to burnout than just working too much. Of course there are limits and it plays a factor (noted below) and sometimes the answer is to decrease the workload, but its important to understand the myriad of factors below.

What can leaders and managers do to prevent burnout in their environment?

Christina Maslach, PhD, is one of the leading voices in this field and has studied these six key factors in preventing and managing burnout in workplaces. Its an important framework for organizations and people managers to be aware of:

1. Workload - Be cognizant of the workload you're putting on your team, help them prioritize as well.
2. Control/Autonomy - People thrive when they have some control over their work or situation
3. Reward /Recognition - Appreciate the people around you. Social recognition can be helpful too.
4. Trusted/Supportive community - Avoid creating environments of mistrust, unresolved?conflict or bullying. Supportive environments win the day.
5. Fairness - when supervisors, managers, and leaders are fair, it reduces susceptibility to burnout.
6. Value/Meaning purpose - When people know they are doing ethical work that is important for society, it serves as protective factor. Mission matters.?

Most importantly, managers should communicate and check in with their teams to see how they are doing, and make sure their team knows they are there to support them.? Listen to your employees, and also remove those small chronic daily challenges.

What can all individuals themselves do?

• Gratitude - It sounds cliché, but gratitude and attitude can play such a key role. I believe gratitude is the antidote for burnout (opposite of cynicism which is a hallmark feature of burnout). There was a study published last fall, where nurses underwent a 21 day gratitude journal intervention, and they experienced more gratitude in their job and also experienced less burnout. I work in several high stress environments, and this intentional focus on gratitude is how I personally prevent burnout. Often people focus on the 1 bad thing that day, instead of the many positive interactions and experiences that day.
• Self love and giving yourself a break - People need to pat themselves on the back a bit more, and have solace in simply doing your best.
• Empathy towards other and spread positivity – Protective for burnout for you and others Remember that stress only makes you stronger in the future. Things wont always be perfect, and this recognition that your challenge is developing your grit is key.
• Passions - Set aside to make sure you make room for your passions. Set limits: Set boundaries & manage expectations. Thinking through about what matters most, communicating your needs, learning to say "no", blocking your calendar for dedicated focused time.
• Physical exercise – This is so critical. Ideally 150 mins a week, but even 10 minutes a day can help Meditation and Mindfulness, even just pause take a deep breath. This can help cut out the rumination which can be so challenging at times.
• Disconnect from Technology - Technology is a double edge sword, stop those unnecessary notifications too. Turning off the news - so much negativity news. Again, cynicism is a hallmark feature of burnout, so tuning into to our often cynical news outlets can put you on a straight path to burnout. Check out Goodable and how they are spreading positive news. Catch up after intense work experiences - One should catch up after a period of intensity. Maybe that's vacation, or staycation. Remember its not a sprint, but a marathon
• Journaling - which I mentioned above, both journaling your feelings and a gratitude journal can be helpful
• Volunteering – meaning in one’s life is a key way to help prevent burnout
• Of course sleep, music, humor are play important roles!
• Seek Help - Importantly, reach out for help. Have the courage to let your leader, or someone know that you need support. Or more formally, there is cognitive therapy, coaches, and professionals out there to help.

Best of luck in your journey!

Vipan Nikore, MD, MBA, FACP, is a former software developer turned physician leader. He is the Chief Medical Director of TD Bank, an Internal Medicine Physician at the Cleveland Clinic & Trillium Health Partners, CEO of Homecare Hub , and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. His posts are personal views and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of any of the organizations he represents.