Psychological Safety At Work - The Problem With Burnout & Imposter Syndrome

Most employers know that they now have an obligation towards employees to ensure their psychological safety and mental wellbeing at work. But the current legislation risks back-firing when it comes to burnout, Imposter Syndrome and toxic resilience.

It can become a barrier to asking for help.

Imagine the scenario:

A team member is feeling stressed, they know they're heading towards burnout, and Imposter Syndrome is their constant companion at 3am.

Maybe they've done a research-backed online assessment , so they know what's driving this, and they pluck up the courage to ask their boss for help.

What do you do? How do you handle their request? You really want to help. But what training have you had, to know how to go beyond 'tea and sympathy' without falling into being an accidental therapist? And how can you make sure you're saying the right things?

You might even be running Imposter Syndrome or be worried about burning out yourself.

The 2022 Imposter Syndrome & Burnout Research Study shows that 62% of team members are struggling daily or regularly with Imposter Syndrome (a rise of one fifth since 2019's study, due to the chronic stress and anxiety of the past two years), and 63% are at high risk of burning out, with 8% at crisis point.

Our on-going research shows that 18% have considered quitting their job due to burnout in the past week alone.

So if you look around at your team, this is much more common than we might think.

The first problem is that our research shows that the vast majority of people who are struggling with Imposter Syndrome or burnout don't ask for help until it's become a serious issue - it's no longer something they can hide.

They feel shame and are worried about others judging them, the way they judge themselves. So they keep on coping, bouncing back, pretending everything's fine, pushing on through, which leads to toxic resilience. This makes Imposter Syndrome and burnout worse.

Even if an employer offers training or access to suitably qualified specialist coaches (classic coaching can inadvertently make it worse), people are unlikely to take it up without a senior leadership campaign to remove the taboo, because they're scared that admitting they have this problem will be 'career limiting'.

Then, the current legislation makes this fear a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If someone goes to their employer saying they're stressed, burning out, or struggling with their mental or emotional health, then the employer needs to ensure they don't make this worse. This means people who are highly capable risk being overlooked for promotions or opportunities to shine, to make sure their stress levels aren't increased.

That's a massive incentive not to ask for help, for someone who dreams of making a bigger difference or who has outgrown their current role.

This is because we're fixing the symptoms, rather than the root causes.

My research studies show that there is a causal link between Imposter Syndrome and burnout, and that there are three pillars driving this:

More detail is in the research white paper , but in essence:

1. Culture - organisational, national, family, faith-based, industry culture - expectations, what's important, how the world works
2. Environment?- the physical manifestation of the culture - what it looks like on a practical level
3. Personal Habits?- our thoughts, emotions and behavioural habits

We need to address all three of these to truly clear burnout, Imposter Syndrome and toxic resilience.

How do you do this?

You need to start by having in-house specialists who understand Imposter Syndrome and burnout at a deeper level. They know that classic coaching and 'mindset' aren't enough. They understand how dangerous it can be to add yet more coping strategies into someone's already-overwhelmed mix.

They can spot the warning signs, and they're someone that a line manager or leader can suggest a team member talk to, to get in-the moment help.

These angels-in-disguise are also qualified to teach preventative strategies, on a 1:1 basis, to reduce Imposter Syndrome, burnout and toxic resilience.

We call these people Imposter Syndrome First-Aiders.

And the next training for this Institute of Leadership & Management certified programme starts on November 7th. If you miss that, you'll have to wait until October 2023, because it normally only runs in-house, rather than public-access for 2-5 employees. So please do join us now, if you've been thinking of this. Details are here .

Then, because the Imposter Syndrome First-Aiders also have a day-job, it's essential to implement scalable solutions.

It's not practical to offer specialist coaching to 62% of your team members.

But most of them won't actually need it, if they have the right strategies and support.

That's why we've created the Natural Resilience Method? App.

It is a fully scalable, science-backed solution, which has been shown to reduce Imposter Syndrome levels from 80% to as low as 20%, in as little as a few weeks, taking just 5 minutes a day.

It goes beyond tea-and-sympathy. And it's not about using mindfulness to ease the symptoms. It's about using proven science to clear the deeper triggers, so people can finally set themselves free from coping strategies, cranking up their confidence, shrinking their stress levels, and showing up as all of who they really are.

And the app is supported by your First-Aiders, so that anyone who has questions or needs a 1:1 session can arrange one, confidentially, without having to 'fess up' to their boss about how they're feeling. They also manage the access to licences, removing the biggest barrier to asking for help and massively increasing the likelihood of those who need support getting it, rather than hiding the problem until it's too late.

The combination of these two approaches can create measurable breakthroughs (Kirkpatrick levels 3 and 4),

for hundreds of people,

for less than the cost of coaching a handful.

In fact, that level of solution is available for less than the cost of replacing just one member of staff who leaves, due to Imposter Syndrome or burnout (remember that 18% thinking about it weekly? It's 5% every single day).

So it's a perfect solution if budgets are looking tight. And it's a solution that actually works, to support your teams.

The app includes proactive ways of measuring the changes people are making, and also data (anonymised) to help you prioritise which changes you need to make on the 'Culture' and 'Environment' pillars.

But to be eligible for bulk licences for the app in 2023, you first need to train your in-house first-aiders.

And the deadline for the next intake is 7th November.

One of our clients has brought this training in-house (minimum 20 places), which has freed up some places on the November 2022 cohort, but only if you take action very soon.

You can instantly confirm your place by paying by company credit in the link in the prospectus, or you can get this invoiced direct.

Here's the prospectus: Imposter Syndrome First-Aider

I'm going on holiday this afternoon, and I'll be processing the invoice requests on a first-come, first-served basis when I get back, if there are any places left. Those who pay by card will have guaranteed places - the system won't let you book if the course is full.

If you want to talk first, here's where you can book a call for when I'm back: https://www.clarejosa.com/virtualcoffee/

And finally, if you've been thinking about studying to become a certified Imposter Syndrome Master Coach with me in 2023, the First-Aider training is a pre-requisite, and is included in the course price. So you need to be booked on the November 2022 round for that, if you haven't already done it, to be eligible to join us for the 2023 Master Coach training.

You can instant-book with the link in the prospectus .

Got questions first? Please DM me.

Together we can make a world of difference for so many people, and it's so much easier than you might think.

Clare