Reviving Your Workforce: How Leaders Can Address Employee Burnout

From my experience working with leaders, burnout tends to peak in late Spring and Fall. Is this true for you?

Do you notice peak times when your workforce experiences burnout?

What if we got ahead of it? What if we used this data to have conversations about workload or expectations?

I also stumbled upon another statistic this week about workplace burnout, "21% of workers say they were able to have open, productive conversations with HR about solutions to their burnout." (FlexJobs) What about the other almost 80%? Are they happy? Quiet quitting?

I think we can do better but the challenge is not everyone knows how to talk about mental health and burnout at work.

Here are a few ways to support an employee who is going through burnout:

1. Create a safe space for the conversation. Let them know that it's okay to admit they're struggling. Remove the fear of consequences, for example, assure them they will not miss career opportunities for starting the conversation.

2. Acknowledge their contributions. Express appreciation for their efforts before moving into the conversation. Achievers tend to think they're never enough, combat that with a genuine appreciation for them. Be specific with the feedback - a simple “great job” is not specific enough.

3. Encourage boundaries and work/life balance. Create group norms for your team that support boundaries and protect downtime. For example, encourage not checking emails over the weekends. This only works if you lead by example.?

4. Create a resource list. Have a list available with mental health resources like employee resource groups or benefits your company offers for mental health support. Often times people don’t know where to start in getting help for burnout.?

5. Ask open-ended discovery questions. For example: "What if taken off your plate or adjusted might help ease the stress?" This can be a great conversation to reset expectations and ensure they're not doing more than what is expected.

6. Encourage “Disconnect Days” or Mental Health Days. Have open conversations about the benefits of taking time off. In addition to these days - ensure your team is also taking all of their vacation every year.

7. Check in regularly. This is not a one and done conversation. Show your support by following up.

I would love your tips. How do you support leaders who are burned out?