Workplace Burnout: Causes & Cures You Need to Know About
Many leaders and organizations feel as though they are caught in the middle of maintaining high productivity amongst their employees while trying to avoid employee burnout, especially during COVID, which has placed extra stress on employees’ personal lives. They are working longer hours, many remotely, while simultaneously managing family dynamics, blur the lines between work and home. It’s evident with more employees working remotely that long days of work have been reported.
According to Gallup’s study, employee burnout’s primary determinants are mainly reflections of how well the employee is managed. Leaders and organizations as a whole need to see this as an inspiring call to action. By understanding what causes burnout leaders can, not only prevent but reverse burnout while maintains high levels of productivity and fostering a work environment that combats it.
Let’s explore some of these root causes of burnout and what we can do about them in the following section. According to a recent Gallup study, to create a culture where an employee can work with less risk of burnout while giving their best effort, leaders and managers must address the following areas:
- Unfair treatment at work
When an employee feels unfair treatment at work can include workplace issues such as favoritism, bias, mistreatment by a coworker, and inconsistently applied compensation or corporate policies.
- Unmanageable workload
Having too much to do can take a variety of forms. Some employees think about the long hours they work, while others are affected more by the many tasks they must complete or the work’s difficulty.
- Unclear communication from managers
When managers don’t provide employees with the information they need to do their job effectively, work becomes difficult and frustrating. When expectations and accountability are inconsistent or unclear, employees can become frustrated and exhausted by figuring out their manager’s wants.
- Lack of manager support
Manager support provides a psychological buffer, so employees know that their manager has their back — even when challenges arise or something goes wrong. A negligent, absent, or condescending manager leaves employees feeling uninformed, alone, and defensive.
- Unreasonable time pressure
Unreasonable time constraints often are imposed by people who do not know how long it takes to deliver high-quality work or excellent customer service.
The above key points are the top five factors that correlate most highly with employee burnout.
How can you turn your team from burnout to build up; managers will need to support and ensure employees’ experience in five areas.
- Listen to work-related problems – this may seem like an obvious solution. Many managers may feel they are doing good in this area, yet few managers do frequent check-in or have ongoing conversations with their team members.
- Encourage teamwork to create an environment where teamwork thrives, people help one another, and everyone has someone at work who is willing to listen or help.
- Make everyone’s opinion count – Managers should actively solicit employees’ opinions and ideas. When employees believe their opinions are welcome and make a difference, they feel important and included, and they begin taking more responsibility for their performance. This sense of ownership reduces burnout because it gives employees a feeling of control over their work rather than feeling like work is something that happens to them.
- Making work purposeful – employees are significantly less likely to be burned out when they can connect their work to their company’s mission or purpose in a way that makes their job feel important.
- Focus on strengths-based feedback and development. Employees who can do what they do best are 57% less likely to experience burnout frequently. Why? When people can tap into their strengths, they are more engaged, more effective, less stressed, and more focused on doing their best work — rather than seeing their job as a burden.
In Summary, Gallup’s perspective to enrich employee’s work environment, although various policies and practices at work confine managers, they should make their best effort to enhance their workplace in these ways:
- Place performance expectations and metrics within the employees’ control.
- Reduce noise and interruptions.
- Design jobs to allow for autonomy.
- Audit your workspace lighting.
- Provide collaboration spaces that are inviting.
If you are interested, the full report is available on Gallup’s perspective regarding employee burnout and causes. You can find it here.
