Banishing Burnout in the Workplace – Why Preventing Burnout Can’t Be Left Up to Employees
A few years ago, the World Health Organization officially recognized the phenomenon of workplace burnout as a serious health concern. This recognition of workplace burnout has helped shift the conversation away from putting the entire onus on the individual to “fix themselves” and instead put the focus for solving workplace burnout where it most often belongs – on organizations, particularly their leadership and workplace culture.
A recent survey by Gallup found that the top-5 reasons for workplace burnout are:
1. Unfair treatment at work
2. Unmanageable workload
3. Lack of role clarity
4. Lack of support and communication from their manager
5. Unreasonable time pressures
And know that burnout is costing your organization FAR more than you think!
Not only is workplace burnout a significant contributor to increased employee turnover rates and absenteeism rates, it’s a major factor that’s contributing to the whole “quiet resignation” phenomenon, where employees are stopping doing any discretionary work for free in an effort balance their lives better and reduce their levels of stress.
Beyond the obvious costs associated with increased health and wellness costs and lost productivity, workplace burnout will dampen morale, stifle innovation, and even negatively impact your customer service. Burnout will impede collaboration and communication in your workplace, and definitely help suck the fun out of any job. Workplace burnout impacts your employees’ marriages and their children’s lives.
Oh, and yes, burnout if possibly killing your employees, so there’s that too.
According to the book, Dying for a Paycheck by Jeffrey Pfeffer, dysfunctional, soul-sucking, burnout-inducing workplace cultures are the #1 factor contributing to the health care challenges facing the United States. And yes, people are, sadly, dying for a paycheck.
So, forget the ENORMOUS financial costs associated with workplace burnout and just consider that for a moment. People die because of burnout. So, shouldn’t we consider banishing burnout in the workplace simply the right thing to do?
Now there’s no simple approach to preventing burnout.
Yes, you definitely should still invest in stress-busting practices, such as yoga/meditation rooms, Ministry of Silly Walks hallways (every office needs one of these, as one of my clients has – based on the famous Monty Python Ministry of Silly Walks sketch), and humor workshops (I know a fabulous facilitator).
But ultimately banishing the burdensome beast of burnout requires a multi-pronged approach, starting with better awareness, an investment in leadership training, and a sustained, relentless focus on building a healthier culture. It requires a commitment to creating psychologically safe workplaces where employees feel they can speak up about challenging issues. Addressing burnout requires a hard look at everything from your staffing levels to employee expectations to setting more realistic priorities.
Start this critically important conversation in your workplace, even if you aren’t a manager.
Create a team to look into what might be making your workplace an unhealthy place to work.
Asking questions like, “If we had just $5,000 to improve our workplace, how would we spend the money?” can pinpoint relatively low-cost, common frustrations. (You’d be surprised how often it’s not about the big-ticket items!)
It’s also clear that “jobstacles” (obstacles that get in the way of you doing your best work) can be a major factor contributing to burnout – so consider creating a “Jobstacle Squad” to identify things that are getting in the way of employees’ health and happiness and contributing to a soul-sucking, fun-sucking workplace.
Again, start the conversation, no matter where you sit in your organization. Your work, and your life, it’s too important to wait.
Michael Kerr is a Hall of Fame speaker 
who speaks on creating inspiring workplace cultures, inspiring leadership, and humor in the workplace. Michael Kerr is also the author of 8 books, including The Jerk-Free Workplace: How You Can Create a Happier, More Inspiring Workplace, The Humor Advantage: Why Some Businesses are Laughing All the Way to the Bank, and Hire, Inspire, and Fuel Their Fire: How to Recruit, Onboard, and Train new Employees to Live Your Culture Out Loud.
