Employee Burnout: How to Avoid It

Erin Thompson

"Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting

from chronic workplace stress that has not been

successfully managed.

It is characterized by three dimensions:

1) feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;

2) increased mental distance from one’s job, or

feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's

job; and

3) reduced professional efficacy.

Burnout refers specifically to phenomena in the

occupational context and should not be applied to

describe experiences in other areas of life."

Source: World Health Organization

Objectives

• The cost of workplace burnout

• Effects of employee burnout

• Warning signs of burnout

• Solutions and prevention strategies

Workplace BurnoutA Costly $600 Billion Problem

how Me The Money

• $300 Billion Annual Cost to Corporations• Source – NPR

• $483 Billion to $605 Billion annually due to disengaged employees• Source – Gallup, State of the American Workplace

• $125 billion to $190 billion a year in healthcare spending• Source – Harvard Business School

Feeling The Burn

• 63% admit to high levels of stress at work, with extreme fatigue and feeling out of control

• 39% cite the workload as top cause of stress

• 53% take frequent “stress breaks” at work to talk to others

• 46% cite stress and personal relationship issues as most common reason for absences, ahead of medical or care-giving responsibilities

• 33% of workers were satisfied with their workload

Burnout by the Numbers

44% of working moms

admit to thinking about

work when at home.

19% of working moms

reported they often

work or always work

weekends.

37% of all working dads said

they would consider taking a

new job with less pay if it

offered a better work/life

balance.

36% of working dads reported

they bring home work at least

one night a week.

30% of working dads say they

often or always work weekends.

50% of workers state they work under a great deal of stress.

77% say they feel burned out on the job.

Source: Career Builder

Stress and Health

• Biggest sources of cost related to workplace stress• High demands at work

• Lack of insurance

• Work-family conflict

• Wellness programs

How did we get here today?

“The more you adopt the ‘do more with less’ mentality, the

greater you drive innovation down in the organization because high

workloads and stress are the antithesis of innovation.” - Ben Palmer,

global CEO and founder of Genos International

Burnout Issues

Culture & Fit

Employee Engagement

Information Overload

Corporate Culture & Job Fit

• 24/7 Expectations

• Fear based culture

• Overloading high performers

• Poor job fit

• Culture in the interview and realistic job previews

Information Overload and Excessive Collaboration

• 24/7 work environment

• Unnecessary meetings

• Junk email

• Every 100 emails you are unnecessarily copied on = 8 hours of work!

• Multitasking is ineffective

Culture Shift

• Work The Plan Wednesday

• Meetings – reset and reprioritize• 30 minutes

• Agendas

• Standing or walking meetings

• Huddles

• Leaders set the tone for culture

• Set expectations on when work should be completed

Employee Engagement

• Communication

• Focus on employee strengths

• Improving Employee Engagement• Analyze job fit

• Give employees the tools they need to do their jobs

• Set clear expectations and give feedback along the way

• Give praise and recognition

Professional Well-being

• Taking vacation days – 68% of workers leave days on the calendar

• 36% don’t plan to take all vacation days

• 37% never take off more than a week at a time

Reasons Employees Don’t Take Vacation

• Prefer the money if employers pay for the days they forfeit.

• Increased stress leading up to taking vacation and immediately upon returning.

• Too busy to leave.

• Afraid boss will hold it against them.

Source – 2013 Study by Family and Work Institute

Signs of Burnout

• Changes in personality -employee is cranky and irritable

• They arrive late and want to leave earlier

• Apathy has replaced enthusiasm. (Presenteeism) They are just showing up!

• They’ve lost camaraderie with co-workers

• Poor job performance

• They’re feeling physically sick

CAUTION:

Burnout

Ahead!

Questions to Ask Yourself

• Have you become cynical or critical at work?

• Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started once you arrive?

• Have you become irritable or impatient with co-workers, customers or clients?

• Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive?

• Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements?

• Do you feel disillusioned about your job?

• Are you using food or alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel?

• Have your sleep habits or appetite changed?

Prevention Strategies

• Just say 'no'. Setting boundaries early with others should not be

considered walls, but paths to your sanity.

• Slow down on purpose. Set your own speed limit. Walk slower than

normal. Breathe.

• Recognize your inner perfectionist. If you give 115% every day, you will

use up more of yourself than you have. Allow for 80% every once in a

while. Use the other 20% you saved for self-renewal.

Prevention Strategies

• Exercise. According to the German Society of Neurology, even fifteen

minutes of movement every day can extend your lifespan by three years.

• Know your stress points. If you start to feel that cortisol (the stress

hormone) tingle move up your spine, identify the situation and write it

down for later analysis. The more self-aware you become in stress

situations, the more control you can get over them.

• Make time for yourself every day. Close the door to your office and just

be. Pacing yourself will ensure sustained energy throughout the entire

day.

Tips to Avoid Burnout

• Learn how to say no.

• Reevaluate your goals.

• Reduce your commitments at work and at home.

• Learn stress management skills.

• Learn time management skills.

• Get plenty of rest and eat a healthy diet.

• Take your vacation days.

• Talk to HR about the issue so you can tackle the problem together.

Burnout Solutions for your Employees

• Set the expectation from the top down –leaders set the culture.

• Determine policies that could be helpful to reduce the burnout symptoms.

• Train managers to spot burnout in themselves and their direct reports.

Burnout Solutions for your Employees

• Vacations – encourage employees to take them.

• Delegate to all workers – don’t burnout your high performers.

• Job sharing, new projects – keep them engaged.

• Telecommuting

• Change up the work environment

• Focus on Employee Engagement, Corporate Culture, and Job Fit.

Questions?