As a leader in your organization, you know that a positive workplace culture benefits the bottom line, helps attract and retain talent, and does so much more. When your burnout rates start to climb, it is a sign of sickness in your culture, and you must act swiftly. Here’s how to assess the circumstances, mitigate damage, and make the culture one to be proud of again.
What burnout looks like
If you see productivity slipping, staff not engaging with co-workers as much, and people less than enthused to be at the office, these are telltale signs of burnout. You may notice people taking longer breaks and extending their lunch hours, and not because work is slow. Employees will have difficulty meeting deadlines and the quality of their work will suffer.
You might also observe staff forming cliques and more gossip of the negative sort circulating. You’ll see employees missing more days at work or frequently coming in late and/or packing up early to leave. Sick days will be used up at higher rates and, over time, you may notice an increase of people reporting stress-related ailments.
Six common causes of burnout
So, you’ve noticed the signs of burnout at your company. What’s the culprit? Here are six potential causes.
High workload
An unrealistic workload is one of the primary reasons people experience burnout. The workday has to end at some point so employee expectations should be reasonable. As organizations grow, people usually have to take on more responsibilities. The pressure to produce more can be exhausting. Other staff may need to step in to assist, causing further problems.
Potential solution: You may be understaffed. Alternatively, you may have inefficient workflows or bottlenecks in work processes. Make sure you’re using the right technologies to save your employees time and hassle.
Little control over decisions
It’s important that workers have the latitude to make decisions according to their job descriptions. Granted, new staff require guidance, and many decisions require authorization from a manager, but employees must have the authority to do their jobs without undue interference. This includes making and learning from their mistakes and knowing they won’t be penalized for taking a calculated risk now and then.
Potential solution: You may need to redesign roles or processes to give people more autonomy at work. In addition, be sure to identify any micromanagers on your staff. With your direct reports, model the kind of management tactics you want your middle managers to use. Create regular systems to solicit feedback as well.
Unclear expectations
To have a sense of control over your job, you need to clearly understand what you need to do to succeed. Deadlines that constantly shift, expectations that are not clearly communicated, and duties added haphazardly to the job spec can become burdensome. Before long, employees will become frustrated and feel as though they don’t have any agency in their work. Burnout is imminent.
Potential solution: Review and update job descriptions regularly to ensure they are accurate. Make sure managers are using project management best practices around communication, including the “three Cs” for setting expectations: they should first clarify in their own mind what they want from an employee, then communicate this, then check for understanding.
Mundane duties
Many jobs can be a little boring at times. But when the position is uninspiring and the work is always repetitive, it can easily lead to burnout. Reviewing the job responsibilities to see if there is an opportunity to make the role more attractive is a good idea. In addition, when people see there is room for career advancement and opportunities for professional development, they usually feel motivated and committed to a job.
Potential solution: Technology is your ally here. Consider AI-powered technologies or others that can automate repetitive, mundane tasks and leave the more interesting work to your employees.
Lack of appreciation
Even when employees enjoy their work, they need to know their efforts are recognized and appreciated. Everyone wants to feel valued and know that their contributions are seen. Publicly acknowledging outstanding individual and team accomplishments is one approach to showing appreciation.
Potential solution: Assess your employee recognition practices; you may wish to offer bonuses, raises, or extra PTO. Encourage managers to show their appreciation daily in small ways and to publicly recognize team members for excellent work. Celebrate milestones like birthdays, work anniversaries, and team/company wins. You can also create a space or forum for employees to give kudos to each other for a job well done.
Unfair treatment
When there is real or perceived unfair treatment in the workplace, it can readily lead to a toxic environment. Unfair treatment can range from nepotism, where certain staff are favored over others, to blatant discrimination and harassment. In these circumstances, your people will feel unsafe and lose trust in others. Your company could also be in violation of state and federal laws, and you could find yourself the target of a lawsuit.
Potential solution: Unfair treatment can be serious and should be addressed quickly, thoroughly, and with an impartial investigation. Be prepared to take disciplinary action. Prevention is critical: you should already have a nondiscrimination and anti-harassment policy and complaint procedure in place. In addition, make sure your employees know what unfair treatment, bullying, or discrimination look like, that these are serious issues, and that you want people to report these problems.
How to respond
While some of the causes of burnout above might seem to hit the mark when you consider your organization, don’t jump to conclusions. Gather your own intel to really understand what’s going on. Have conversations with your team and compare notes with fellow leaders in your organization.
Your inquiry should not end there. You might send a questionnaire to your employees or have a town hall-type meeting to discuss. Once you start investigating problems, keep the lines of communication open.
As you map out the changes you can make to address the issues plaguing your staff, let people know what to expect. Additionally, for a solution to be truly sustainable over the long term, ongoing monitoring and assessment are crucial.
There are no quick fixes when it comes to addressing burnout in the workplace. Improving the culture takes more than simply adding some free snacks in the break room and hosting a staff engagement event. The real work is about getting to the heart of the problem and making lasting changes.
Bill Malloy 