Are you working from home or living at work? In the current climate, you could be forgiven for struggling to differentiate between the two. Whether it be increasing professional demands, 24/7 access to work emails, or simply still trying to figure out the nuances of Zoom, our professional and personal identities have become ever more intertwined, and whilst we could be lauded (and rightly so) for going above and beyond to ensure our businesses continue to thrive in the face of adversity, we must not forget to also respond appropriately to the internal messages being provided by our body, with the subject title - “Warning: burnout imminent”.
Burnout can perhaps best be described as a syndrome of work-related stress which results in feelings of exhaustion, cynicism (i.e. feeling you have lost your passion and enthusiasm for the job), and a reduced ability to perform your professional responsibilities. According to recent statistics, we are currently living in the midst of an unprecedented ‘burnout spike’, with a 24% increase in symptoms of burnout being recorded in 2020 alone. With the consequences of this troubling phenomenon ranging from increased long-term employee absenteeism to reduced company profit, it comes as little surprise that interest and investment in this issue has become a more pressing priority for both businesses and researchers alike. However, with the ever-present threat of burnout looming large over all UK organisations, what action must we take to avoid contributing to yet another unwanted global pandemic?
Fortunately, the team here at KnowledgeBrief have scanned the best and latest thinking in leadership and management research to bring you five practical recommendations you can employ to help your business keep burnout at bay.
1. Identify the causes and know the symptoms
There is no denying that excessive workloads are undoubtedly a primary contributor to workplace burnout, however, they are not the sole perpetrator. Acts of bullying and discrimination, an unsupportive organisational climate, lack of social connection, and even an absence of self-care (i.e., lack of rest, sleep, and exercise) both inside and outside the workplace are all significant predictors of burnout. In turn, the impact of these multiple stressors are likely to manifest themselves through employee behaviours such as an inability to concentrate, becoming withdrawn and easily irritable, reduced motivation, and ultimately a reduced quality of work. Unfortunately, in a remote working environment accurately identifying these issues may prove problematic, and as such, we might wish to consider tried and tested measures of workplace burnout such as the Maslach or Copenhagen burnout inventory to help identify those most at risk. Moreover, we may wish to consider how we can create a climate (complete with accompanying legislation) which actively seeks to draw attention to the negative impact of the aforementioned stressors.
2. Get mindful
The concept and practice of mindfulness is very much ‘on trend’ within the modern corporate world and for good reason. In addition to promoting enhanced focus, resilience, and emotional intelligence, it has also been evidenced to be a strong source of protection in the fight against workplace burnout. Recent research has explored the role mindfulness plays in helping to foster feelings of compassion (in both ourselves and others) and has found compassion-based mindfulness plays an important role in mitigating feelings of psychological distress. Furthermore, frequent mindful practice has been shown to directly correlate with reduced feelings of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation (both symptoms of burnout). Taking these findings into account, we should actively seek to cultivate a mindful culture within our own organisations, through allowing scheduled time for mindfulness practices or actively advocating a more compassionate approach to working life, whereby we can become more attuned to the needs and feelings of our colleagues and indeed ourselves.
3. Commit to crafting
Job crafting – opportunities for employees to reshape, reframe, or customise their jobs – is not only an exciting avenue to explore in relation to employee engagement or workplace performance, it is also a practice which can help reduce the incidence of burnout within our businesses. Within our own organisations we can evidence our commitment to crafting in several ways including: (1) enhancing autonomy – providing our employees with greater opportunities to alter the number and frequency of specific tasks; (2) playing to strengths – ensuring employees are being provided with tasks which play to their individual strengths; (3) provide variety – providing ample opportunity for employees to engage in diverse tasks which allow opportunity for new skill development; (4) promote growth – offering CPD opportunities in a manner which does not contribute to greater stress but rather helps improve professional skills which are personally meaningful to the employee. A lack of meaning and motivation is a one-way road to burnout, so ensure you provide multiple avenues for crafting to all members of your working teams.
4. Harness your transformative capabilities
There is a compelling body of evidence to suggest the adoption of a transformational leadership style may play a crucial role in battle against employee burnout. The transformational leader seeks to actively encourage and promote positive change in others through fostering motivation, providing opportunities for intellectual stimulation, and demonstrating a genuine interest in the growth of every employee. Recent research has shown that transformational leaders possess the capacity to create a culture of thriving, which is reflected through feelings of growth and vitality amongst members of a working teams. Furthermore, these findings reveal that through promoting thriving, transformational leaders can simultaneously reduce the occurrence of workplace burnout. Start demonstrating your transformational prowess by taking time to touch base with every member of your working team and understanding what they wish to achieve and how you can help them get there.
5. Create a culture of organisational citizens
As highlighted previously, bullying, discrimination, and other acts of incivility are all unwanted enablers of workplace burnout. Consequently, in addition to continued education surrounding these important issues, it may also be advantageous for us to look toward enhancing our working team’s organisational citizenship behavioural (OCB) capabilities. In essence, OCB represents all positive and constructive actions and behaviours demonstrated by employees, which extend beyond the scope of their professional responsibilities. Recent links have been established between OCB and reduced burnout, and as such, it’s important we enhance our collective efforts to create and sustain a climate which reflects these principles. To help foster OCB within your own working team, take a moment to assess the extent to which your employees (a) follow company rules (even when not being watched), (b) help co-workers who are struggling, (c) spread feelings of enthusiasm or goodwill amongst members of staff, or (d) seek to reduce or limit conflict. Reflecting on these key elements may prove a useful starting point to help drive forward an OCB agenda and drive away the detrimental impact of burnout.
How does your organisation identify, measure, and most importantly attempt to prevent burnout? Let us know in the comments we’d love to hear from you.
Sources
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