Burnout in the Workplace

Quick Facts:

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) now recognises burnout as a genuine medical condition and occupational health issue, defining it as “resulting from chronic stress that has not been successfully managed”.

• Employers have a duty of care for their employees to ensure their health (both physical and mental), safety and welfare as directed by the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974.

• 63% of employees who report “often or always experiencing burnout at work” are more likely to take time off sick.

Burnout is significant in the workplace and potentially now at an all-time high after the pandemic and given we are now facing the cost of living crisis.

What organisations can do to help ...

1. HR and Business leaders can learn to recognise the signs of burnout (employee negativity, becoming distant about their work, cynicism, absenteeism - even from usually high-performing employees).

2. Prioritise a manageable work-life balance, eg. blocking laptop access between 6pm-8am to avoid work seeping into personal time – it’s all about getting the balance right.

3. Managers should regularly check in with staff – a 5 min chat every week is enough. Ask questions about current workload, gentle probing questions to identify issues to nip those potential problems in the bud, offer support or signposting to specialist support where needed.

4. Lead by example – avoid WhatsApping your team on a Sunday afternoon or you may be setting an unsustainable precedent for expecting responses out of hours

5. Burnout can be particularly prevalent in remote workers. Encourage teamwork, build resilience, introduce a buddy/mentor system.

6. Full-time remote-working can be isolating; we would suggest 1-2 days per week in the workplace for co-worker and manager relationship-building/maintenance.

Useful Links:

Gallup – Preventing and Dealing with Employee Burnout - https://www.gallup.com/workplace/313160/preventing-and-dealing-with-employee-burnout.aspx Health & Safety Executive – Employer’s responsibilities - https://www.hse.gov.uk/workers/employers.htm

Health & Safety Executive – Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 - https://www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/hswa.htm

Acas – Supporting Mental Health at Work - https://www.acas.org.uk/supporting-mental-health-workplace

Gabor Mate – When the Body Says No - The Cost of Hidden Stress (paperback) - https://drgabormate.com/book/when-the-body-says-no/

Paula Davis – Beating Burnout at Work: Why Teams Hold the Secret to Well-Being and Resilience (paperback) - https://stressandresilience.com/burnout-book/

Paula Davis – Beating Burnout at Work (YouTube video 3.5 mins) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYSglUUYQzA