You must have heard by now – the World Health Organization has now classified "burn-out” as a syndrome that comes from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. They identified three dimensions:
- feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
- increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job
- reduced professional efficacy
Every employee at some point (or many) in their career will feel these symptoms, and for some, it is a temporary condition that can be addressed by time off, a vacation, or an improved diet with more sleep. But for others, it is a constant and oppressive state that never goes away.
It affects workers at all levels in an organization – from top to bottom. According to a recent Gallup study, 67% of employees say they are sometimes, very often or always burned out at work. For those who declare they are very often or always experience burnout, they are:
- 63% more likely to take a sick day
- 23% more likely to visit the emergency room
- 2.6 times as likely to leave their employer
Gallup estimates that job burnout accounts for an estimated $125 billion to $190 billion in US health-care spending each year and has been attributed to type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, gastrointestinal issues, high cholesterol and even death for those under the age of 45.
In Canada, the costs of mental illness (defined as stress, burnout, anxiety and depression) to the economy are estimated at over $50 billion annually, with $20 billion of that stemming directly from workplace losses. By 2021, the costs to the Canadian economy are estimated to rise to $88.8 billion per year.
Gallup’s research found that the main factors that cause employee burnout have less to do with expectations for hard work and high performance and more to do with how someone is managed.
Their study identified five factors that were most highly correlated with burnout:
1. Unfair Treatment
- Everything from bias, favouritism and mistreatment to unfair compensation and/or corporate policies - when employees do not trust their manager, teammates or executive leadership, the psychological bond that makes work meaningful is broken.
- Solution: Managers must be vigilant about not only their behaviour and actions but that of others, that can lead to an environment of distrust, cynicism and toxicity.
2. Unmanageable Workload
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High-performers can rapidly turn from happy to hopeless if their workload becomes unmanageable.
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Solution: Managers have to be alert and receptive to address these situations quickly before they lose their most valuable employees.
3. Lack of Role Clarity
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Employees who do not know what is expected of them at work quickly become exhausted and lost.
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Solution: Accountability and expectations must be clear; with management openly discussing responsibilities and performance criteria, and then ensuring work expectations are clear and aligned.
4. Lack of Communication & Support
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Uncommunicative, negligent or argumentative manager make employees feel isolated, vulnerable and stressed. According to Gallup’s research employees who strongly agree that they feel supported by their manager are about 70% less likely to experience burnout on a regular basis.
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Solution: Managers need to offer support along with open lines of communication provide assurance to employees that they matter and their boss will be there for them should problems arise.
5. Unreasonable Time Pressure
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Unnecessary unreasonable timelines and pressure often throw employees into a tailspin, never meeting expectations and unable to get back on top of their work.
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Solution: Managers need to take the time to understand reasonable timeframes for quality work and adjust their demands to be realistic.
Burnout can be reversed and even avoided by good proactive empathetic leadership.
Great bosses protect their employees from toxicity. They open doors to meaningful tasks and learning opportunities. They enable their people to be energized by their projects, to perform at their best, and to move forward professionally without taking steps backwards in their private life.
When management cares about employee happiness and their success, their careers and their lives, employees stay, and are productive and contribute to a positive and healthy safe work culture.
Final Thoughts
According to Wrike analysis, if burnout caused 50 employees earning $60,000 to quit, replacing them would cost an employer $2.25 USD million.
Empower your management team to prioritize and improve team wellbeing!
If you or your organization would like to learn more about how ReWhyr is reimagining leadership training to develop leaders who empower their employees and foster healthy and engaging workplaces, please reach out! We would be happy to connect with you.
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