Let’s All Set Fire to the Burnout Epidemic

Everyone handles work-related stress differently, but for me, the feeling resulting from a towering pile of projects is pretty distinctive. I imagine it’s what the early stages of being suffocated would feel like, and goes something like this: My carefully-planned to-do list is set for the week. I’m comfortably busy at work, but have enough breathing room to schedule in a few workouts, a happy hour and time to prepare healthy meals. Then, within the span of a few hours, an email comes in from another department requiring follow-up, a co-worker stops by my desk with a stack of documents that need my attention, and someone from the executive team emails about a new campaign I must set in motion.

These unexpected projects, some of which have no clear directions or set deadlines, wipe out that sense of calm I had earlier, replacing it with panic, a loss of control and even resentment toward those who unapologetically came along to ruin my plan. Feeling overwhelmed, I step outside the office for a few minutes to gain my composure, because despite my frustration over the workload, I still value my professional reputation and would rather not have anyone see me in this frenzied state.

With most companies striving to accomplish as much as they can with as few resources as possible, it’s common for a single employee to be dumped with a heavy workload that should really be split between two, maybe even three, people. And most employees in this position – myself included – would hesitate to address it for fear of sounding lazy or whiny. Plus, adding salt to the wound, employees who dutifully complete additional projects often don’t get a big expression of appreciation from their employer – they just get more work.

That’s bad not only for the employee’s health, but for the employer’s retention rate. A 2018 Gallup survey revealed that 23% of full-time workers say they are very often or always burnt out at work; that group is 63% more likely to take a sick day, 23% more likely to visit the emergency room and 2.6 times as likely to leave their current employer.

Here are some ways to get rid or ahead of burnout, whether you’re an employee dying for a glimpse of light at the end of the assignment tunnel, or an employer who wants their team to be productive, engaged and happy.

For Employees: Banish Burnout Without Getting Banished

• As a first step, determine whether the workload you’ve been overwhelmed by is truly unreasonable. Review your job description, or solicit opinions from friends outside your organization who are familiar with your line of work. You may just need to brush up on your time management skills.
• Have a few stress-busting techniques in your back pocket for the most overwhelming moments at work, like practicing breathing exercises or listening to a five-minute session on a meditation app. Also, try thinking about your work in small pieces. I used to struggle with managing stress at work when faced with numerous tasks at once because I would internalize the burden of every project in its entirety. Now, I remind myself that my brain doesn’t need to solve everything at once – it only needs to wrap itself around one step at a time.
• If you’ve concluded your workload truly is a problem and want to talk to your boss about it, do two things before walking into that meeting. First, prepare a detailed list of your current projects and deadlines, what each one entails and how long each will take to complete to prove that a lighter load is necessary. Second, be ready to present a few solutions, like using technology to streamline tasks or outsourcing items to an intern or freelancer. Then plan a check-in meeting a few weeks later to discuss how the new process is going.

For Employers: Give the Space and Recognition Your Team Deserves

• Consistent, transparent communication with all of your team members is one key to preventing employee burnout. A 2017 Forbes article on the subject recommended that managers maintain an open-door policy, give employees regular feedback (including a full, in-person explanation if the company chooses not to use something they just worked hard on) and include employees in the decision-making process instead of just giving orders.
• Clearly define what is expected of each employee. Forbes noted that when roles are not clearly defined, blame gets spread throughout the team, causing frustration and potentially burnout. It also emphasized managers should ensure employees have what they need to fulfill those expectations, whether it’s training or an additional new hire.
• Know the signs of burnout so it can be promptly addressed. According to Forbes, common signs to look for are exhaustion, disengagement from work, a drop in performance, and when an employee who is typically chatty during meetings becomes unusually quiet.
• Create a compliment-heavy culture. When we’re busy, it’s easy to move from one project to the next without pausing to thank others for a job well done, but it’s critical to take that pause. Feeling appreciated and valued at work is a major key to engagement, and ultimately, retention.

I’ll end with an example of how one credit union put that last tip into action. The $12.6 billion, San Jose, Calif.-based First Tech Federal Credit Union partnered with Workhuman to launch a digital platform with two tools: Recognize, which allows employees to recognize each other for demonstrating the CU’s core values, and Conversations, which enables managers to frequently check in with employees, provide feedback and set priorities.

As part of its launch strategy, First Tech hosted a “gratitude bar” at its employee conference, where representatives from each team got a hands-on experience with the new tool, Chary Krout, former SVP, human resources at First Tech and current founder/co-owner of Cultivate, explained. “Employees’ response and adoption was overwhelming, so we harnessed their support and buy-in to launch across the credit union.”

In less than a year after implementation, 100% of employees received a Recognize award, and there were over 3,400 check-ins through a Conversations pilot group, according to a First Tech case study. First Tech also found through internal data analysis that employees who recognize others are two times less likely to leave First Tech than those only receive recognition, and those who receive recognition are 2.5 times less likely to leave the CU than those who are never recognized.

“Sharing gratitude and recognizing others helps remind us about the work we do, and the great people we get to do it with,” Krout said. “Neuroscience research supports that sharing appreciation has the same psychological benefits of receiving recognition from others. Ultimately, when we have busy days and work is challenging, stopping to recognize others helps connect us back to our work and appreciation for what we accomplish together.”

Natasha Chilingerian is executive editor for CU Times. She can be reached at nchilingerian@cutimes.com.