Like so many other much-celebrated holidays, Labor Day has origins that are not without some twist and mystery. Even the US Department of Labor says the jury is out upon whom founded this annual dedication to the workers who built our nation. Either way, we can all agree that the weekend leading up to the first Monday in September has become one of the biggest travel, relaxation and meeting times of the year.
Still, it doesn’t feel right to let Labor Day go by without considering one of the most critical challenges facing modern workers: burnout. According to a recent article in The New York Times, burnout affects more than half of the employee population in the United States. This means that millions of people regularly experience intense, unpleasant and unwanted symptoms, such as fatigue, decreased productivity and a cynical attitude to life.
It may be easy to assume that this is an individual problem, but it is not. And it’s a problem business leaders need to help solve. After all, employees can only do so much. Employers are in a position to make widespread changes to positively impact all of their team members.
Not sure which strategies will help you avoid burnout across your organization? I enlisted the help of two powerful opinion leaders to come up with suggestions.
Kristen Sieffert is the president of Finance of America Reverse and a passionate advocate of creating cultures that captivate and honor employees. Peter Boumgarden is the Koch Family Professor of Practice in Family Enterprise, Director of the Koch Family Center for Family Enterprise, and Academic Director of the Center for Experiential Learning at Washington University in St. Louis. He has an in-depth background in organizational design, strategy and behavior.
Together, Sieffert, Boumgarden, and I crowdsourced several ways to get a bite out of burnout at your company.
1. Recognize that burnout exists.
Declaring that burnout is a problem may sound incredibly simple. However, some people believe that burnout is nothing more than boredom or mild depression. Burnout is its own diagnosis, according to the World Health Organization. Interestingly, the WHO has listed burnout under conditions related to “employment or unemployment,” highlighting how burnout is business-based.
Boumgarden recommends basing your understanding of burnout on a definition by psychologists Christina Maslach, Wilmar B. Schaufeli, and Michael P. Leiter, who called burnout “a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors at work.” . Boungarden further explains that the definition outlines inefficiency, cynicism and exhaustion as the three aspects of burnout.
Just by knowing a little bit about burnout and sharing the information with your colleagues and direct reports, you can expose burnout. From there it is easier to get through to manage it.
2. Make PTO sacred.
One of the go-to ideas for reducing burnout is to provide employees with more paid time off. Unfortunately, people are not good at using all their PTOs. They also cannot relax when they are out of the office. Sieffert notes: “Some studies report: that it takes people four days to completely let go of the stress they carry from work when they go on holiday. If you work the PTO for the first few days and then unplug it, you won’t get the benefit you probably need. This creates a vicious circle where people are always on, even when they’re not technically working, and in that circle it’s nearly impossible to get the mental break needed.
What is Sieffert doing to end the burnout merry-go-round? She tries to lead by example by disconnecting and disconnecting. When employees see the boss 100% go away for long weekends and healthy vacations, they’re less likely to feel like they need to check emails or hand in a few hours of work while at the beach.
3. Get to the heart of burnout in your company.
You may have noticed that your staff is burned out. Because all employees are unique, you should take the time to evaluate what keeps everyone on the bottom of the day. Do they feel that they cannot meet their professional demands? Do they get all the tools they need? Or, as Boumgarden asks, could one of your company policies inadvertently create a problem that affects performance and morale?
“Suppose you are an organization that wants to collaborate more”, says Boumgarden. “You ask people to come back to the office more often than your competitors. If the average travel time each way is one hour, what is the impact on work results and burnout of having to find two more hours a day?” As his example shows, every decision you make will have ripples — and those ripples can create more problems than your policy solves.
4. Experiment with different work structures.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that no one company has to abide by another company’s rules. Sieffert has heard of companies closing for two weeks a year (in addition to giving PTO) so that everyone can let off steam. Other organizations are becoming even more innovative. “Many companies are also exploring the concept of the four-day workweek and how productive people can be,” she explains.
You don’t have to get drastic, of course. You just have to keep an open mind. For example, Boumgarden reports that he is increasingly in favor of flexibility in the field of hybrid workplaces. While he sees the benefit of being in person at times, he explains that many employees “need uninterrupted time to focus on larger tasks, and the latter may be easier outside of a traditional office environment.”
5. Look for solutions that can affect almost everyone.
Equality and fairness are major obstacles when it comes to setting up a burnout-free workplace. Boumgarden explains that some types of benefits, including being able to work remotely, cannot be distributed equally among income groups. Accordingly, individuals in lower positions may be more prone to burnout simply because of their occupational position or career stage.
Sieffert agrees, which is why her company seeks to make an impact and penetrate for all team members to enjoy. “At FAR, we provide all employees with a subscription to the Calm meditation app,” she notes. “Mindfulness can be a powerful tool to fight burnout, and I want people to be able to take a mental vacation, even if it’s just for 10 minutes a day.”
6. Become more goal-oriented as an organization.
Younger millennials and Generation Z are driving a major shift in the employer-employee relationship. They want to be appreciated. They want to feel like they are working on something bigger than themselves. Sure, they want traditional health insurance and happy hours, but they also want meaning in their work. “The greatest benefit we can offer an employee is the knowledge that they will not be wasting their day when they wake up in the morning and that their work hours will be filled with opportunity and enrichment,” says Sieffert.
Leaning more into your goal doesn’t have to be difficult. It may just be a matter of reminding employees why you need them and the benefit they bring to others. To take The goal of Zappos, which is “live and deliver WOW.” It’s not hard to see how living that mission could make every day less stressful and more fulfilling for employees.
7. Prioritize general well-being.
Burnout does not exist in a vacuum. It’s a phenomenon that can be tackled from a variety of angles, including wellness programs. Look for ways to help employees improve their health. Sieffert sees this as a way to challenge yourself as a leader and ask difficult questions.
“How do we involve our team on a deeper level? How can we prove to our team that we care? How can we inspire our team to live their best life not only professionally, but also personally?” she asks. “If leaders commit to grappling with these questions, we will find the path forward that will enable our team and businesses to thrive, no matter what the future world of work looks like.”
You don’t have to worry about a burnout all your Labor Day weekend. Spend time with your family and friends and urge your employees to do the same. But try to set aside a few moments to consider how you can use your leadership position to put burnout on the back burner — and keep it forever.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.