REWARD INSIGHT
Burnout: the fire you need to put out
Iain McMath, chief executive officer at Sodexo, discusses the issues and advises best practice
H ave you noticed that we’re with ‘burnout’ instead? Burnout is a total system breakdown that happens after prolonged periods of unmanageable stress and emotional fatigue. In other words, it is not just ‘being tired’; that is an unfortunate misconception. Burnout can have serious physical and mental health consequences – and can really damage a business too. Change in the workplace used to happen at a much slower pace, but modern businesses need to deal with change all the time. It’s clear that technology is one culprit. The introduction of computers and the internet left some workers feeling redundant, whilst others rejoiced as they kicked back and relaxed, thinking computers would do the hard work. Oh boy, how wrong they both were. Instead of reduced workloads, the pace has seriously ramped up in recent years. You only need look as far as emails and smartphones to see how tech has – for some – made working all hours of the day seem normal. This pressure to be online at all hours can be worse within global businesses or for employees working with folk on the other side of the world. However, it is unfair simply to blame technology. We should also look at how attitudes towards work have changed. People can enter the world of work believing that if they work hard enough, they’ll achieve everything they have ever wanted in a very short space of time. However, whilst this may seem like an admirable attitude to have, if they fail to meet such extreme goals it can feel like total failure. Managers can be guilty of this, too. Up and down the country, business leaders moving away from dealing with ‘stress’ in the workplace to dealing
are implementing new systems and technologies and expecting employees to be totally ‘up’ on the next big thing; sometimes it seems, through sheer chance. But by expecting this of your employees without any direction, support or training, you’re adding huge amounts of stress to their day jobs. ...they’ll be able to step in at the right time and stop burnout in its tracks Burnout also tends to rear its head in certain personality types more than others, most notably in ‘overachievers’. It has even been dubbed ‘overachiever syndrome’. These people are highly motivated, driven, highly functioning and ambitious. For them, burnout is a hard truth to accept, which can make it harder for them to spot. Instead, they’ll work longer hours and pile on the stress to try and solve the situation. Without support, it’s a recipe for disaster; and when burnout hits, it really packs a punch. Teams are left without some key team members, meaning lower productivity for those around them. Avoiding burnout is about getting under the skin of the issues that employees are facing on a day-to-day basis. In many cases, businesses are unintentionally slapping on temporary sticking plaster solutions – such as remote access to work or flexible working – in order to prevent burnout. But, let’s be honest, that alone isn’t working. The catalyst for burnout goes deeper; it’s about skills and it’s about support.
Leaders need to make sure that their managers know how to manage people effectively. If managers are aware of the signs of burnout and can see someone heading down that route, they’ll be able to step in at the right time and stop burnout in its tracks. Encouraging a culture of mindfulness may seem like a passing fad, but what it teaches is important. Mindfulness aims to focus an individual’s mind on themselves and their surroundings in the present moment. It’s been found to enhance emotional intelligence, self-awareness and the capacity to manage distressing emotions. So, it’s no surprise that adding this type of relaxation into a workplace will help to reduce stress and keep burnout at bay. We’re seeing more businesses create quiet areas or chill zones for their staff which help communicate that exercising mindfulness is okay and, in fact, encouraged. Even in the biggest of businesses, leaders need to be self-reflective to stay dynamic and avoid stagnating. This type of inward reflection could include a review of the businesses strategy. Being ambitious is essential, but it shouldn’t be at the cost of your employees. For a strategy to work, everyone needs to understand and strive for the same goals. More and more businesses are beginning to understand that burnout is a symptom of a company culture – and not the fault of the individual. Business leaders need to identify gaps and mismatches in strategy, skills and support and then do what they can to close those gaps. If we work towards fixing these issues, hopefully in the future we will see the rate of burnout decline and productivity increase. n
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | November 2017 | Issue 35 30
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker