Feature
Burnout is the new normal. It’s a scary idea, yet it could be true.
Author and burnout researcher Kandi Wiens, EdD, makes a strong case for this in her Harvard Business Review article, "How Burnout Became Normal — and How to Push Back Against It." She offers proof from multiple sources, including the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America survey, which found that 67% of adults aged 18 to 34 said stress (a major component of burnout) makes it difficult for them to focus. An additional 58% described their daily stress as “completely overwhelming,” and nearly half reported that their stress is so severe on most days that they are unable to function.
Similarly, a Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) report published to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month in May revealed that 44% of the 1,405 U.S. employees surveyed reported feeling burned out at work, 45% felt "emotionally drained" by their work and 51% felt "used up" by the end of the workday.
These statistics are grim for workers and a call for concern for business leaders.
Why Is Burnout at an All-Time High?
While some level of burnout has always existed among the workforce, it is currently at or near an all-time high. Former Harvard Business Review editor and best-selling author Karen Dillon explained why so many employees are currently burned out. “The pandemic forced companies to rethink how we work — virtual meetings became commonplace. But that had the unintended consequence of clogging our calendars,” she said. “Suddenly, it was possible to have back-to-back-to-back meetings with just a few clicks of the keyboard. We over-indexed on inclusive Zoom meetings as the default for everything.”
This left little time for employees to do the actual work for which they remain accountable. While the problem isn’t lost on top managers or the consultants who try to help them, many employers are creating new problems in the process. Citing research from the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), Dillon noted that some companies are permitting employees to choose the days they wish to return to the office.
“Unfortunately, this well-intentioned effort has also created a new set of microstresses when the people who an organization needs to work together pick different days. The work doesn't get done as efficiently, or there's more pressure to come in extra days,” said Dillon. “Allowing the choice of in-person or virtual days to be random will negatively impact employee morale, innovation and productivity.”
Instead, she advised that leaders consider which tasks should be prioritized during the limited in-person time available. “Managers have to ensure that in efforts to create a new hybrid model of in-person and virtual work, they don't accidentally add more stress to employees in the process,” she said.
Related Podcast: What Microstress Is Doing to Our Work and Our Lives
Who's Burnt-Out?
Burnout isn’t confined to specific types of managers or workers. “Look for the person to whom everyone comes to solve problems or get support; the conditions are right for that individual to be burnt-out,” said Kevin Oakes, CEO at the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp). He also explained that burnout is likely among members of teams that suffer from priority overload. The same goes for coworkers who don’t trust each other or who compete rather than work together. It’s wasted energy spent on things that have little to do with the deliverables, yet you're still responsible for the deliverables.
While burnout statistics vary slightly depending on who’s measuring, “burnout rates are too high,” said Steve Nyce, director of research and innovation at WTW. “Wellbeing is no longer a niche issue. There’s discussion in the C-suite, and organizations have to find a way to effectively address it.”
It's important to note that burnout isn’t the same as stress. You can't fix it with a vacation, slowing down or working fewer hours. While stress makes you struggle with pressures, burnout leaves you feeling hopeless and exhausted, unable to overcome challenges. Even small tasks seem overwhelming, and your motivation and interests disappear.
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“Burnout can’t be ‘fixed’ with better self-care,” said Dr. Christina Maslach, a renowned social psychologist and professor emerita of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, during a conversation with the American Psychological Association. She added that suggesting self-care can make matters worse. Yet most experts encourage both employees and employers to act on the problem.
Related Podcast: What Organizations Can Do About Burnout
Rooting Out the Causes of Burnout
Business leaders might consider addressing the problem within their spheres of influence by identifying the root causes of burnout in their organizations; considering the real-world impact of organizational decisions on employees' daily work; reducing collaborative complexities by considering the impact of additional emails, meetings, messaging, and productivity tools as part of workflows; and implementing complexity reduction processes such as creating temporary teams with sunsetting clauses, and making it an objective to have fewer and shorter meetings.
Small changes can contribute to significant solutions.
