I’m burnt out from hearing executives talk about how their team is burnt out in 2021!

Seriously, though, there is a lot of talk about burnout. The pandemic, the potential of unemployment, remote work, inflation, hybrid work, and the great resignation have all contributed to the development of stress and increased feelings of burnout across the country. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), occupational burnout is a syndrome resulting from chronic work-related stress, with symptoms characterized by "feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficacy."

Burnout is a real thing and it is on the rise. A recent survey found that 52% of the respondents had experienced some form of burnout in 2021. This is up from 43% in pre-covid 2019. Looking at burnout by generations, currently 54% of Generation X workers have felt some form of burnout, 59% of Millennial workers, and 58% of Generation Z workers. That’s a lot of burnout in the workforce.

Professor Christina Maslach, PhD, the creator of the Maslach Burnout Inventory and author of The Truth About Burnout, has identified six "mismatches" that make a person more likely to burn out. The six mismatches that cause burnout are lack of control, insufficient reward, lack of community, absence of fairness, conflict in values, and work overload. Most companies use time off as a way to combat burnout; unfortunately time off only gets at one of the six mismatches that causes it. If you’re interested in learning more about Dr. Malach and her research into burnout she is on a recent Nike Trained podcast (the link is here).

I know at my last job there I felt a lack of control, absence of fairness, and a conflict in values, all which didn’t make it a very healthy place to work for me. I was very close to burnout before I founded TFCG.

The Six Mismatches that Cause Burnout and What to Do:

Lack of Control — Jobs where people do not feel a sense of control over their tasks and the outcomes leads to a feeling of lack of control and eventually burnout.

What to Do: To increase your feeling of control in your job, ask your boss for more responsibility, ask your boss to take on a project, or take steps to learn a new skill and increase your ability to do more things at work.

Insufficient Reward — Jobs where people feel insufficient satisfaction whether it be in salary, recognition for a job well done, or the intrinsic feeling from doing a good job can lead to dissatisfaction and eventually burnout.

What to Do: If you are a leader the first step is to recognize excellence in others. There is a great article on ways to recognize excellence in others in Post #17. Amongst the many ways, a hand written note carries a longer and more meaningful impact. Also, you may have to look to peers rather than your boss for recognition. Make sure you are giving your peers recognition for their work too.

Lack of Community — Poor team work, high levels of conflict, and a poor sense of community in the office can lead to burnout. Who wants to work at a place that is filled with back stabbing, arguments, and very few friends? People want to work with teams they like.

What to Do: Decrease friction and build teams. Trust is built in your teams through shared experiences and hardships. Research has shown that team building activities can positively enhance team performance, increase communications, and build trust. The five team building activities that produce the best results are physical activities, field trips, professional development activities, shared meals, and volunteering. Want to get more ideas on teams ad team building? Check out Post #108 for more ideas on building better teams.

Absence of Fairness — An unfair workplace builds resentment and eventually burnout. Inequity in work or pay, cheating, ethical violations, poor handling of promotions or evaluations, and poor dispute resolution can all contribute to a perception of unfairness or inequity.

What to Do: As a leader, make sure you are sharing the workload evenly. Also, take the time to reread and ensure you are adhering to the company standards for evaluations and promotions.

Conflict in Values — When your or own of your employee’s personal values and goals aren’t aligned with the organizational goals.

What to Do: This one is more challenging. Small differences can be managed by perhaps switching to another role or project to increase alignment between values and the work. Larger differences usually mean that the you or your team member needs to look for more meaningful work in line with their values.

Work Overload — This is the classic perception of the cause of burnout. Many people feel burnt out when they are confronted with an unsustainable workload, or as Dr. Maslach describes it “Job demands exceeding human limits.”

What to Do: Work can’t be a “marathon sprint.” Ensuring that you and your team are given (or take) the time to rest and recharge, especially after delivering big projects. Also, ensure you and your team have the opportunity to take 10-15 minute breaks during the day. I like to take my dog, Samantha, for a walk around the block to help me recharge during a long day of back-to-back meetings.

More Podcasts

Got to go on The Lion’s Guide last week with Dale Walls. Dale is a Marine Corps veteran and an incredible entrepreneur. I learned a lot talking to him about his business and his approach to life. Here is the link to the podcast.

Conclusion

Go on the offense, understand the underlying causes of burnout, and work to reduce them in your team in 2021 and 2022.