Are your high performers at risk of burnout?

Wellbeing - is it just a buzzword?

No matter which way you turn it seems that ‘wellbeing’ has become a bit of a buzzword in business. Organisations are tripping over themselves to shout how focused they are on helping their teams to maintain a healthy work/life balance, to seem fun and exciting, and offering office perks to tempt new recruits.

Workplace wellbeing doesn’t just mean a fun culture – it means putting your people first. Protecting them from coming to any harm as they carry out their work – which includes the dangers of becoming stressed, overwhelmed, or burning out…all of which is happening to a huge number of people, across most industries, after what has been a very difficult couple of years for us all.

We know that one of the most important tools you have in your organisation is the people who work for you

Without them, and without their health and wellbeing being maintained, your business simply can’t perform. You need them – and you need them at their best. This means that they need you to support them, to give them the tools they need, and to invest in their wellbeing and development.

When you think about your people, the range of individuals who make up your team, you immediately know who your high performers are, and who you can always rely on…but can they rely on you in return?

What do we mean by ‘the high performers’?

We mean the employees who can always be relied on – who show up, perform well, never let you down…who embody traits like:

Consistently exceeding expectations

Natural leaders, who step up and take control
Setting personal goals that challenge them – and hitting them
Instinctively know how projects should progress & who to assign tasks to
Rely on their internal ‘locus of control’ – the belief that they are personally responsible for their career progress, and have achievable plans for progression
Often perfectionists – who set themselves extremely high standards, and expect the same from others
They are unlikely to ask for any support
Admirable academic and professional history
Competitive and driven

When those traits all sound like positives, what’s the problem?

When someone has built their entire adult life around this reputation of high performance it is frightening to consider letting any of it go, and asking for help or support is daunting because people are so concerned about the stigma that has surrounded mental ill health or worried that it might look like “weakness.”

It’s precisely these people who are most at risk from burnout – at risk of pushing themselves so far that they crumble entirely, they have a breakdown or hit the wall, and can simply no longer cope with the pressure they have been under anymore. This is what we mean when we say burnout. Burnout will see them taking time off with stress and anxiety-related health issues – and this isn’t just mental health, the impact of long-term high levels of anxiety can cause significant harm to people physically too…

Read the full article for more expert insight from Laura Kean, detailing what burnout looks like, who is most at risk, and how you can protect your team from harm.

For more information on the programmes ASK have developed to support your senior leaders, to develop resilience and support you when navigating complex change or challenging situations, call 01234 757575 or email hello@askeurope.com

And for more information on Laura Kean visit her LinkedIn page