Burnout

There’s a worrying trend in the modern workplace that could be costing you the best people – the people with the most talent – if your Leaders and Managers don’t protect the wellbeing of their teams.

Have you heard the term ‘grind culture’? Maybe you’ve overheard people talking about their ‘side hustle’; other jobs – formally or not – on top of their regular 9-5. Particularly prevalent in the USA, it’s a mindset that seems to be spreading worldwide, which glorifies working very long hours, taking on additional tasks or roles, and pushing productivity – to the detriment of everything else, especially personal wellbeing or physical and mental exhaustion.

Rooted in the belief that success is directly proportional to the effort someone puts in, the ‘pull yourself up by the bootstraps’ belief that anyone can achieve success if they just try harder is causing people to sacrifice their personal time, health, relationships and recreational activities they used to enjoy outside of working. Not only to be at work more, but to be seen to work more, work harder, sacrifice more and be more ‘reliable’ than their colleagues, in the hope that this dedication is recognised with jumps up the career ladder.

For a lot of people this ‘grind’ has come from genuine economic need; recessions, job losses, the long-term fallout from the pandemic and political unrest means that the cost of living has risen so much that people really can’t afford to pay their bills with the income of a full time job. Finding other ways to boost their income, often fuelled by social media content from ‘influencers’ who glorify this mentality, gives people an unrealistic perspective of what’s normal, and an unhealthy work-life balance that simply isn’t sustainable.

Anyone struggling to keep up the pace – or outpace the competition – is bombarded with media and content that repeats messages of just trying harder, of wanting it more, that it’s the only way to get the success and reward they need, and internalises any negativity, further cementing the belief that they just aren’t good enough, aren’t working hard enough, and don’t want it enough to win.

The reality is that nobody can ‘positive mindset’ their way out of overwork, and the most likely outcome of this approach to their work isn’t success; it’s burnout.

What is Burnout?

It’s important to recognise that burnout isn’t just feeling tired – and taking a weekend off, or getting one good night of sleep, won’t fix it.

Burnout is an overwhelming emotional, physical and mental state of exhaustion. It impacts your physical health, leaving the body with no resource for rest or recovery. Long-term, chronic stress from long working hours for a prolonged time, demanding work environments, high pressure and lack of recognition leads to crippling fatigue. A sense of being drained, empty of motivation, energy, loss of interest not only in work but in any hobbies or leisure activities, because you’ve got no attention or engagement left to give. You’ll lose any sense of accomplishment or pride in your work (and other areas of life) and usually culminates in physical symptoms like insomnia, headaches, dizziness, changes in appetite, aches and pains that can’t be explained by activity, even hair loss and higher risks of contracting other, more serious illnesses.

High performers are the most at risk; those team members you always turn to, who never say no, who seem to have more drive and commitment than the rest of the team. The most talented, even gifted, who hold themselves to a different standard. For Leaders and Managers, those people are like diamonds – but as we all know, diamonds are formed by extreme pressure…and what made them great is exactly what will cost you their expertise, if you don’t step in to protect them.

High performers – those who bring ambition and perfectionism to their work, who always want to deliver more, are great employees – but those traits can lead your high achievers (and the Leaders who benefit from their drive) to ignore the warning signs. To take on too much responsibility, and neglect the recovery time that’s so vital to their long-term health and performance. 

Early symptoms of burnout in high performers are things like increased irritability, decreased productivity, a reluctance to delegate because ‘nobody else can do it as well’ – and it’s exacerbated by Leaders and Managers who continue to give their highest performing people unmanageable workloads, with little or no support from additional people or the resources that they need, and fail to give any praise or even recognition for their achievements.

How serious is burnout, really?

Long-term, burnout and extreme stress doesn’t just cost someone’s short term wellbeing, or impact their performance at work negatively; that kind of pressure can cost someone their life, either from the impact on their physical health, or because their mental and emotional health have fallen so far into a sense of hopelessness, anxiety and depression.

At best, someone in burnout will leave their job, recognising that they just can’t continue this pattern. Leaving their job means that your organisation loses their talent, their experience and expertise, the commitment and productivity they deliver – in other words, it costs you your very best people, and all the benefits you’ve gained from their place in your team.

If your Leaders encourage a culture where ‘the hustle’ is king, and there’s an expectation to push and push, throwing people into their work like employees are nothing more than disposable fodder for the meat grinder, it isn’t just harmful in the short term. High staff turnover, with a constant stream of fresh blood to push to their limits, means that no team has chance to embed successful cohesion; everybody pulling for their own goals disrupts effective performance, the stress and fear of the pressure you’re all under makes it impossible for anyone to seek help or guidance, so more mistakes are made. The cycle of recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, training and monitoring performance is relentless, costing you huge financial burdens, exacerbated by the down-time and drop in output as people find their feet or drown in the churn.

Any Leadership team who encourage or allow that kind of culture are failing in the most basic fundamental of business; no business succeeds at the expense of your people. Your people are your most important resource – so protecting them, and building an environment and culture where their needs are met, their ambitions are supported in a healthy way, the tools and resources they need to succeed are readily available, and they are safe to ask for support or clarification, should be your number one priority.