By Brandon Springle, Contributor
I’ve studied burnout for many years, and it has become very real to me in a current season of personal challenges. Burnout is defined by Herbert Freudenberger who coined the term in 1974 as “a state of mental and physical exhaustion caused by one’s professional life.” As I felt the strain of the opposing pulls of family difficulties and facing unforeseen changes within the workplace, I began to feel the ominous effect of impending burnout. I knew at that moment how critical it was for me to establish healthy boundaries and connect with a network of support for not only my professional life, but my personal life as well.
Establishing healthy boundaries both personally and professionally is essential to managing the challenging demands we will certainly face in the midst of great uncertainty. A recent Gallup poll stated that 67% of employees experience burnout at work sometimes, very often, or always. Reflecting on that measurement presents us with an important opportunity to align support needs in an effort to mitigate the risk of burnout.
Odds are that if you’re reading this, you’re likely on the verge of facing this very real challenge (or you work with someone who is). The good news is that we can take steps in a healthy, healing direction.
Here are five essential keys to prevent burnout in the workplace:
1. Start at the top by prioritizing psychological safety to mitigate burnout.
Burnout mitigation starts with the mindset of the C-Suite. One of the key concepts coming out of the global pandemic and that continues to gain traction is psychological safety. A few years back I was introduced to “The Fearless Organization” by Dr. Amy Edmondson, and I distinctly remember the enterprise awareness was elevated by the CEO in my organization. We then began to prioritize it and make it an integral part of our organizational conversations. The point is that the topic was first embraced at the top and effectively modeled providing pathways for other employees to operate as ambassadors with the CEO’s transparent support.
2. Empower the leadership core by Equipping people managers to provide support.
As the sponsorship occurs at the C-Suite level, there must be a deliberate plan to scale the knowledge to managers of people. It is not enough to simply train, but we must equip managers of people to successfully recognize the signs of burnout. The Workforce Institute at UKG cited an alarming insight that stated that 69% of people surveyed felt a more significant impact to their mental health from their manager over their therapist. Equipping leaders to respond productively to worker needs is a catalyst engagement to effectively minimizing exposure to workplace burnout hazards.
3. Supercharge talent by setting strength-based goals to maximize potential.
By being intentional in creating healthy reporting relationships, we provide the space to supercharge talent. What I mean by “supercharge” is providing strength-based goals that maximize positive resource utilization to effectively manage workplace demands. By aligning work to the strengths of your respective team members, we have an opportunity to activate talent in unprecedented ways. This level of understanding will grow when interpersonal trust is present in relational dynamics. When talented employees feel empowered to achieve, the probability of burnout is greatly reduced.
4. Define and support work/life harmony by Setting expectations and providing programs.
The areas in which even the best leaders may struggle to provide support are those personal challenges that impact team members in a significant way. Personal challenges that arise must be met directly with resources that can help. This all starts with a clear definition of how we obtain a healthy work/life harmony. In the past you likely heard of “work/life balance,” but I would say that it is hard to balance that which one has never seen. In my personal experience, my employer-provided benefits that took pressure off me as my family sought to plan out things for parents who were in the midst of significant challenges. This level of support and flexibility created a sense of harmony for me as I had access to resources. I also know that if I needed to travel, that would be fine with my manager. Creating clarity and providing flexibility means more than I can articulate in the midst of difficult moments.
5. Implement a continuous feedback system by Checking In, Following Through, Following Up, and Repeating for Sustained Impact.
The final key is what I consider the “system key.” The “system key” is how we sustain high levels of performance while providing caring support through a continuous feedback model. Historically we used to do annual or semi annual performance reviews, and they often were stressful. In the modern workplace, there are more companies focused on providing feedback on a consistent basis that is candid to support healthy ongoing growth and development. This final key sustains as we check in, follow through, follow up, and repeat. This requires managers that listen generously, seek to understand, and move to action with purposeful intention. Providing continuous feedback in this way creates clear expectations, ongoing development, stress reductions, and ultimately when done well a safe space. All of these keys aligned and utilized together create the conditions to stop burnout in the workplace before it starts.
What’s Next?
Have you had success preventing or mitigating burnout in your organization? What has worked for you? I’d love to hear.
If you’re interested in learning more about psychological safety and its impact on workplace culture–including burnout–check out Episode 68 of the Conversations on Conversations podcast, where Sarah Noll Wilson and I discuss just that.
About the author
Brandon Springle is a dedicated HR (Human Resources) Leader with over 15 years of evolving experience working in multiple industries including Manufacturing, Background Screening, Health Insurance, and Sports & Entertainment. He currently serves as a Divisional OD and Success Director at Shaw Industries where he has spent the past 10+ years. His passion for psychological safety grew immensely during the pandemic as he sought out ways to raise awareness and educate first internally and then within his local and virtual communities.
Brandon became certified as a psychological safety coach using the “4 Stages of Psychological Safety” framework in 2021 through LeaderFactor. Brandon is also certified as a Change Manager with intimate knowledge of the ADKAR process. He has been featured on numerous podcasts, DisruptHR Chattanooga 1.0, and has multiple entries in ManageHR Magazine. He also regularly posts content on LinkedIn that is valuable for ALL.
Brandon is a senior leader focused on providing an amazing experience at all levels through a service-oriented approach that is rooted firmly in psychological safety. He continues to build expertise in applied neuroscience, psychosocial risk management, and social psychology as a continuous learner. He recognizes that there is power in aligning individually diverse talents to a shared vision where success is dependent upon the collective brain trust of the “team.”
More than anything, Brandon loves to see people thriving as opposed to simply surviving. His motto is that “Life outside of the workplace is difficult enough, we must do all we can to create safe work environments for all.” Brandon enjoys spending time with his wife and four children in his personal time. His hobbies include reading, writing, music production, and all things basketball.
