Hi everyone, happy Tuesday!
It feels like we have truly entered the Autumnal season…and although this might be a jarring thing to hear…I am soo here for it! I love the cosiness, having to wrap up, feeling no judgement in wanting hot chocolate at any point of the day… oh and my favourite… the fact it feels like it is very much nearly Christmas. Another bonus, which I have found since being a mum (yes did I not tell you I am a new mum haha) is that Halle seems to be waking up later because of the darker mornings- now if that is not a WIN then please tell me what is. The only thing I would say is that when the weather is like this I just feel the extreme need to get on the sofa, wearing my OODIE of course, snacks in hand and watch films all day. Which is not ideal when you have a job to do.
So, last week was … interesting:
- It was supposed to be my first proper week of doing my new 4 days work week
- It was also supposed to be Halle’s first week of doing 3 days of nursery and 1 day at the in laws
- I was essentially solo parenting for the whole week as my husband was working away
Now the key things to take away from the above are the words ‘supposed to be’. What actually happened was that Halle was poorly from the dreaded nursery germs so not only did we have some really bad nights but she also had to have 1 day off nursery…meaning I had to have 1 day off work. So my first week of the ‘normal’ routine did not exactly go to plan– which I hear will most likely be a very regular thing haha. The week of solo parenting, whilst also trying to work and do drop offs, pick ups and generally ensuring I kept Halle alive also left me feeling like I was constantly chasing my tail. A positive about it… yes I am that person … is that I did end that week feeling like I generally could take on the world if I can get through that.
Anyways let’s get on to the update shall we.
A big thing that seems to be circling the news at the moment is the amount of famous people that seem to be actively speaking about taking breaks from their careers with the main goal of ‘needing a break’. To name a few… footballers are raising concerns about the mounting number of games they are required to play insisting that “its too much” and they “need rest” to perform better. Adele also made some comments along the same lines in the final show of her Munich residency where she said that she would not be seeing her fans for an incredibly long time as she just “needs a rest”.
The above is a vivid illustration of a broader challenge that many employers face- how to ensure that their employees are not overworked and are supported in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. The issue of employee burnout has become increasingly pressing, with recent data highlighting the serious risks of expecting workers to constantly push their limits.
So what is burnout?
Burnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. It can come about if an employee has experienced long-term stress in their job or has been physically or emotionally drained for a long time delivering their role. Whilst burnout is often as a result of stress, the two are actually two different completely conditions.
Burnout is a globally recognised condition, and according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) common employee burnout symptoms include:
- feelings of energy depletion or mental exhaustion
- increased mental distance from one’s job
- feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job
- reduced professional efficacy.
What can cause employee burnout?
According to Ceridian’s Pulse of Talent Report, the top three catalysts for burnout among respondents are increased workloads (46%), mental health challenges (34%), and pressure to meet deadlines (30%).
What are the stats?
- According to a 2023 study by the CIPD, 46% of UK employees reported feeling under excessive pressure at work.
- A separate survey by Mental Health UK revealed that 1 in 5 employees had taken time off work due to stress, with a lack of downtime cited as a major contributor.
- a 2024 report from Spillsuggests that 79% of UK employees experience burnout, and 35% report extreme levels of it. Not only is it estimated that employee burnout is one of the leading reasons for resignations, but it is also costing the UK economy £28bn and resulting in 3 million sick days per year. So, might be an important thing to look at and address mightn’t it?
What are the signs to look for?
As it’s a progressive condition, burnout can creep in slowly. This means it’s hard to spot until the employee has reached the point where they feel totally overwhelmed.
For employers, being able to spot the stages and signs means that they can make early interventions. We have therefore popped some of the things to look out for below (because, as always, we care!):
- Honeymoon stage– an employee has just started a new role. They are keen, energised and want to make a good impression.
- Balancing act– some days are good, but others are bad. It may take more out of the employee to keep up with the level of performance they gave in the honeymoon stage. The employee may start experiencing those common symptoms of work-related stress.
- Chronic stress– the employee will start to experience more bad days where they experience stress, compared to good days. Employees may start to show signs of chronic stress such as not completing tasks as well as before, increased procrastination and taking off more sick days. Employees are also likely to feel exhausted, depressed and doubt things will change.
- Burnout– if the employee has not addressed the previous stages, then they will become burnt out. Employees will have reduced energy levels, increased cynicism, increased procrastination and be more likely to miss deadlines.
- Habitual burnout– if left untreated, burnout will become the employee’s new normal, and reach a point where they might not be able to remember a time before burnout. At this point, an employee may be diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression.
Top tips
Prevention is always preferable over cure, so engaging with employees regularly to discuss how they are feeling and getting on at work, can help managers judge employees’ stress levels in order to collaboratively develop a plan to minimise the feelings and risk of burnout.
We have popped our top tips below- so take a read:
- Avoid scenarios where staff feel pressured into working long hours or are taking work home with them.
- Ensure employees can take rest breaks and annual leave.
- Review your HR policies to ensure they offer flexibility.
- Create a safe environment where employees feel they can come to talk to you, trust you and that everything will be treated confidentially.
- Teach your staff about mental health. This can be good old regular and more formal training or it could be something like building it into regular team meetings (or putting regular team meetings in place is also a good start!) You could introduce guest speakers to team meetings or give staff access to webinars or other resources which can help. This will help reduce the stigma and create greater awareness in the business. It will also help them to spot employee burnout symptoms.
- Offering access to wellness or employee assistance programmes (EAPs) can really help employees with burnout as they can receive professional help and guidance, and it can also encourage them to seek help before they reach an extreme level of burnout. We all know the stress of getting a GP appointment, accessibility to support and treatment is incredibly helpful. Employers really ought to no longer view wellness platforms as an optional perk of the job, but rather as a necessity to help ensure they have a healthy workforce.
- Learn the employee burnout symptoms to look for and how to spot them. I’ve already given you those so you should be a pro now. At this stage, you can step in and have a conversation to see what’s going on and offer support.
- If you suspect an employee is struggling, you will need to step in and work collaboratively with them. Don’t micromanage – that’s probably going to make things worse! Create an action plan, ensuring that they have their say, and that they know they are not alone in addressing the problem. This can include actively addressing workloads, putting in place additional practical support, having further regular catch ups etc.
As you can see this is a really important topic and an area that as an employer is so so important for you to get right at the outset. Research by Deloitte in 2022 found that organisations which actively promote mental health and work-life balance saw a 25% reduction in employee burnout, along with improved job satisfaction and retention. As employers you should therefore focus on embedding these practices in your workforce strategies, ensuring employees have the resources and time to recover, recharge, and ultimately perform at their best.
Whilst I’ve given you some really useful starter points, Precept are here to help in any way we can with the above or anything else- Until next time..
just give us a shout.
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