How do you prevent burnout and promote staff health?

As burnout is a symptom of chronic workplace stress that has not been sufficiently managed, it is important to identify the root cause of the stress rather than focus exclusively how staff are managing the symptoms. Work-related factors such as work overload, role ambiguity, poorly managed change and organisational injustice are all common sources of burnout. The easiest way to identify these is to consult with staff. Don’t rely on them coming to you - build a process of regular consultation (particularly during times when you know there are higher demands on staff), and demonstrate you are listening by making changes to these systemic issues.

Insightd from studies, such as those conducted by Christina Maslach in the 1990s, reveal that healthy leadership and a positive company culture can be powerful shields against burnout. Maslach's research identified several key factors contributing to burnout, including excessive workload, lack of control, and a dearth of social support.

Please don’t rely on training to address staff burnout. Considering the hierarchy of controls (normal applied to reduce harm from physical hazards in the workplace), administration controls (such as training) are considered very low efficacy. This is true of any intervention that relies on individual behaviour change. Want something more effective than training? Change the work itself - either eliminate the work related stress at source (e.g. don’t expect one worker to produce the same as two), or redesign the work to reduce unnecessary job demands (e.g. superfluous meetings/company-wide emails), and increase job resources (e.g. autonomy, role clarity, supervisor support).

Reward and recognition is an example of a job resource. Job resources are a proven way to counterbalance the effects of job demands (e.g. work overload). Just remember - job resources like reward and recognition will only work up until a point to reduce burnout risk. Elevated job demands for extended periods like as healthcare workers experienced during Covid will create burnout more often than not - it doesn’t matter how many “thank you’s” and “good job’s” workers get along the way.

Those workers who are more prone to burnout include those who see work as a mission rather than just an occupation. We see these types regularly in occupations such as first responders, healthcare and education. Too often these workers will put the needs of others above their own. This often leads to poor boundary setting. As leaders, we need to enforce healthy boundaries in order for workers to get the respite they need to rest and recharge. This is even more important when managing workers remotely who are WFH. Avoiding staff having access to email/Slack/Teams on a mobile device is one strategy. Also enforce turning off notifications for these comms programs when workers should be ‘off’.

Implement a psychosocial risk management program. This is a systematic approach to understanding potential sources of burnout and other harms that the employer can modify through improving the experience of work for staff. Psychosocial risk management is now broadly acknowledged internationally by bodies including the World Health Organisation and Internal Labour Organization as a foundational pillar in any company’s workplace mental health strategy. The international standard ISO 45003 provides sound advice on how to implement psychosocial risk management as part of an occupational health and safety management system. The sooner we stop blaming workers and start looking at broken systems, the better placed we will be to prevent burnout.

Social Support: A supportive company culture fosters strong social bonds among employees. Team-building activities, open communication channels, and a sense of belonging are vital. When colleagues and superiors provide emotional support, it acts as a buffer against the emotional exhaustion aspect of burnout. While burnout was a significant concern in Maslach's era, it remains a relevant issue today. Leaders and organizations that prioritize the well-being of their employees not only prevent burnout but also create an atmosphere of growth, engagement, and long-term success.