Whose job is it to prevent burnout at work anyways?

What’s become clear since the pandemic started is that burnout from work doesn’t just come from work.

Life, social issues, and global conflict carry over no matter how much we’re told to leave it at the door. It’s along the same line as what Adam Grant describes as languishing.

However, some recent headlines about burnout don’t tell the complete story, like this one in The Atlantic:

Only your boss can prevent burnout

People refer to various forms of malaise as “burnout,” but it’s technically a work problem. And only your employer can solve it.

It’s true organizations and managers play a massive role in creating a workplace without burnout, however it’s not right to say we as individuals must throw our hands up in helplessness.

In reality, there are three distinct groups responsible for creating work that’s burnout free:

• The organization // Through focus on policy and culture that supports employee well-being
• The manager // Through proper localized support and work prioritization
• The individual // Through enacting strong boundaries around work and creating restorative time outside work

What’s at stake?

A recent study found that one in four people who are planning to leave their job will do so because they were burned out. This is a problem that needs to be solved to retain top talent and make organizations successful not just for tomorrow but for many tomorrows.

And I truly believe it can be solved. But it’s going to take a lot of work.

However, many organizations look at the problem too narrowly.

Since the data doesn’t exist, here is what I would hypothesize most employee populations look like.

I would suggest that most organizational policy and benefits focus on the far right of this spectrum. It’s the small group of people that are teetering on depression, crippling anxiety, and are in need of mental health resources. It’s an important group and a serious issue where company benefits and leadership attention is rightfully placed.

However, for the large group in the middle feeling fried, it’s not a problem solved by throwing company benefits at it. It’s a problem solved by intentionally building a culture that prevents burnout.

So, what can each of these three groups — the organization, the manager, and the individual — do? Let’s dig in.

What organizations can do

Yoga at work, a subscription to Headspace, a keg at the office, and even access to a therapist don’t do a thing if the culture doesn’t care about running people into the ground.

So, how can organizations intentionally create a culture where burnout is the exception, not the rule. A few starting ideas:

• Listen and really understand how pervasive burnout is to get a baseline and then be willing to take a hard look at changes that need to be made.
• Use IT data to spot risky behavior. Things like how many hours employees are working and the amount of working time outside of hours including on time off. Then have a scalable way managers can work with those individuals.
• Company leaders and employees should workshop clear and explicit expectations of what gets programmed into the culture so healthy sustainable habits are created that become pervasive throughout the company. Then communicate those expectations every chance possible.
• Create training for employees based around those norms consisting of healthy habits in and out of work so employees are armed with resources to succeed in avoiding burnout.

What managers can do

Managers are the most important face of the organization to individuals. The old adage that people leave a manager, not a company is very true. The direct manager is the most important factor job seekers consider before accepting a role and the most important person to help people feel a sense of belonging.

When it comes to burnout, it’s paramount that managers model good behavior.

• They respect boundaries. They aren’t emailing with urgent asks at all hours. They actually take time off (not just ‘Pretend Time Off’ PTO)
• They ruthlessly prioritize work that needs to be done by employees. And then actually do it, not just say it.
• They provide flexibility and treat employees as adults.
• They listen and are a safe person to confide in.

What individuals can do

The good news is that burnout is not a foregone conclusion of working. We have more control than we might realize.

But it takes a mindset shift. And it takes intentional actions.

So, what are some steps we can all take to write an individual story that involves less burnout?

• Recalibrate success. We’re taught to judge success based on money, job title, and power. But the endless pursuit of this definition is making us miserable. Find another marker of success. Mine is: Doing work I find meaningful on most days and having agency over my time.
• Call out when you’re overcommitted. You can’t take on everything so understand and communicate tradeoffs. If it’s a huge mountain to overcome where you are, use this line, “I can do what you’re asking tomorrow and for a limited number of tomorrows. However, my quality is going to start suffering and I won’t be working in a way that’s sustainable for my health or the long-term health of the business.”
• Set a time to log in and out each day, and stick to it. This includes not checking your phone for work outside of hours, on the weekend, or on holiday like 62% of us do. Remember: Very rarely are we told we must do this as a requirement of our job.
• Carve out time to do daily activities that refill your tank and help clear your mind. It’s one thing to rest while scrolling social media and watching Netflix. It’s another to restore doing hobbies (ideally without a screen) you love.
• Take care of yourself. Eat mostly well. Move your body. Sleep. Take time off (even if you’re not going anywhere)

You can’t hustle your way out of burnout. And you have be understanding that some days will be better than others which is just fine!

We don’t have to accept withering away while we wait for our organizations and/or our manager to have the perfect policy and programs. We as individuals hold power to avoid burnout. But we should keep pushing our leaders and our organizations to create a culture that is anti-burnout.

Hi, I’m Grant. I write Sustain, a weekly newsletter about how to prevent burnout from work based on research and my own experience. It’s a fresh approach called Holistic Burnout Prevention which treats the causes, not the symptoms of burnout. Join me and let’s create a world without burnout. Subscribe >