How to Prevent Burnout in Corporate Culture
Burnout isn’t just a personal issue - it’s a workplace epidemic. Discover how your corporate culture can be a shield against burnout, not a contributor.
In today’s fast paced world, most companies require employees to be able to handle a fast-paced environment, tight deadlines and pressure. This isn’t about removing all of this, no meetings, no deadlines and pure zen 24/7. We can be realistic with where our company is at AND create a culture that puts peoples wellbeing first. I want you to realise you don’t have to choose.
Recognising the Early Signs of Burnout Among Employees
Too often early warning signs can be missed, so being aware of these and regularly checking in, especially during busy periods, is essential.
Common indicators include:
Chronic Exhaustion: Employees consistently appearing tired or drained, even after adequate rest or a break off work. They might say “I’m fine” but you can tell they’re not.
Decreased Engagement: A noticeable decline in enthusiasm or commitment to work tasks. Seeing someone who is usually a ball of energy seem to be quite flat – and not just for a day but consistently.
Increased Irritability: Heightened sensitivity or frustration over minor issues. This might be crying or becoming more stressed.
Reduced Productivity: A drop in performance levels or output quality. What normally would take someone an hour seems to take a whole day.
Tip: Something important to remember is, people get tired, their engagement can fluctuate, they can sometimes be more irritable and be less productive. We are all human and we all have our days when we’re just not at our best. As a leader you want to stay attuned to these signs, keep an eye on how long it has been happening for and check in.
Be aware of these factors and make it a regular practice to check in with your team.
Something I have found to be highly effective is to introduce a wellbeing check in, into regular 1:1s, which involve the following questions:
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your current stress levels? What’s contributing to that?
How are you feeling about your workload? Is it manageable?
Do you feel like you have the resources and support you need to do all your tasks effectively at the moment?
Are there any tasks or projects that feel overwhelming right now?
How has your work-life balance been recently?
Is there anything I can do differently as a manager to support you better at the moment?
The Role of Leadership in Reducing Workplace Stress
As a leader, you play a pivotal role in shaping the workplace environment. This isn’t just to reduce stress, as sometimes a little stress inevitable, but it’s to provide support when your team are stressed so that it doesn’t reach burnout.
Encourage Open Communication: Foster a culture where employees feel safe to voice concerns without fear of retribution. Consider how you respond to a team member saying they feel stressed, or their workload is too high?
Set Realistic Expectations: Ensure that goals are achievable, and workloads are manageable. Busy periods are normal but think about how you can communicate upcoming busy periods, provide time off in lieu if employees work extra hours or how you can increase resources during this time.
Model Work-Life Balance: Set an example of how you can have a healthy balance and show that it's acceptable to disconnect outside of working hours. Your team will be looking to you to understand what is required of them – do you email out of hours? Do you work late every evening? Do you take a lunch break?
Provide Resources: Offer tools, training and support that helps employees to recognise and manage stress effectively. Could you work with an expert to provide workshops and coaching?
Consider how these elements can be applied at your company and within your team to create a supportive atmosphere that mitigates stress and fosters resilience.
Creating a Supportive Work Environment
The environment we spend most of our time in has such a huge impact on us. You may have been in work environments where you felt very supported and others when you didn’t – do you remember the impact they had on you?
A positive work environment is foundational to employee wellbeing, and employees who feel their best are able to bring their best selves, their best ideas, their best solutions and creativity to work. Reflect on the following strategies and how these could be implemented at your workplace:
Promote Inclusivity: Cultivate a sense of belonging where diverse perspectives are valued. Do employees feel like they can bring their true self to work? Do they feel like they can share their perspective if it’s different?
Recognise Achievements: Regularly acknowledge and celebrate employee accomplishments. How can you show people you care about them?
Encourage Collaboration: Facilitate teamwork and open dialogue among team members. In a hybrid working world this is even more important; how can you bring the team together to foster a collaborative environment?
Provide Growth Opportunities: Support professional development through training, coaching and progression. Do your team know what development opportunities are available to them? How can this be clearly or how could you introduce something, like an employee coaching programme?
Helping employees feel valued and supported enhances job satisfaction and also reduces the risk of burnout.
Tip: The key here is to follow through on these initiatives! It might sounds obvious but too many companies say they promote inclusivity but the employees know that isn’t the case.
Offering Employee Wellness Programmes
Investing in employee wellness is a proactive way to support your team and prevent burnout. Ensuring this is aligned with your company values and culture, rather than just trying to put a band-aid on issues, is essential. Think about how this can be meaningful and impactful for your team.
When developing a wellness programme, consider your people goals and the needs of employees – could you do a survey to gather data or create some focus groups to gain a better understanding of what employees want. If you have a wellness programme already, take this as an opportunity to gather feedback and review its effectiveness.
A wellness programme might include workshops, access to coaching, therapy, or other resources that truly support employees. If you want to discuss how I could partner with you to create a bespoke wellness programme, get in touch.
Flexible Work Arrangements
Flexibility in how, when, and where work is done can significantly alleviate stress. Offering remote work options, flexible hours, compressed workweeks, or job-sharing arrangements can help employees balance their professional and personal lives more effectively.
By allowing individuals more control over their working week, companies can boost job satisfaction, enhance productivity, and reduce the risk of burnout. Prioritising flexibility demonstrates a commitment to employee well-being and fosters a culture of trust and mutual respect.
How can you create a clear policy, so everyone feels on the same page and the rules aren’t different per team.
Burnout: The Bottom Line
Supporting individuals whilst working in HR and now as a coach, I know that burnout can stem from so many different factors. What I have seen support individuals time and again is knowing they are valued, having clear expectations, an open culture, flexibility, and support - helping them see that they are enough and that they aren’t imposters. Often, the difference between being burnt out and thriving is down to mindset. By fostering an environment that prioritises these elements, organisations can create a culture where employees feel empowered, supported, and resilient.
Book a free discovery call to find out how I can help you to support your employees.
