From Senior Managers to New Employees: How to Reduce Burnout

Posted by Brandon Kostelic June 03, 2022

A recent Deloitte survey highlights a concerning trend: 77% of people (and 84% of millennials) report feeling burned out at their current job.

Left unaddressed, burnout can have major consequences, such as excessive stress, fatigue, insomnia, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

Children can add extra challenges. Some of my closest friends have little kids, and when the pandemic hit, those friends were now playing teacher on top of playing parent and professional. Zoom University doesn’t work for all students, and it’s tough for parents to navigate.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take — whether you manage someone or not — to reduce the potential for burnout.

For Managers

Identify Signs of Burnout

The National Institute of Mental Health reports only half of all people experiencing mental health conditions get help. That means some employees may be struggling silently.

While burnout itself isn’t a medical diagnosis, it has an impact on physical and mental health. If you notice employees becoming extra critical or irritable at work, arriving or logging on late, having trouble maintaining focus throughout the day, and feeling unsatisfied with their achievements, they may be experiencing burnout.

Sit down with your employee to chat, and discuss potential resources or training. Having a trusted person to talk with can help.

Set Boundaries

The pandemic has adjusted the standard workday. When working remotely, it’s easy to fall into a groove. Suddenly, you look up and it’s 8 or 9 o’clock at night.

As a manager, set the example that it’s okay to end the day at a normal time. If you must respond to emails at night, schedule them for the next morning. When employees, especially new hires, see an email from their boss arrive at night, they feel obligated to reply, even if they had been relaxing. That’s not good for anyone.

Have Trust in Your Employees

Micromanagers and clock watchers are stewards of burnout. Some software measures mouse and keyboard usage — can you imagine the pressure that puts on employees?

Instead, trust your employees to get their jobs done. You hired them for a reason, and offering that autonomy will help with productivity. Let them know it’s okay to see the dentist or run an errand during the day.

An open culture goes a long way. Don’t be afraid to encourage it.

For Employees

Set Time for Yourself

Two months into the pandemic, I started experiencing burnout. So, I joined a gym and set a time for myself to work out. Every day, I go to my 4 p.m. class. I leave my phone in my car and focus on myself. After the class, I return home to wrap up the workday.

Setting aside time for yourself is critical to overcoming burnout. We all need it, and eliminating it in favor of work doesn’t help. Keep this time consistent. If you say, “I want to set aside 30 minutes every day to read,” it probably won’t happen. But if you block off 30 minutes every day from, say, 1:30 to 2 p.m., you’re more likely to stick with it.

Get Enough Sleep

We all know the importance of sleep, yet we often don’t make a concerted effort to get enough of it. Have you ever fallen into a social media or TV vortex before bed?

Having a set sleep schedule has helped me. At 10:30 p.m., I’m starting to unwind. By 11, it’s lights off. I plug in my phone and keep it on the ground — far enough away that I have to get up to turn off the alarm.

Creating that regular time to go to sleep and wake up will help you feel more refreshed and energized throughout the day.

Break Up Your Day

Put breaks in your schedule to shape the rest of your day. For example, you might include a morning walk at 10:30 a.m. and reading a book outside at 2:30 p.m. With those breaks on your schedule, you can carve out your working hours around them.

Think of it like going to the water cooler at work. You would take those breaks normally throughout the day. Why should it be any different at home?

You can even use breaks to meet new people in the company. Reach out to a colleague for a quick call to see how they’re doing and chat about things outside of the workplace. Our brains need breaks, and this method helps keep our social skills sharp, too.

Have you ever experienced burnout? How did you address it? Share your strategies iin the comments below.

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