Nine Ways to Address Employee Burnout Before It's Too Late

Increasing burnout and anxiety are not surprising given the extraordinary crises of the last two years (e.g., COVID-19 with a global death toll over 6 million and its subsequent variants, rising inflation, protests about racial injustice, supply chain shortages, war in Ukraine). Leaders should be aware that a potential recession could exacerbate anxiety among employees, especially if they are forced to increase their workloads as a result of layoffs.

In March 2022, The Conference Board’s fourth Reimagined Workplace study found that 77% of the participating US HR leaders reported an increase in the number of employees who identified as being burned out since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Another recent survey found that half of workers (50%) report their mental health has deteriorated since the start of the pandemic. Part of the increasing voluntary turnover of the Great Resignation can be attributed to employees who are taking new jobs because they don’t think they’ll have to work as hard.

The Conference Board recommends nine ways to address employee burnout:

1. Recognize the symptoms of burnout. Burnout is often reflected with higher stress, loss of motivation, negative personality change, and a sense of helplessness.
2. Give your employees as much schedule and work location flexibility as feasible. Employees are demanding the flexibility they’ve become used and voting with their feet to find it.
3. Set boundaries while staying flexible. Employees want to be able disconnect at the end of normal working hours and want to take “no-work” vacation days without guilt.
4. Conduct stay-interviews with all employees. Managers should check in with each employee to see if current workloads are manageable and if there are signs of burnout.
5. Train all leaders and employees to develop their personal resilience skills.At a minimum, employees should receive training on focus, pragmatic optimism, and empathy.
6. Tangibly thank all employees. Give all employees extra paid time off to thank them (e.g., an extra day off around a holiday)
7. Recognize the efforts made by those employees who go above and beyond. While verbally thanking your superstars is appreciated, consider a one-time “thank you” performance bonus or salary increase.
8. Ensure your compensation strategy doesn’t disadvantage employees who have stayed with you. By paying higher salaries to new employees, you significantly disincent existing workers.
9. Continue to prioritize your employees’ well-being and communicate care and support. And if you’re not sure what is causing burnout or how to fix it, ask your employees anonymously. You might be surprised at what you learn. 

For a deeper dive, see an April 2022 op ed in HRO Today, Addressing Burnout.