Burnout – and what you can do as a Middle Manager

Since the Covid-19 pandemic started taking control of the world in the first half of 2020, businesses shut their doors and people started working from home.

The pandemic also brought about a new phenomenon known as The Great Resignation, which according to Wikipedia, is an economic trend in which employees voluntarily resign from their jobs en masse, beginning in early 2021, primarily in the United States. 4 million Americans quit their jobs in July 2021 alone. In November, it was 4.5 million.

This phenomenon was not peculiar to the USA. Globally, other wealthy nations are seeing the same patterns. In countries like China, Japan and Germany, the percentage of people who say that work is “very important” is fast dipping, with more and more people rethinking how they want to live their lives amidst the pandemic.

Prolonged work-from-home, large swathes of people resigning, increased pressure to keep business running and blurred lines between work and home have created the perfect recipe for burnout.

Burnout is not a medical condition

Previously defined as a symptom of stress, the World Health Organization revised its definition of burnout to a “syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed,” in its International Classification of Diseases diagnostic manual. Incidentally, the revision, which now classifies burnout as a result of occupation and not a medical condition, came into effect just last month (January 2022).

Indeed’s survey reported in March 2021 that over 52% of its respondents were feeling burned out, and an even greater number (67%) believed the feeling had worsened as the pandemic dragged on.

Whose fault is it?

When others quit their jobs, someone else has to pick up the pieces. The workload multiplies and the pressure intensifies. The feeling of drowning is experienced frequently.

Burnout is real, and it is here. Chances are, at least one person in your team is experiencing symptoms of burnout, which includes feelings of exhaustion and negativism, and reduced efficacy at work.

When someone in your team calls in sick and says he’s not going to be well for a while because he had experienced burnout, take a step back and ask yourself: “Could this have been prevented? Did I do enough to know what was going on before burnout happened?”.

Managing your team

While you’re most likely not able to manage all aspects of your employees’ life, you can do your part to make sure that they don’t trip and fall into the burnout abyss. With your support, they will know that they have a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on.

Here are a few ways you – as a Manager – can help your employees get through this unprecedented phase in their work and home lives.

1. Have regular conversations

2. Show empathy

3. Prioritise their workload

4. Help them learn to say “No”

5. Motivate, motivate, motivate

1. Have regular conversations

When was the last time you had a one-on-one with each member of your team? Was the agenda packed with work items, or did you leave some space for talking about how your employee was feeling? Did you ask how the work from home situation was going for them? How their kids were faring with disruptions or having to wear masks in school? Or how their elderly and ailing folks were doing? With each new variant, things can change quickly for people, so it’s good to have regular catch-ups with them to understand how they are doing at work and at home.

2. Show empathy

What if your employee says that his home is not conducive for work, or that he is facing difficulties with his parents’ frequent visits to the hospital for their medical appointments? Show that you care by actively listening to them, and by taking notes (if needed). You’re not going to be able to solve all their problems, but you can try to get your employee to consider alternatives. If someone says their home is not conducive for working, how about working from the office once or twice a week, or even working from a co-working space? If someone has to shuttle their elderly parents to and from the hospital regularly, allow them to manage their working hours. By doing this, you show you care – you’ve listened to them, and you’re enabling them to find solutions.

3. Prioritise their workload

A person experiencing burnout is one who has all his tasks stacked in the urgent AND important quadrant on the Eisenhower matrix. They’re unable to differentiate between what’s important or unimportant, and what’s urgent or non-urgent, causing them to carry the full load on their shoulders at all times. Probably the only thing this is going to cause is a collapse. When you receive a cry for help, discuss your employee’s workload with her. Help her develop a schedule for each task’s completion or delivery. With your help, she’ll see that not everything was required yesterday. Help her understand how to use the matrix for future tasks.

4. Help them learn to say “No”

Junior employees with aspirations inadvertently tend to become people pleasers. They don’t have the ability or courage to say “No” to requests that are thrown at them. When helping them prioritise their work, get them to reflect on their task list. Are there things that should not even be done by them? How did they end up with them? Who made the request or assigned them with the task? And most importantly, did they get the opportunity to discuss it before agreeing to it? Teach them to say “No” to jobs that clearly belong to someone else, or which they can’t do in the time required. If they’re unable to, empower them to inform the requestor to discuss it with you first, so that you can make the call.

5. Motivate, motivate, motivate

When the going gets tough and the load is building, there are several ways to keep your team motivated at work. Instead of the mundane routine, see how you can shake things up. It’s a great way to reignite the spark at work. Celebrate progress, not just completion. The journey is just as important as the goal – so offer your employees the encouragement and the ‘oil’ needed to reach the finish line! When you motivate, your employees will be encouraged to do the same – not just for their teammates, but also for others. Motivation is contagious.