Mitigating employee burnout: Managing with care

With the massive talent drain we experience in Sri Lanka, one common complaint from the existing employees is the additional workload they have to carry. It may result in employee burnout, with dire consequences. I came across recent research done on this pertinent aspect with its implications. Today’s column is all about employee burnout with relevance to Sri Lankan workplaces. 

Overview 

Employee burnout is nothing new. It raises its ugly head whenever there is a turbulence in workplaces. It can be simply described as a specific type of workplace discomfort, distress or dissatisfaction with exhaustion affecting physically, mentally, and emotionally. It may lead to one distancing from work and overall reduction of productivity. 

Dawn Klinghoffer, Head of People Analytics at Microsoft and Katie Kirkpatrick-Husk, Manager of Employee Listening at Microsoft published an interesting article in the Sloan Management Review with an apt title, “With burnout on the rise, what can companies do about it?.” The article refers to Microsoft’s most recent global survey of workers across multiple industries and companies, what they call the Work Trend Index where 48% of employees reported feeling burned out at work. As they observe, this is a startling statistic that shows how an old problem is taking on new meaning in a more uncertain world.

As they further observe, “demographic data from the Work Trend Index shows that burnout is prevalent among people of all ages but is 11 percentage points worse for centennials (Generation Z ) and millennials (Generation Y) (53%) — those in the early phase of their career or rising leaders — than for baby boomers (42%)”. Fixing burnout starts with listening intently to employees to identify the warning signs, and then working proactively to address issues before they arise. 

Essentials of employee burnout 

Christina Maslach, a researcher and professor at the University of California, Berkley, has been studying the science behind burnout for decades, and her work contributed to the World Health Organization declaring burnout a “workplace phenomenon” in 2019. She defines burnout as a psychological response resulting from chronic stress in the workplace that shows up through three primary symptoms: feelings of exhaustion, feelings of cynicism and detachment, and a perceived lack of accomplishment. 

As Dawn and Katie observe, most people are familiar with workplace stressors like escalating demands or a lack of recognition. When these stressors start to add up and weigh on employees and are coupled with a response of feeling cynical about their jobs and less confident in their own abilities, the problem compounds and people start to experience true burnout. According to them, addressing burnout begins with understanding the signals across the organisation and then focusing on actions you can take.

“Although the Work Trend Index asked employees whether they felt burned out, it did not specifically address exhaustion, cynicism, and lack of accomplishment. Measuring all of the dimensions of burnout is important to provide more accurate statistics and determine more precise mitigating actions, which may vary depending on the burnout profile employees are experiencing.”

Our authors further elaborate. “At Microsoft, our semiannual internal engagement survey focuses on the core concept of thriving and how we can help people feel energised and empowered to do meaningful work. To gauge burnout, this internal research gets more specific about Maslach’s three dimensions of burnout —exhaustion, cynicism, and feelings of a lack of accomplishment. Our findings indicate that there are correlations between these burnout symptoms and key employee outcomes like turnover or feeling unproductive.”

What could be the possible implications? As Dave and Katie state, people experiencing all three dimensions of burnout are four times more likely to leave the company compared with employees experiencing none. While self-reported productivity tends to be lower in employees experiencing any single dimension of burnout (around 13 points on our 100-point scale), in our most recent survey it was an average of 22 points lower for employees experiencing all three burnout dimensions.

As the survey highlighted, a significantly smaller group of employees experience all three dimensions of burnout. This means it is not too late to help people, and digging into the specific stressors showing up in the data provides a pathway to act. It is a case of being better late than never. 

Addressing burnout issues 

As the article illustrated, most companies address burnout with efforts like encouraging vacations, hosting company gatherings, or making mindfulness apps available to employees. These are all valid options, and they do help people recharge, but they do not necessarily address the underlying source of people’s exhaustion or detachment. Once people return from a vacation, for instance, the conditions that caused their detachment often simply resume. This is relevant to Sri Lanka as well. 

“This is where understanding the sentiments in context can also provide a path for action. If feeling unappreciated is a symptom, think about how to help people feel recognised for their accomplishments. “If the problem is lack of control over a flood of projects, consider how to give employees more agency and empowerment to prioritise their work,” authors observed. 

Dawn and Katie highlight actors related to people’s careers — such as feeling that their career goals can be met and that their job makes good use of their skills and abilities — show up as top drivers related to increased feelings of accomplishment and reduced feelings of cynicism. Having time for learning and support for flexible work are top ways to remediate exhaustion. They have also found patterns as employees climb the organisational chart. For example, people experience more exhaustion as they move into management and the executive ranks, but they also may experience less cynicism because they can see more clearly how their work relates to the company strategy.

Remedial recommendations 

Based on the survey results, Dawn and Katie propose several key recommendations. Let us look at them and see the applicability to Sri Lankan context. 

1. Focus on priorities that help people thrive 

Based on Microsoft experience, it is important to focus on the idea of thriving: being supported to prioritise your most impactful work; seeing evidence of positive culture change; feeling safe to speak up; and engaging deeply with work you care about and being able to visualise progress. It boils down to dominant leadership style and in Sri Lanka I have seen both the presence and absence of it. 

2. Make career growth a top concern

Based on the research findings, supporting a person through their career journey is of the utmost importance and the foremost driver of thriving. This includes paying attention to people’s career aspirations and providing opportunities to build their skills. According to the Work Trend Index, 76% of employees would stay at their company longer if they could benefit more from learning and development support. This can be a challenge during stagnating times due to economic uncertainties as we Sri Lankans experienced. 

3. Build a culture that promotes psychological safety 

Many research findings show that it is critical to create space at work where people feel safe to be themselves and are empowered to speak up. In the Microsoft survey, it was seen that when employees are experiencing true burnout, they score “I feel safe to speak up” 37 points lower than employees experiencing no burnout dimensions. Sri Lankan workplaces can do a lot more in this respect and a significant responsibility lies with the Human Resource professionals. 

4. Recognise that managers can have an immense impact on employee burnout

Managers can help people prioritise meaningful work, which is another principal factor related to burnout. As the survey results revealed, employees experiencing burnout rate the prioritisation support they receive from managers 33 points lower than employees experiencing none of the burnout dimensions. Are Sri Lankan managers oriented enough to think and act in this direction is a question mark. With increased pressure to perform, their priorities might differ. 

5.Continually listen and establish an ongoing dialogue 

As we aspire for employees to thrive, the most essential element is the organisation’s commitment to continually listening, acting on feedback, and measuring progress. The more that people feel that they have an open dialogue with their employer, the more productive conversations can become, which leads to clearer actions. When employees see that concerns are addressed, it also creates an incentive to share more. Sri Lankan managers can do more on this respect in becoming better listeners. 

Way forward 

“But what happens when you work hard at something unfulfilling? It drains your spirit. It robs you of your life force. You end up depleted, depressed, and angry.” That is how Oprah Winfrey comments on burnout. As Dawn and Katie observe, it is important for everyone in an organisation to develop a shared understanding of what burnout truly means, how to recognise the warning signs, and what actions they can take to mitigate burnout at all levels. 

“Self-care is your fuel…Whatever the road ahead or the path you’ve taken, self-care is what keeps your motor running and your wheels turning,” so said Melissa Steginus. The main aim should be for all to work together to create a positive environment where employees have energy and empowerment towards excellence. Such kind of meaningful work need to be fostered in Sri Lanka workplaces despite economic challenges forcing excessive work. 

(The writer, a Senior Professor in Management, and an Independent Non-executive Director, can be reached at [email protected], [email protected] or www.ajanthadharmasiri.info.)