The results of a recent poll on people in the workplace really paint a bleak picture. Research shows 76% of people feel burned out at work, and 28% of them say it’s “very often” or “always.” That’s startling. Someone who feels burned out feels a state of physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress. It is usually not because their coworkers are mean or the work is unfulfilling. It’s usually because the people tasked with managing them are making the job harder. As a leader, that should grab your attention.
With most leaders, as you go, so goes the team. If you’re a football coach, the players react to your game plan and attitude. If you’re a CEO, the company follows your vision and leadership. No matter where you are leading, the same holds true in your sphere of influence. Productivity is often tied to morale, and morale takes a huge dip when people feel mismanaged. The hard part is that those in leadership don’t always realize their actions are driving people towards burnout. Are you wearing people out with your style? Here are 3 things that contribute to your employees’ burnout.
1. OVERmanaging
What does overmanaging look like? Stopping by an employee’s desk multiple times per day, repeating yourself just to make sure you’re heard, and making endless requests. It all induces stress, and, even if you are a well-meaning leader, it leaves people burned out. People want to feel competent and capable, not babysat. Eventually, no matter how pure your intentions as a leader, people who feel overmanaged will tune you out or just up and leave you. If you’re a hands-on leader, beware that your controlling style may be pushing people toward burnout.
What should leaders do instead?
Trust that you have put the right people in the right positions in your organization. This may stretch you as a leader because it will require you to be more hands-off. Evaluate periodically, but don’t give in to the understandable desire to touch every project. Trust that the people you hired will do what you hired them to do.
2. OVERasking
There is value in trying to improve incrementally. Weightlifters bulk up by adding a few pounds to each session until eventually, they start lifting heavier amounts. Good leadership does this. Asking people to “inch up” a little at a time builds workplace muscle. What’s unfair is to ask people to lift too much too fast. Heaping loads of work on someone because you think they can handle it isn’t fair, healthy, or good for them. It’s the same as asking the guy who can bench press 150 pounds to make the overnight jump up to 200. In the gym, that leads to injury. In the workplace, that becomes burnout.
Leaders can easily slip into the “too much” pattern. We overask by giving people too much to do or tasks they are not trained to do. If your goal is to motivate people, there are better ways to do it than overasking.
What should leaders do instead?
Give people adequate time to finish assignments without adding more to their to-do lists. Productivity suffers when employees have too many things to focus on at once. Have regular conversations about workload, mental capacity, and proper training to avoid burnout. Schedule check-ins where employees can express any concerns. Ask them questions and address issues they may have.
3. OVERlooking
A little praise goes a long way. Gallup found that only one in three workers in the U.S. strongly agree that they received recognition or praise for doing good work in the past seven days. That means most people felt overlooked or underrecognized, making employee retention a challenge. Gallup noted employees who feel overlooked and unrecognized “are twice as likely to say they’ll quit in the next year.”
What should leaders do instead?
Practice giving genuine praise. Leaders should give compliments often and make it a regular habit to celebrate others’ achievements. Tell them their value. Tell them why you appreciate them and their work. Their contributions matter, and they need to hear it from leadership. That reassurance minimizes burnout. They’ll be less likely to wonder what the point is of going to work. They’ll know you see them as a valuable part of your team, and they’ll work hard as a result.
If you’re only critical and rarely complimentary, people will dread being around you. Recognize your employees’ problem-solving skills, willingness to help coworkers, and effort. The most important element to your praise is that it be truly genuine.
What is one step you can take this week to minimize burnout? Share in a comment.
