How to prevent employee burnout: A critical issue across industries

What is employee burnout? 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines employee burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.  

In the past, burnout was not taken as seriously, with exhaustion being its only acknowledged symptom. However, in more recent years, the WHO upgraded its status, calling it a “occupational phenomenon” and providing a detailed set of symptoms highlighting its seriousness and the dangers of burnout.  

The prevalence of burnout 

A recent survey conducted by Mental Health UK and YouGov revealed alarming statistics emphasising the urgent need for organisations to understand and address burnout. 

• 1 in 5 UK workers needed to take time off work due to stress in the past year.  

• 23% of UK workers reported that their workplace had a plan to identify signs of chronic stress and prevent burnout.  

• 79% of British employees have experienced burnout symptoms in the past year (YouGov). 

 What causes employee burnout?  – Insights from our clients 

The truth is, burnout is not a challenge confined to a particular industry but a cross-sector ‘phenomenon’ to use the words of the WHO.  

Through partnering with our clients across a variety of industries, we highlight just SOME of the examples from particularly hard-hit sectors – do any one these sound familiar? 

Legal: The enormous demands, long hours, and intense pressure faced by legal professionals make them highly susceptible to burnout. Providing employee benefit support such as mental health services, flexible working hours, and wellness programmes can help mitigate stress and improve overall wellbeing. 

Healthcare: Constant exposure to high-stress situations and the emotional toll of patient care contribute to burnout among healthcare workers. Offering benefits like counselling services, stress management workshops, and adequate time off can support their mental health and resilience. 

Finance: The pressure to meet financial targets and manage substantial workloads can lead to significant stress. Implementing employee support programmes including financial wellness resources, mental health support, and work-life balance initiatives can help alleviate this stress. 

Education: Teachers and educational staff often deal with demanding schedules and emotional strain, leading to burnout. Benefits such as professional development opportunities, mental health resources, and flexible scheduling can provide crucial support. 

Technology: The fast-paced nature of the tech industry and the need for constant innovation can create a high-stress environment. Employee benefits such as innovation time, mental health days, and wellness programmes can help reduce stress and promote a healthier work environment. 

Burnout is affecting a substantial number of businesses, with certain sectors facing heightened challenges due to the nature of their industries and the demands on employees. Flexible working has intensified this issue; although it can improve work/life balance, it often results in employees working far beyond expected hours. Businesses need to support employees in setting boundaries. 

Addressing employee burnout 

With the Labour government planning to launch the “right to switch off,” many companies have measures to address burnout when it occurs, but more efforts are needed to understand its causes, recognise its symptoms, and proactively prevent it. 

How to prevent employee burnout? Forewarned is forearmed  

Understanding burnout and its causes is one of the best was to combat it in your workplace. 

According to the WHO, burnout can be diagnosed if an employee exhibits the following symptoms: 

• Exhaustion or energy depletion 

• Decreased engagement at work or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job 

• Reduced productivity or efficacy 

The negative effects of burnout can extend beyond work, impacting employees’ home and social lives and increasing their risk of illness or chronic conditions. 

How to avoid employee burnout in your organisation 

Since burnout results from prolonged and chronic workplace stress, recognising its signs early is crucial. While it may not be possible to eliminate job stress entirely, organisations can help employees manage it effectively. Common job stressors include heavy workloads, intense performance pressure, job insecurity, long work hours, excessive travel, office politics, and conflicts with colleagues. 

Here are some strategies to help reduce employee stress and improve health, morale, and productivity: 

• Evaluate workloads: Ensure workloads are appropriate by assessing performance, setting manageable targets and discussing with employees. 

• Facilitate communication: Have managers meet regularly with employees to maintain transparent communication. 

• Address negative actions: Tackle bullying, discrimination, and other negative behaviours immediately. 

• Recognise successes: Celebrate employee achievements to boost morale and reduce stress. 

• Promote work-life balance: Encourage a healthy balance between work and personal life. 

• Encourage exercise: Promote physical activity as a proven stress-reliever. 

• Utilise paid time off: Encourage employees to take advantage of their paid time off. 

• Incorporate breaks: Organise company-sponsored activities to give employees a reason to take breaks. 

• Train managers: Equip managers with the skills to keep employees engaged, motivated, and to address burnout effectively. 

What does good look like? 

Proactive businesses put in place several measures to support their managers, and their people avoid the typical causes of burn out by:  

• Helping employees understand the signs of burnout and educate line managers to spot the symptoms. Encourage a balanced use of annual leave 

• Communicating the importance of wellbeing initiatives/focus days to manage wellbeing and workload  

• Making the most of their existing employee benefits package – too often benefits are mistakenly seen by employees as a reactive support feature when many employee benefit solutions now encompass a range of proactive support features.  

To find out more about how employee benefits could help you decrease / prevent burnout in your organisation contact our friendly team of advisers today.