Burnout has a significant impact on individuals and organisations alike, resulting in negative outcomes for both groups.
Impact on individuals
Burnout affects individuals both mentally and physically, with long periods of burnout contributing to long term, serious health problems such as heart disease and diabetes, according to a 2017 study.
Burnout can also have detrimental effects on your emotional and mental wellbeing, in extreme cases causing depression. It can take time to recover from professional burnout, with many of the signs of it spilling over into people’s personal lives too.
Losses for companies
Lower employee retention
Burned out employees lack a personal connection to their job, and feelings of being overwhelmed can cause them to want to distance themselves from their current job. According to research by Gallup, burned out employees are 2.6 times more likely to be actively seeking a different job. This results in lower employee retention, and therefore morale in the workplace.
Higher costs for mental health
Burnout is caused by poor mental health and workplace stress, which only incurs more costs for employers. Work by Stanford researchers has found that in the US, workplace stress costs employers a total of between $125 to $190 billion per year, a considerable cost that is ultimately avoidable.
In fact, protecting employees’ mental health isn’t just good for avoiding burnout, but also is beneficial for business. Research by the World Health Organisation shows that for every $1 put into mental health care; there is a return of $4 in improved health and productivity.
How to balance workplace stress and career progression
Workplace stress and burnout are traditionally associated with personal failure or weakness. Many people feel that if they disclose that they are suffering to superiors, their chances of progression will be affected. The pressure to be productive and high-achieving means that professionals are highly likely to compromise their wellbeing in order to secure promotions.
But what happens when your energy and motivation has been depleted because of burnout? When workplace stress is ignored, it can pose more of a threat to career progression in the long term if employees find themselves burned out and unable to do their jobs to the best of their ability.
The impact of burnout on career progression
The mental exhaustion that burnout causes means that employees suffering from this extreme form of workplace stress will inevitably not be able to set or achieve goals, which doesn’t bode well for career progression.
Research by Gallup shows that burned out employees are 13% less confident in their performance and are half as likely to discuss how to approach performance goals with their manager. This can be down to a lack of inspiration or motivation when employees are burned out.
Burnout can be difficult to recover from and potentially cost you promotions, so it poses a more significant risk to career progression than taking action to manage workplace stress.
Can wellbeing and career progression coexist?
The issue with the traditional approach to career progression is the notion that you must work non-stop and perform perfectly to climb the career ladder. This only further stigmatises workplace stress and continues to associate it with personal failure. In reality, stress is a part of our professional lives that we need to learn to effectively manage. Everyone experiences stress, so ignoring it only increases the likelihood of burnout later on in your career.
Looking at any career from a long-term perspective, avoiding burnout should go hand-in-hand with career progression. This is because maintaining a sense of wellbeing allows employees to be resilient and perform at their best. A report by McKinsey argues that wellbeing should be treated as “a tangible skill, a critical business input, and a measurable outcome” due to the benefits it can provide both employees and organisations.
Shifting attitudes and the values of a modern-day workplace don’t just recognise workplace stress as an issue but consider one’s ability to manage stress a strength. That strength will only support people throughout their career.
One of the best things you can do is lead the way and set an example by doing the following:
Be honest and open about your own struggles
It’s okay to make mistakes or have a bad week, but far too often we’re worried about telling people what’s going on. However, attitudes are shifting in the workplace and people are realising the importance of talking about wellbeing. If you feel comfortable doing so, you can inspire others to also be honest about any difficulties they’re facing. Every person who is open helps to create a supportive environment. After all, help can only be provided if people are willing to open up.
Set an example for prioritising your own wellbeing
Similarly, the more people see you (and others) making time for themselves and creating a clear boundary between work and life, the more they’ll feel comfortable doing the same. This means finishing the day at a decent time, taking your holidays and not responding out of office hours. It should be seen as a strength that people are looking after themselves, taking the time away from work as they need it, and returning refreshed and motivated. Even early on in your career, you can be an inspiration for looking after your own wellbeing.
Learn to recognise the signs of stress in others
Not everyone will feel comfortable talking about their emotions or their wellbeing. But if you can spot the signs of stress in others, rather than dismissing them as being uncooperative or rude, you could be a real source of support. It’s always best to ask someone if they’re okay, rather than add to their stress by responding poorly. When people are stressed, they may lash out at others or act out of character. It’s up to us how we respond, and it can be a great character trait – especially for career progression – to learn how to support those under stress.
Burnout doesn’t have to be the future for workers
The last year has been extremely difficult for all professionals. In a world where uncertainty is becoming a part of our new reality, building employee resilience needs to be a priority for all businesses if they want to avoid burnout and meet the needs of their people. And the signs are positive, with the COVID-19 pandemic acting as a catalyst for positive change in the way that we work. Burnout doesn’t have to be the future for workers, and changes at both an individual and organisational level are how we can get there.
Attitudes to workplace stress are changing
With attitudes to mental health shifting to recognise the importance of it in our lives, the way that workplace stress is looked at is also evolving. In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, we are also seeing it being taken more seriously by society, with many companies hugely improving the way they approach mental health and workplace stress. This social shift is what the world has needed to enact tangible, sustainable change.
Where wellbeing programs were once seen as a way to make employers seem more attractive or a surface-level ‘job perk’, they are now forming the foundations of a new workplace culture. It’s one that recognises that wellbeing is an integral part of any successful, sustainable business and makes investments in it at every level. Reducing employee stress and burnout is vital due to the potential benefits companies can reap in terms of productivity and engagement.
The future of work is wellbeing
Hopefully, we will see wellbeing more widely evolve from a company perk to a tangible skill that all employees are encouraged to develop. Not to mention it will provide a real competitive edge for companies going forward. And examples are coming to light of companies driving employee wellbeing forward. Buffer introduced an ‘Unsick Day’ which is a day off dedicated to preventative care, Accenture has its own app which rewards employees for accomplishing key wellness goals and Hilton is one of the first hospitality companies to partner with a start-up that offers corporate wellness training. These are just a handful of examples. With research by European HR firm Personio confirming that 83% of employees agree that a workplace that prioritises wellbeing helps them to be more productive, more companies are likely to take notice.
Dr. Chris Mullen, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, SPHR, Executive Director at The Workforce Institute at UKG reflects on the importance of wellbeing in the modern organisation: “As organisations around the world operate through an unprecedented global pandemic, they need to double down on their employee experience strategy. However, instead of looking for trendy perks, they must get back to the foundational needs every employee requires: physical safety, psychological security, job stability, and flexibility.”
The future of work doesn’t have to cause stress, anxiety and burnout. And the power lies with organisations to take all that we’ve learned over the last year or so and create work environments that foster creativity, positivity and growth.
For more information on how to enhance your employees’ wellbeing in a remote workplace, check out our complete guide.
Useful links and resources
Calmer: Dealing with Stress at Work Guide
Mind, the mental health charity’s Workplace page
Mental Health Foundation: Work-life balance
Mind: Dealing with burnout while working from home
Life Horizons 