📫#31 Burnout Is Real. Take It Easy!
The burnout fairy can come to us all (especially at this time of year). Make sure you're trying these strategies to stay at the top of your game.
As people professionals, we we have a wide range of responsibilities and obligations that need time, effort, patience and our utmost focus. From recruiting and onboarding new employees, to managing payroll and benefits, to handling performance evaluations and disciplinary actions, the list of duties that we, not to mention the fires we have to put out and the ‘No, you really do need to have a Health and Safety Policy’ conversations we have can seem endless.
💪 Workin’ ‘ard or hardly working?
While it may be tempting to take on as much work as possible in an effort to prove our worth and to do our part in ensuring the company we work for becomes, or remains a company that others enjoy working for, it is pretty important to recognize that overburdening ourselves with too much stuff can and will eventually lead to burnout.
Burnout is a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that can result from chronic stress. Most often work-related, but when the pressures of real life are also weighing heavy on us during a downturn, or cost of living crisis, it sometimes doesn’t take much to push us over the edge. Burnout is characterized by feelings of cynicism and detachment from work, decreased productivity, and a lack of accomplishment. That we feel those things in the first place is a cause for concern, but when our primary jobs are making sure other people don’t feel them, it adds an additional element of complexity. It’s hard to help others if you’re feeling cynical, ‘Oh, really. Thanks Captain Obvious’. Burnout can have serious consequences for both the individual experiencing it and the organization as a whole.
🤡 It can’t be that bad, can it?
The effects of burnout on us people professionals is particularly damaging. The People team is, obviously, responsible for the well-being of our employees, and when we are burnt out, we are less able to provide the support and guidance that employees need, or at least the type of support and guidance they need. Burnout can also lead to high turnover rates among people staff, resulting in a loss of institutional knowledge and expertise, as well as the additional costs and disruptions associated with recruiting and training new employees.
It also sets a bad example. We don’t want our employees working until they’re burnt out, do we? So we need to set good examples and manage ourselves.
💡 Try these ideas for avoiding burnout
So how can you reduce you workload and avoid burnout? Here are a few strategies to consider (none of which, by the way, are earth-shatteringly new information, but more a gentle reminder of things you should already know):
📋 Prioritize tasks and delegate when possible. Not all tasks are created equal, and it is important to prioritize the most important and urgent tasks while delegating less critical ones to others. This can help to reduce the overall workload and ensure that the most important tasks are completed when they need to be. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 20+ years of working in software, is that something is always on fire and that, to do well in this industry, you need to be OK with a little bit of fire🔥.
🍩 Take regular breaks and make time for self-care. It is important to take regular breaks throughout the day to give the mind and body a chance to rest and recharge - some yoga, a bit of meditation, go and punch a cushion or walk the dog. Making time for self-care activities such as exercise, hobbies, and socializing with friends and family can also help to prevent burnout.
💁♀️ Seek support from colleagues and managers. We are not alone in our struggles, and seeking support from colleagues and managers can help to alleviate feelings of isolation and overwhelm. Sharing workloads and collaborating on projects can also help to reduce your workload.
🤖 Implement technology solutions to automate routine tasks. ROBOTS can be a great ally in the fight against burnout. By implementing solutions that automate routine tasks such as scheduling and payroll, onboarding and taking surveyes, automation can free up time and energy to focus on more strategic and rewarding work.
🧱 Set boundaries and communicate expectations. It is important for people professionals to set boundaries with colleagues and managers to ensure that their workload is manageable. This can include setting clear expectations for response times to emails and requests, as well as communicating the need for regular breaks and time off. Again, lead by example.
Burnout is a serious issue that can have some pretty smelly negative consequences for both us people professionals and the organizations we work for. By prioritizing tasks, taking breaks to recharge your emotional batteries, seeking support (even if it’s uncomfortable or awkward), asking robots for help, and setting boundaries, we can reduce our workload and prevent burnout. Taking these steps allow us to continue to provide the support and guidance that employees need while maintaining our own well-being.