Burnout in Business

How to support your team

Being able to notice the signs of burnout build up in yourself is really important, this helps us take action before we become overwhelmed. Often we miss the early warning signs creeping in, so what if your role is supporting a team? How do you support others to notice these signs and how can you empower your team to take proactive steps to prioritise their own well-being.

Do you walk the walk? As leaders and managers it’s really important to role model the value of prioritising your well-being. If you are telling people to stick to their hours but you are not, it sends mixed messages. People will second guess what you are saying, do you really mean what you say or is working late a sign that you are dedicated to your job and that’s what it takes to get promoted? Showing others how you prioritise your own well-being and still deliver a good standard of work can be a really important tool. Rest is essential to be the best version of yourself at home and at work.

When demands increase and stress is high it is often felt by the whole team. It can be challenging supporting others with their stress levels when yours are through the roof. Think about what you are doing to promote your own well-being, are you practising what you preach? Your wellbeing is important too. Take some time before 1:1 meetings to check in with yourself, how are you feeling? What do you want to get out of the meeting? Can you take a few minutes before the meeting to step a way from the screen and do something calming – have a warm drink or glass of water, take a deep breath, walk around the block? Just a short calming activity can help to balance us, we can then go into meetings with our team with more space to support them.

If we want to prevent our team feeling burnout, we need to create a space where they feel able to turn up as their authentic self. Where they feel able to reach out when they need support and be honest about whether they are struggling. This feeling can be summed up as ‘psychological safety’, being able to be yourself without fear of negative consequences, and this is a crucial foundation to supporting your team. The reality is if our team are struggling and feel unable to tell us the impact of that will go unseen until the last possible moment and usually by this point, they have reached burnout. This could mean time off work, reduced workload and maybe questioning whether the job is right for them. Individuals can often withhold their struggles and the impact of their workload as they fear they will be judged negatively and it may impact their progression - “I won’t get promoted”, “they’ll think I can’t cope”, “it’s my job, I just need to get it done”.  As managers you may not see the price that is paid for the great work that is completed or the sale that is won, the cost may have been sleepless nights, poor relationships with loved ones, low mood and wondering if the job is for you!

As managers it’s important to create a space where your team can be human without feeling judgement. Be curious and not critical in your approach and people will feel more able to open up. Provide a space where people feel heard and valued as an individual and not only will you be able to  catch the early warning signs of burnout and add in support before they take hold but you will be able to support your team to thrive in their careers and create a role that they love. Everyone is different and not everyone will feel able to be open, many people have had bad experiences of being open in past jobs. Be consistent, role model well-being as a priority and build trust with your team.

As a leader ask yourself these key questions:

·       What am I doing to promote a feeling of psychological safety at work?

·       What might I be doing that invalidates psychological safety?

·       Am I role-modelling the importance of proactively looking after your well-being?

Written by Steph