Employee burnout is real, so what can managers do to help?

We live in a crazy world. Constant pressures put upon us by work, at home, with friends… do this, come to that, finish that project now. This modern way of life seems to be getting on top of a lot of us. And this is backed up by a report in June 2024 from the Boston Consulting Group. Over 11,000 frontline and desk-bound workers were surveyed across the UK, the US, France, Germany, Australia, Canada, India, and Japan. On average, 48% of these workers indicated that they were currently grappling with burnout. That’s nearly half, a worldwide figure, taking into account some of the richest countries in the world. 

So what about the UK specifically? How does burnout affect workers here?

In fact, it’s a similar picture, with a 2022 survey discovering that 46% of the UK working population are at risk of burnout. This then leads to a knock-on effect for managers and business owners, as the report also states that, “52% of workers have considered changing jobs with the majority (59%) stating mental health as the reason.”

In this article, we’ll take a deeper dive into these reports and surveys, finding out what causes these high burnout levels and what solutions managers and employers can provide to bring some relief to employees. It’s crucial to address this issue, bearing in mind that full-time workers in the UK spend nearly 20% of their lifetime at work. That figure shoots up to almost 30% if you’ve worked full time for 50 years. That’s either nearly a third or a fifth of your life! Spent at work!

It’s time to take action.

Burnout certainly isn’t just in the minds of loads of workers, it’s actually an “occupational phenomenon” as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO). While not seen as a medical condition, it’s recognised as a workplace hazard resulting from increased stress in the workplace. WHO defines it as, “a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

There are three main characteristics of burnout:

1. A lack of energy or feeling exhausted all of the time
2. Feeling negative and increasingly distant from your work
3. A reduction in work productivity

Burnout is a major occupational hazard that is becoming increasingly important to monitor and address. The World Health Organisation has been ramping up their focus on this very issue, including it in their development of evidence-based guidelines on mental health and well-being at work. So it’s natural that other organisations have increased their reporting on this as well.

We’ve already touched upon the signs that burnout is a global issue, making it more critical than ever to understand the root causes and what managers and employers can do to deal with it before it worsens.

Research in February 2024, carried out at Durham University, reveals that it’s the leaders that can make the difference, as they play “a crucial role in alleviating worker stress levels and reducing the likelihood of burnout.” Findings showed that workers felt deserted by senior leaders during the pandemic, which led to increased feelings of stress, burnout, and sometimes being absent from work. But for those workers who had support from managers, the report showed that they were more resilient when coping with the challenges and strains that the pandemic brought, due to the greater sense of togetherness.

Another report, this time from Ciphr, an HR software solutions company, focuses on workplace stress in the UK in 2024. This has found out that, “11% of UK adults feel stressed every single day” and that, “one in four (24%) people in the UK feel stressed more days a month than they don’t.” It seems that the most common cause of stress is feeling tired and not getting enough sleep, as felt by 41% of UK adults. However over a quarter of adults in the UK, which equates to 28%, pinpoint workload demands as causing stress.

It should be pointed out here that there is a difference between stress and burnout. Let’s see what the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy says about them both:

Stress is:

• Normally short-term
• Part and parcel of everyday life
• Characterised by over-engagement and overactive emotions
• A natural reaction to demand or threats
• Can be both positive and negative: a small amount of stress can motivate you, but if stress is sustained, or coming from multiple sources, it can affect your well-being

Burnout:

• Happens over a longer period and lasts longer
• Is characterised by disengagement and muted emotions
• Can present signs that are subtle initially, such as headaches, fatigue, anxiety, difficulty in concentrating, low mood, or emotional numbness 

Prolonged stress can sometimes lead to burnout, but not always

At Careerminds, we offer a high standard of outplacement services, that includes outplacement until placement. This guides departing employees through the job search process until they secure a new role, so the outplacement services are theirs to use for the entire time they’re looking for a meaningful new position. During that time, our coaching services are readily available to help departing employees navigate any challenges through the job search process.

While these reported numbers are staggering, the most interesting thing is that, despite knowing their teams are burning out, many managers struggle to understand and, subsequently, address the primary issues. 

This suggests that, even though burnout is recognised as a problem that a majority of the workforce go through, it will only continue to get worse if leaders aren’t able to identify and resolve the root causes. This could eventually lead to additional problems, such as a poor workplace culture, reduced employee engagement, and decreased staff retention.

Let’s uncover some of the root causes that these reports intimate are contributing to current record burnout levels.

The first major cause of the rapid rise in burnout levels cited goes back to 2021 when the Great Resignation was on the rise. This was a time when workers were re-evaluating their work-life balance, mainly because of the pandemic, which led to high resignation rates. While this gave some workers more bargaining power, it also resulted in employers being short-staffed, which meant the remaining employees felt under-supported and overworked.

This period was then followed by high redundancies and slow hiring rates through 2023 and into 2024. Employees felt stretched even thinner and, consequently, more burned out. Between July and September 2024, the rate of unemployment stood at 4.3%, up from 4% the previous quarter, according to the Office for National Statistics.

In addition, pay growth has slowed, growing at an annual rate of 4.8% between July and September 2024, the lowest in over two years.

It goes without saying that heavier workloads, resulting from understaffing, increases burnout. But a lot of workers cite the main source of burnout as actually being a reduction in resources as well as a decreased time in which to finish their work. This lack of resources and pressures on timings can seriously damage productivity, making a heavy workload even heavier and harder to achieve, with employees feeling like they never get a job done properly.

When work isn’t going well, it can often fall to the leadership team to take the rap for this. Faith in them diminishes. Employees generally work harder for an organisation when they know their efforts are appreciated and backed-up with adequate resources. Without that, maintaining high levels of productivity may come at the expense of engaging with employees and looking after their well-being, which further damages productivity and the company’s bottom line, hindering its ability to afford sufficient resources and staffing.

It’s a vicious circle, as a combination of these factors – heavier workloads, reduced resources, understaffing, and a lack of faith in leaders – creates a rollercoaster of employee burnout that further impacts the same negative factors, resulting in even greater burnout.

As with most things, there is no quick fix to these root causes of burnout. However, there are steps that employers can take to improve the situation for employees. Let’s look at some of the key solutions used.

Finding ways which allow workers the time and energy to complete their tasks to a high standard. This can be achieved by:

• Building more breathing room into deadlines to give them more time
• Adding to required resources, such as helpful tools or equipment, to accomplish tasks
• Identifying inefficient workflows and unnecessary tasks that slow everything down

If workers can tick things off their list as they go, and feel satisfied with what they’ve achieved, they’ll be much better equipped to stave off burnout.

If volumes of work weren’t so large, most staff would be able to handle reduced resources and faster workflows. Managers need to get to grips with how employees are managing the amount of work they have. Providing ways for employees to share honest feedback about how they’re juggling their workload, listening to any concerns, and willingly either putting projects on hold or outsourcing them can be a great way to solve the issue.

Keeping staff in the loop is key to improving workflows and alleviating burnout, as this ensures that priorities and expectations are understood by everyone. This also means conducting regular check-ins and team meetings to get honest feedback on how things are going and what can be improved. 

Collaborative and democratic leaders are much better equipped to capitalise on this communication, understand the work from the employee’s point of view, and then decide how to best facilitate any adjustments.

Inclusion is central to building, maintaining, and retaining a successful workforce. It’s not a surprise then when it’s revealed in the BCG’s recent report, that burnout is halved when employees feel included at work. According to the report, there are four assets that have the greatest impact on employees’ overall sense of feeling included. These are:

1. A good access to resources
2. Support from senior management
3. Psychological safety with a direct manager
4. Fair and equal opportunities for success

Last but not least, another way of supporting employees who are struggling with burnout is to offer them coaching services. Career and leadership coaching can teach everyone how to understand and advocate for their own requirements, as well as the needs of coworkers and their teams, in order to create a more productive and cohesive working environment.

Employee burnout is real, and on the rise in the UK, as well as across the world. This is a result of several compounding causes, from the Great Resignation after the pandemic to high tranches of redundancies and slow hiring in 2023 and 2024. This has all been compounded by increasingly heavy workloads, a lack of resources, and a reduced faith in employers.

But let’s not despair.

There are many possible solutions to addressing burnout, and ensuring the work still gets done without over-encumbering workers to breaking point. Some of these are:

• Better management of workflows
• Better management of workloads
• Consistent and clear communication from leaders
• Improved employee inclusion
• Additional coaching services for employees

As employee engagement and workplace culture continues to dominate the headlines, it stands to reason that burnout should also receive the same amount of attention.

At Careerminds, we want to ensure that everyone in your company, no matter what level they are, can navigate their way through the outplacement process without compromising their health and well-being. 

If you’re interested in finding out more, do contact us at the earliest opportunity. 

Elizabeth Openshaw

Elizabeth Openshaw has over 12 years of experience in the job search sector, including extensive expertise in outplacement and CV reviews. Previously a Journalist on national publications, she is Director of her own company, OpenDoor CV Expertise Ltd. You can connect with her at Elizabeth Openshaw | LinkedIn.