Are you burnt out or is it something else?

This article is written by Rell DeShaw and Jeff Shiau - both are workers in the Government of Canada.

The problem Many employees are struggling but it feels like ‘burnout’ is the label for a range of situations. The solutions offered may be simplistic.
Why it matters: Every employee deserves strategies and supports that match their particular situation.
The solution: Creating safe spaces where we can share enough about our individual situations to effectively support employee needs.

In this post we discuss strategies for tackling burnout in the style of Q&A.

Rell: Jeff, why have we been drawn to talk about whether something is burnout or something else worthy of attention?

**Jeff: **The World Health Organization classifies burnout as an occupational phenomenon with three components: you have to be exhausted, feel cynical about your job and have reduced professional efficacy. It’s the result of chronic workplace stress that hasn’t been successfully managed.

Most people aren’t aware of the technical definition. Many use the term casually or as an umbrella term for work distress.

**Rell: Why does it matter that we be more specific than ‘burnout’? **

Jeff: Consider the following two statements that mention burnout:

“Man, that project was rough – I’m so burnt out! Let’s have a team lunch to boost everyone’s morale.”
“I can’t focus, sometimes it takes me half an hour to read through an email. I’m exhausted … Sometimes I just try to look busy because it’s all I can do to show up to work. I used to like my job but now, ugh … I can’t handle the pace. I’m burning out.”

Burnout is being used in different ways in the above situations. That’s why it’s important to dig a little deeper (sensitively) and tease out what might be the main drivers behind someone’s distress. Someone who hesitantly says things are ‘OK’ may actually be burning out (or burnt out!). Someone who says they’re burning out might be fatigued from the stress of feeling uninvolved in decision-making.

💬 Let the author know what you think about dealing with burnout by leaving a comment below

One thing’s certain – when an employee indicates they’re struggling, it’s important to act on it, whether they mention burnout or not.

For managers, if you’re unsure how to probe in a sensitive way, you can start by simply asking how they’re doing, and be okay with a bit of silence. You can ask if they feel connected with their team, their workload, or if they’re happy with the projects they’re working on.

This bit of probing matters because we want to align the right resources to their needs. Someone who’s managing grief will need different support than someone who’s stressed from dealing with a difficult colleague. And someone who is burnt out or on the verge of burnout will need further support, depending on their situation. Often this includes extended time off work.

It’s important for managers and employees to create a safe space where both feel comfortable enough to share their individual situations.

Early identification of any workplace distress will save a lot of time and energy downstream for both employees and managers alike.

Jeff: What is the role of employee and manager? Is burnout a shared responsibility?

Rell: You and I have talked a lot offline about the shared responsibility between managers and employees to address burnout and other challenges. (The organisation has a huge responsibility too, but that’s a whole other discussion!) This sharing of the work is crucial – managers may know about possible support that isn’t evident to employees and we want to put everything on the table that might help.

This is a mixture of advocacy and creativity at play with managers. Maybe we can advocate for finding extra funds so that employees can take a relevant course that isn’t in the normal offerings. For example, we’ve supported employees taking mindfulness courses and getting access to personalised career coaching sessions. We might also be able to let employees be flexible with the start of their workday.

It’s hard to know what to offer with limited information or limited willingness to enter the space of solutions with an employee. Understandably, however, who wouldn’t feel vulnerable about sharing information that might cause them to be sidelined as a worker? An employee may feel that way if they perceive a stigma against mental health challenges within the organisation, or if there’s an over-emphasis on productivity.

I find what helps me most as a manager is:

General information that can help me be ushered into the shared problem-solving space (“I’m having issues getting a full night of sleep that’s affecting my ability to concentrate.”), versus an employee presenting specific solutions with no context (“I can no longer attend the 8:30am stand-up meeting each day.”); and
Enough information on employee requirements enables the identification of projects that the affected employee can progress through at a pace that makes sense. This will add a measure of predictability in how we can allocate work for the entire team. With luck, it also ensures the affected team member continues to be valued and feel engaged.

We’ve also talked about how to start a discussion. We’ve agreed that saying you are feeling burnt out is certainly a way to start the dialogue – you’ll have gotten my attention.

Jeff: What are some other ways to start the discussion around mental health challenges?

Rell: This article is on point and a super resource for both talking to your employer as well as your doctor. Some sample conversation starters:

“I’ve been feeling really off / I haven’t been feeling myself for about three weeks.”
“I’d like to explore if there’s any flexibility around my work schedule – I’m feeling particularly unwell in the mornings as I adjust to a new medication.”
“It’s really important that I deliver good products for the team but I admit that I’m struggling with some things behind the scenes that are affecting my ability to do this.”

As one personal example when I used one of these statements, I had gone searching for my birth mother at one point. There was a week when I found out that she was already long deceased and I was privately devastated. My boss and I were not a great match and I didn't want to get into it with her. I told her I was having an “off week” and asked for a couple of days off to reset. In the end, a bit of time away was enough to start processing some personal grief.

Rell: Why is early identification that something is off helpful?

Jeff: Early identification of any workplace distress will save a lot of time and energy downstream for both employees and managers alike.

It shows that colleagues or managers are invested in employee wellbeing and it’s human-centric. Research has shown that when employees feel they have psychological and social support at work, they have greater job commitment, job satisfaction, work mood and job performance.

The way to address full-blown burnout is different than dealing with one or two characteristics of burnout. For example, recovering from full-blown burnout should involve extended time off work, if possible. But if someone is dealing with the cynicism or inefficacy aspects of burnout, time off may not be necessary. They may be able to improve things by finding richer interpersonal relationships or continual professional or personal development.

Each person’s situation is different. If we can create safe spaces for employees to elaborate on their sources of distress before they burn out, they’ll be in a better position to get the help they need. Ways for managers to create safer spaces can include: