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In January, our team published research that revealed more than 60% of U.S. employees felt burned out at work. With unemployment hovering at record lows at the start of 2020, it felt like the workforce was barreling toward crisis.
If you’ve ever experienced burnout, you know it feels like living in a state of constant depletion. It robs sufferers of the physical, mental and emotional energy needed to get through the workday. It’s debilitating for employees and costly for employers.
But that was six months ago. Everything about work as we know it has changed. But has burnout?
To discover what, if any, impact COVID-19 has had on burnout, we dove into data gathered from a survey of 20,000 employees across 1,500 organizations about their work experience in light of the pandemic. Spoiler alert: People are just as burned out as they were at the beginning of 2020. But work is no longer the cause.
According to the survey, almost half of the respondents felt exhausted. However, only a quarter reported that thinking about work was exhausting. Maybe for the first time ever, the stress of “life” outweighs that of “work.” As people continue to juggle the responsibilities of child care, maintaining physical health and keeping personal finances in order, work is now the escape from home.
On the surface, this might seem like good news. However, even though the cause of burnout has changed, the symptoms are the same and still cause harm to an organization. If people are burned out, they’re less productive and less willing to go above and beyond their job descriptions.
While leaders can’t alleviate the stressors of personal life altogether, consider the following ways to support employees who are feeling burned out.
◗ Remind people to keep their eye on the mission.
It’s easy for people to lose sight of how their work contributes to the organization’s mission in the best of times, let alone in the midst of a global pandemic. In his best-selling book “Man’s Search for Meaning,” Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl reflects on his experience as a Holocaust survivor and posits that “those who have a ‘why’ to live can bear with almost any ‘how.’”
People find meaning in being part of something bigger than themselves. Make it a point to remind people frequently of the organization’s reason for being, and find ways to help them connect their work to the organization’s mission.
◗ Create rhythms of rest.
At the end of April, we analyzed our own employee engagement data and learned Emplify employees were tired and needed a break but felt guilty taking one. Knowing that people were feeling burned out, we decided to give everyone paid time off on Fridays during the month of May. We learned we were onto something when Emplify cofounder Adam Weber shared the decision in a LinkedIn post that went viral with more than 5 million views.
With unemployment now at record highs, people resonate with the dilemma of needing rest but feeling guilty about taking time off. It might not be feasible for your organization to give everyone an extra day off every week, but consider ways to bake periods of intentional rest into your company rhythms. That could look like flexible hours, a half-day here and there, or even reevaluating your meeting cadences so people can wrap up their work earlier in the evening.
◗ Keep a pulse on how people are doing
If we are aware of how people are faring amid stressors in their personal lives, we’ll be better equipped to support them as whole people. Consider implementing a survey cadence in which people can share anonymously how they’re doing. This way, you can watch for trends and respond accordingly. In addition, equip managers with thoughtful, open-ended questions to ask in one-on-one meetings.
As COVID-19 cases rise in other parts of the country and the battle for racial equality continues, employees’ emotional and mental well-being should still be a top priority for leaders.
As we settle into the “new normal,” may we remember that our people are exactly that—people—who experience the full spectrum of human emotions at home and work.•
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Jaramillo is co-founder and CEO of Emplify.
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