McKinsey Health Institute reports that 28% of US employees are burnt out. And it’s no wonder. Too many employees are spread way too thin. Many have been doing the dreaded “more with less” since the Great Resignation started early last year. And workforce reductions related to recession fears have only further extended already overburdened employees.
HR leaders: this is your time to shine. Your company is relying on you to curb burnout and maintain productivity. And your employees are looking to you to promote workplace wellness.
No pressure, right?
A few years ago, I was squarely in the 28% of burnt-out, stressed-out, and exhausted employees. I had worked for the government for 23 years, as both an active member of the U.S. Air Force and then as part of its civil service HR team. Although I had enjoyed an engaging and highly motivating career, the pandemic introduced complications and chaos. Absorbing ongoing uncertainty and continuous change led to stress and burnout and, eventually, to my resignation.
As a seasoned HR leader, this experience was new to me—and it was enlightening. I learned what burnout really felt like and, consequently, how to prevent it among my employees.
Consider these best practices for combating burnout in your workforce:
Fend Off Burnout
Don’t wait for your employees to be disengaged, stressed out, cynical, and hopeless. Don’t wait for productivity and innovation to plummet. Instead, help your employees remain well.
Foster a corporate culture of openness and inclusion, and encourage your organizational leaders to focus on their employees’ holistic well-being. Host open forums that address employee concerns like creating work/life harmony or coping with change at work. Additionally, implement proactive well-being and mental health interventions like resilience workshops and mental health screenings. Of course, mental health challenges sometimes happen despite your best proactive efforts, so build in safety nets and employee assistance programs.
Encourage Cross-Collaboration and Learning
We all know that companies benefit from experienced employees with diverse perspectives. Guess what, so do employees! Challenging activities and learning opportunities give your workforce a break from its everyday routine and introduce a welcome opportunity for mastery. Ask employees what aspects of the business interest them and then offer opportunities for growth and development. Team members can shadow other team members, take on an out-of-scope project or pitch in on other organizational initiatives.
My department has hit its hiring goal for North America, so we’re helping hire employees in Europe. While I genuinely enjoy assisting colleagues, my personal and professional fulfillment goes beyond offering a helping hand. I’m also learning from recruiters in different countries, borrowing ideas from how they work and understanding how they navigate cultural nuances.
Fill the “Well-Being Bank”
HR leaders can’t expect employees to only manage work and life demands without any investment in well-being. As part of the holistic approach to wellness, empower your employees to detach from their jobs at the end of the day and mentally let go of work during off hours. Encourage employees to commit their free time to low-effort, relaxing activities that interest them. Consider offering paid leave to employees that want to take continuing education classes or support community and charity work. After all, growing doesn’t just mean growing in a professional role.
In my current position, I’ve had the freedom to indulge in personal passions outside of work hours and have been able to find myself again. I started beekeeping in my spare time, and this passion project has kept me moving forward, both personally and professionally. I’m educating myself and returning to work as a more refreshed, more motivated employee.
Offer a One-on-One Coach
HR departments tend to implement blanket well-being initiatives that help the organization at-large but sometimes overlook employees’ unique situations. Offering a coach to each employee can help HR leaders prioritize every employee’s well-being—on an individual level. Whether teaching resilience techniques that help employees manage stress or providing perspectives that bring meaning and purpose to daily tasks, coaches can focus in on specific challenges and stressors. I know this from experience.
Per my current employer’s protocol, I was provided with a personal coach within my first 30 days of joining the company. And I’ll be honest—I was hesitant. I thought a coach was going to push me into another leadership position or develop promotion strategies before I was ready. I was wrong. I learned coaches help employees with whatever they’re struggling to overcome. For me, that struggle was moving beyond burnout and relearning how to love work.
I also witnessed something truly transformative: in a coaching culture, everybody is working on themselves, and everybody is moving forward. As a result, no employees’ challenges are overlooked, and no one sits stagnant.
Many employees—myself included—haven’t been strangers to waning motivation, interest, and energy. HR, everyone is looking at you for help. Before your employees give up and jump ship, take proactive steps to prioritize their well-being, implement programs and policies to address their burnout, and give them the tools they need to thrive. Your employees and your organization will thank you.
Keisha Behrmann is a senior talent acquisition specialist for CoachHub, the leading global digital coaching platform.
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