Employees have faced a myriad of workplace changes over the past few years, and this has taken a toll on some individuals’ mental health, resulting in burnout—a state of physical, psychological and emotional exhaustion.
Burnt-out managers may find it challenging to make decisions, isolate themselves from others and lack the energy to champion transformative change. These factors can create confusion among teams, decrease employee morale and stifle innovation, ultimately impacting an organization’s ability to succeed. Moreover, burnout can sometimes lead to frustration, resentment and anger, which managers may take out on workers, potentially putting organizations at risk of bullying and harassment claims.
This article discusses the signs and causes of leadership burnout and measures organizations can take to address this occurrence.
Understanding Leadership Burnout
According to the World Health Organization, burnout is an occupational phenomenon resulting from chronic workplace stress. It’s characterized by three main dimensions:
- Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
- Increased negative feelings towards one’s job or feelings of cynicism
- Reduced professional efficacy
Burnout is more than just feeling tired; it’s a feeling of complete physical and emotional exhaustion.
Signs of leadership burnout include the following:
- Coasting—Leaders may show increased cynicism for the job, struggle to come up with tactical decisions and appear to be coasting.
- Inability to control moods—Leaders may start to lose their cool over small things, struggle to keep sentiments in check and frequently display negative emotions.
- Low motivation—Leaders may lack passion and find previously enjoyable tasks uninspiring. They may also become self-centred and lack the motivation to help others.
Brain fog—Leaders may make errors, forget meetings, and take longer than usual to get back to co-workers and clients.
What Causes Leadership Burnout?
There are several factors that can cause leadership burnout, including the following:
- An “always on” culture—A leadership role often sees employees work long hours and feel the need to be always available. This “always on” culture can increase stress hormone levels among managers, which, over time, can result in burnout. Furthermore, managers may take insufficient time off for fear of setting a bad example to their teams, meaning they may have less time for self-care measures.
- Feelings of isolation—Managers, supervisors and other leaders make tough decisions about safety, business profitability and organizational growth. The weight of these decisions—coupled with the fact that these individuals may have few people to discuss their choices with—can be isolating and negatively impact mental well-being.
- The burden of multiple responsibilities—Managers have multiple responsibilities, from everyday duties to people management, meetings with board members and strategic business decisions. The burden of these responsibilities may cause leaders to fall behind on critical tasks, which can result in chronic stress.
Overall, the weight of making high-stakes decisions and the need to project strength to their teams can be overwhelming for leaders, especially those with poor support networks.
Measures to Address Leadership Burnout
Leadership burnout can have ripple effects on organizations. When employees notice their managers struggling, they may begin to lose faith in the organization’s direction. This can result in staff disengagement, hesitation and confusion, negatively impacting workforce productivity. As such, organizations should consider measures to address leadership burnout. Employers can consider the following tips:
- Encourage a healthy work-life balance. Unreasonable workloads and feeling like they must be constantly available can contribute to exhaustion in leaders. Employers should discourage excessive overtime and encourage managers to take advantage of flexible working options. In addition, leaders could delegate tasks to their teams to reduce their workloads.
- Develop support networks. Employers could pair new leaders with established managers through a mentorship scheme. Creating leadership peer support groups could provide an informal setting for managers to share experiences and discuss coping strategies.
- Encourage feedback. Employers could disseminate regular well-being surveys to gather anonymous feedback from employees, including managers. This way, HR can garner valuable data to tailor support initiatives that tackle burnout from the top.
- Invest in leadership development. Employers should prioritize leadership training and provide ample resources for time management, stress reduction and emotional intelligence.
- Provide mental health days. Employers could allow employees, including managers, to take mental health days. This way, staff get respite from work commitments and responsibilities without taking sick leave. However, employers must address the stressors impacting affected individuals on their return.
Leaders are critical to the success of their organizations, but the stress associated with managing services and/or people can be debilitating over time. As such, employers must take steps to support managers in their workforce to reduce the likelihood of leadership burnout and any associated negative workplace consequences.
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