In this article series, we have discussed personal and organizational aspects of burnout. Now, we examine how organizations and employees can work together to combat burnout. The first step is to recognize it, which can be a challenge if you are not aware of the signs and not sure what you are looking for.  Burnout can be expressed in a variety of ways: being chronically late for work or meetings, disengagement, lashing out at colleagues, displaying a negative attitude, appearing anxious or tired … the list goes on.  This is an equal opportunity affliction; managers as well as those they supervise can experience burnout.

If you see it, should you say it?  

A straight-up approach may not be best, as burnout still carries a stigma. Not everyone is self-aware, and even those who are, may be reluctant to admit burnout fearing it suggests a lack of competence, especially in a culture that views it as a weakness.  Each work environment is unique, with multiple working groups, a distinct business culture and varying levels of burnout. Creative thinking is required and there is never going to be a universal formula for success. It is helpful to recognize the fluid nature of customized solutions within the context of the current workforce and culture. Turnover of staff and managers means that challenges within the organization change and sometime solutions need to be updated.  No one could foresee how the pandemic would shift the workplace. Workforce solutions that worked three years ago may be moot today. Be nimble. Consider the structure of the organization. Hierarchies can be exhausting and stymie cross-positional communications which are vital to ensuring inclusion. 

Prevention is key

There is evidence that greater focus on prevention is helpful for avoiding burnout and both individual and team-directed approaches are effective. Attention to root causes and job satisfaction is critical.

An important perspective on motivation and job satisfaction comes from self-determination theory (Deci, Ryan) which brings to our attention the human need for competence, connection, and autonomy. When one’s job is the space for realizing these psychological needs, the right level of freedom, of human interaction and of opportunities to excel will be crucial.

• A mismatch between level of organizational control, and the autonomy sought by the employee, can cause burnout.  
• If opportunities for growth and achievement are blocked by bureaucracy, stagnation, exploitation, pettiness and overbearing managerial autocracy, or if management assumes the worst about employee behaviors and inclinations, burnout is more likely.  

All staff need to watch for silos, cliques, rapidly-changing expectations, and unclear objectives.  Similarly, they need to watch for onerous hierarchal reporting requirements, unrealistic workloads, and unnecessary meetings.  Organizational interventions have a greater and more lasting effect than personal interventions. Workplace policies and culture can either accelerate or slow the pace of burnout – make sure they serve the latter! 

An inclusive model breeds success

Ask yourself and your colleagues what will best serve your organization and work to create a model that brings together individual and organizational-level systems change in an environment that promotes participation, transparency, and open dialogue. If management alone is meeting to decide what is best for the employees, it has failed to recognize the importance of inclusion of those who will be impacted by outcomes.  

Who can help make these changes? Both external consultants and in-house resources.  Providing widespread personalized training in small groups, to recognize signs of stress and ways to increase resilience, can be effective for preventing burnout. External consultants and Human Resources staff trained to identify and help employees prevent or recover from burnout should have the power to influence the organizational culture and develop staff-inclusive solutions.  Any method should consider the possible need for anonymity, and be able to provide the groundwork for organizing, monitoring, and evaluating results.

Work to create manager and peer support systems

Workplace culture has evolved, has your organization? Some strategies could include:

• Promoting learning opportunities at all levels. E.g.: upgrading of technological skills, writing skills, public speaking training, organizational behaviour, etc. Be mindful of where it is appropriate to have managers participate. In certain cases, their absence in team activities can be detrimental to the group’s morale and diminish the desired outcome, while in other situations, their presence could hamper open discussion.
• Help the organization to ease up on control. Allow new ideas to flourish (and yes possibly fail). Trust that employees want to do their best and not “slack off” if unsupervised or at home. The past two years and research on human motivation has provided measurable proof of this! 
• Encouraged staff to have a life outside the office! People shouldn’t have to hide that they have children, or other family members they are helping to care for.  Family, hobbies, passions, community involvement, and physical activity all lead to a richer life and thus a more energized presence in the workplace – the opposite of burnout!
• Learn more about each person’s style and what makes them shine.  Some staff are teachers and mentors. Others may love the camaraderie of working with a group as opposed to a more solitary task such as proposal writing.
• Remind people of the organizational mission. Help staff to remember, in the midst of the busy-ness, why they chose this place to work and how it aligns with their own values.
• Share positive news. Showcase “wins” that allow all team members to feel good about their input into the overall success.  In the words of Happier author and teacher Tal Ben-Shahar, when you “appreciate the good, the good appreciates.”
• Review compensation. Where can financial improvements be made? Perhaps there are other kinds of benefits that will help employees thrive. Promote positions and situations that advance the quality and personal enjoyment of work.  Say thank you and be mindful of our current reality. What are staff concerns as we return to the office? Work to determine how to relieve the issues. 

It is time to remove the stigma and recognize burnout for the widespread phenomenon that it is. We can work together to create healthier, well-resourced environments where employees across the organization support each other in the pursuit of personal wellbeing. Let’s take care of ourselves and compassionately care for each other; we will all be happier for it.

Debbie Dankoff, MPNL, PPCC, CFRE has been working in the not-for-profit sector for over thirty years. The bulk of her career has been in major gift fundraising for higher education. Debbie is a certified Professional & Personal Coach, who uses her training when consulting for a variety of organizations in the charitable sector; her focus being on organizational development, donor stewardship and self-care.

Brenda Needle-Shimoni, EdM, has been working in education and nonprofits in the US and Israel for 35 years. She has served as a consultant to nonprofit social change organizations, developed and run educational programs, managed volunteer and internship programs, and for the last decade and a half, worked in fundraising for higher education. She is also the author of “Encouraging Citizen Involvement and Volunteerism: A Guidebook for Nonprofit Organizations in Israel” (Hebrew).