Approaching the two-year mark of the pandemic, we continue to see burnout rates in the workplace skyrocketing worldwide. That’s why iHealthOX has intensified its commitment to support workplaces with more robust tools, resources, and expertise to make employee well-being the 2022 priority.
Terri Storey, CEO, iHealthOX, and an industry leader in employee mental health care shares her insights into the burnout crisis sweeping through Canadian workplaces and the difference employers can make with the right, targeted strategies.
Q: How does burnout differ from stress and why has it become so prevalent?
Terri: Burnout is a psychological reaction to work stress that leads to physical and emotional exhaustion and affects your cognitive abilities. Burnout goes beyond stress and symptoms include exhaustion, lack of enthusiasm, irritability, detachment, sadness, and feeling overwhelmed.
The pandemic has had a tremendous effect on burnout rates in every industry. In fact, a recent survey by Ceridian found 84% of Canadian workers surveyed felt burned out over the last two years and at least 34% described their level of burnout as high or extreme.
The compounding effects of COVID-19 due to social isolation, lack of boundaries between work and home life, pandemic restrictions, staffing shortages, and kids learning from home have meant that many employees are feeling their challenges more acutely. Regular work tasks may feel harder and take longer, mood swings are more prevalent and anxiety rates are significantly higher. The current trends are troubling for workplaces with burnout significantly increasing the risk of turnover (including high-performers) and the rates of short-term and long-term disability, as well as decreasing engagement and productivity.
Q: What can employers do to help prevent burnout in the workplace?
Terri: There is a wide range of support and resources employees need to address burnout, depending on the individual – however, prevention is a key approach to creating an overall healthier workplace. Below are the most important commitments and actions organizations can make to protect and improve their workforce’s well-being.
- Provide employees with easy access to mental health benefits that are offered virtually and in-person with a focus on prevention and early intervention to address every level of need (e.g. includes coaching, self-directed resources, therapy).
- Create or strengthen your employee recognition strategy and encourage leaders to find opportunities to formally recognize individuals in a way that is most meaningful to them and reinforces their purpose and impact.
- Deliver manager training focused on identifying burnout and other mental health conditions and equipping them with the tools and strategies to implement regular well-being check-ins, facilitate a mental health conversation and understand how to connect employees with the appropriate resources and support.
- Revisit your business targets for this year and consider the role that workload and organizational goals may have on your employees’ current risk of burnout.
- Create and promote an organizational culture that values and prioritizes employees taking time to recharge and disconnect via after hours and weekends, mental health days and vacation time– and also explore a policy to accommodate flexible work schedules so employees can better balance their work and personal lives.
Q: How do you assess employees’ burnout risk?
Terri: Through regular check-ins, managers and leaders can monitor how employees are coping with their workload, balance their work and home life and it also provides an opportunity to identify changes in behaviours and mental wellness. Burnout symptoms to watch for include mood swings, exhaustion, lack of enthusiasm, irritability, detachment, sadness and feeling overwhelmed.
Q: How can managers start a conversation about burnout?
Terri: We know that when staff feel supported in the workplace there is a reduction in staff turnover and workplace stress. A significant way to facilitate that support is to establish an organizational culture that is open about mental health and prioritizes well-being. As mentioned, this includes manager training so leaders understand when they should start a mental health conversation, how to discuss a mental health concern with an employee, the importance of reinforcing their support and how to connect the individuals with the available mental health resources.
Q: What can managers/leaders do to preserve their own well-being while they support their team?
Terri: Managers are not immune to the pandemic and everyday stressors–and while they are an essential part of supporting a healthy workplace, they also need to prioritize their own well-being.
To protect and strengthen their own well-being, managers should be empowered to determine their own priorities and boundaries which may include:
- Setting and sticking to a healthy routine (e.g. exercise, meditation, healthy eating, good sleep).
- Taking time away from work and disconnecting (after-hours, weekends, mental health days, vacation).
- Making efforts to separate work and personal life so there is time to recharge by doing what they love and connecting with friends and family.
- Engaging in coaching and mental health therapy for an opportunity to explore their feelings and emotions and to build skills such as setting healthy boundaries or differentiating between sympathy and empathy in the workplace.
iHealthOX partners with leading organizations to empower their employees to thrive with modern, integrated healthcare. Book a demo today. <link to demo page>
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