Burnout is rampant, sapping creativity, productivity, and performance. Global studies from Microsoft, Six Seconds, Deloitte, and Gallup show that people are depleted, and traditional fixes are not working because they’re superficial. This lack of emotional intelligence is costing businesses billions of dollars. To break the downward spiral, managers need more emotional skills and support to build teams that are both sustainable and high-performing.
Do you recognize burnout?
As defined by the World Health Organization, burnout is:
- Physical and emotional exhaustion
- Depersonalization/detachment/cynicism
- Decline in sense of personal accomplishment
In the “Burnout Syndrome” graphic (adapted from Freundenberger’s development of burnout research), we can see how burnout behaviors build and reinforce a cycle of overwork, degraded relationships, and mental health issues.
What are the key causes of burnout? Research has identified the following four factors:
- A perceived lack of control or autonomy
- Insufficient reward or recognition
- A perceived lack of social support/community
- A perceived lack of meaning/purpose
While the burnout numbers are alarming, they should be a call to action: Managers and team members are adversely affected by the increased emotional turmoil, and to meet this challenge, new skills are required.
Burnout Is a Managerial Responsibility
The effects of burnout are both personal and professional. Emotional depletion is linked to higher turnover, more absenteeism, more errors and accidents, and an increase in unhealthy coping strategies (such as substance abuse).
Mind Share Partners’ Mental Health at Work Report shows massive increases in mental health burdens at work, with 84 percent of respondents stating work has a negative effect on their mental health. The Workforce Institute at UKG found people’s supervisors had as much mental health impact as a spouse—and more than a therapist.
Whether you’re a formal leader or influence people informally, consider that your choices, your role-modeling, and your interactions have a direct impact on others’ mental health and well-being.
3 Ways Managers Can Reverse Burnout
Since managers have such a strong effect on employee well-being, here are emotional intelligence strategies to break the cycle:
1. Cut Through the Noise: Foster Authentic Connections
Real engagement goes beyond surface-level interactions. As the US Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being puts it, “Organizations that create opportunities for social connection and community also can help improve health and well-being.” This requires a shift from ‘command and control’ style transactional leadership to a managerial style focused on relationships. To build stronger connections, it’s important to meet a person’s basic needs—safety, belonging, recognition, and validation. As a manager you can set the tone to normalize talking about emotions. Make time to check in on feelings and go deeper than the generic “How are you?” to encourage real, authentic exchanges. Lead by example, making it safe for others to share their feelings. As highlighted in the Managing Well-Being toolkit, when managers tune into emotions and validate what people are feeling, it increases a sense of belonging and connection is essential for well-being and performance
2. Break the Cycle: Empower Through Autonomy and Recognition
Feeling a lack of control is one of the most common reasons for burnout. Does this list of complaints look familiar: unsustainable workload, inflexible schedule, feeling micromanaged, little time for creative exploration, too many meetings?
When managers take responsibility for supporting employees to thrive, they can increase motivation, creativity, and efficiency. Be sure to make time to talk to employees and see how you can set a context in which they have more autonomy.
3. Empower People on Purpose
When employees feel like their work doesn’t matter, cynicism can set in and lead to burnout. A recent study showed that firefighters with stronger feelings of purpose are less emotionally exhausted by work; more engaged; and also have greater feelings of personal accomplishment, competency, and efficiency. A McKinsey study found that frontline managers and employees were 10x less likely than their management-level higher-ups to have opportunities to reflect on their purpose and 9x less likely to have their manager foster opportunities to work on purposeful projects.
How can you help your employees find their why? Leadership is not just about getting the work done, it’s setting a course to lead people in a direction that gets results. Spend time talking about the company’s mission and impact on the world, then invite them to work on their own sense of purpose. One of the best ways to enroll your employees in this activity is by sharing your why. By opening yourself up and sharing how your purpose can connect to the organization, you are meaning-making with your employees.
Sustainable Performance
As a manager, central to your role is nurturing your own and your team’s sustained energy. When you shift your focus toward sharing emotions, providing autonomy, belonging, and purpose, you break the cycle of burnout. Focusing on emotional intelligence skills to cultivate a supportive, energized, and productive team environment isn’t a quick fix but a deeper investment in the sustainable well-being of your employees. Implementing these tips isn’t just beneficial; it’s essential for the health of your team and the success of your organization. Dig deeper to leverage your own emotional intelligence, foster authentic connections, empower your team, and build a culture that values emotional insight. Your leadership will be the difference that makes the difference.
