Rising concerns of employee burn out post-pandemic

There is just too much work to do – and that’s what is causing you to burnout

COVID-19 and the stresses of lockdowns have previously been blamed for a rise in work-related stress, but one of Australia’s leading workplace analysts says employees are still experiencing burnout in growing numbers. 

“Many businesses are using outdated ways of thinking and are putting too much work into the system, and people are getting burnt out,“ says Richard McAllister, Managing Director of Scalabl which specialises in organisational change. 

“The way we have historically designed the system of work is broken. Our structures and processes were formed and followed based on a pre digital age,” Mr McAllister says. 

Mr McAllister says it’s time we moved on from “pandemic excuses” and deal with burnout as an ongoing major problem which is having a negative impact on the lives of those who are dealing with the issue.

“With ever increasing customer demands, the global nature of business and complexities that accompany that, there is too much work to do and we risk burning our people out if we do not target the right work to do and support them in delivering it.

“There’s a general feeling that if we give people more stuff to do, then they’ll get more done. But the opposite is true and too many good people are becoming victims of that mindset.

“Imagine working in an environment where everyone around you is upbeat, positive and is hitting their goals. It is infectious. We feed off one another and it’s great. 

“Now imagine working in an environment where everyone around you is overworked and tired. This working environment is more susceptible to negativity and stress. Unfortunately, this is also infectious. In this environment it can feel like there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

“It is very easy for all work to be 'urgent'. The problem with constant urgent work is that it creates a reactive and disconnected culture. Instead of people and teams getting used to success and sustainable delivery, they are more used to failure because the system they operate within is harming their ability to succeed.

“The people within the system will do their best but as the saying goes, a bad system will beat a good person every time.” 

The University of New South Wales School (UNSW) of Psychiatry and the Black Dog Institute have been conducting ongoing studies into burnout and they report that workplace mental ill-health costs Australia up to $39 billion in lost participation and productivity.

UNSW Scientia Professor of Psychiatry Gordon Parker, who was the University’s Head of the School of Psychiatry the Founder of the Black Dog Institute, estimates that around 30 per cent of the Australian workforce is suffering from burnout, with higher rates among professions such as doctors, nurses, social workers, teachers, veterinarians and police officers.

As the Founder and MD of Scalabl, Mr McAllister has seen these problems first-hand in his work “re-engineering” how businesses work by providing them with practical programs to improve workplace agility and scalability, business culture and modernising business practice.

So, what can businesses do to reduce burnout and improve employee engagement?

“Some early steps you can take is to visualise the work, because this new approach takes months or years to come to fruition. The reality is that it’s like changing from an unhealthy lifestyle to a healthy one.

“Also, many businesses are focussed on 100 per cent utilisation of their people, however if they switch that to 80 per cent, then everyone becomes much more effective and efficient.

“If the team gets ahead, great, pull more work in. If they don't, no problem, you have not wasted a single second on replanning or reprioritising, and there have been no disruptions to people and focus etc. This leads to better performance and higher quality outcomes.

“It may seem counterintuitive to let less in to get more done, but that’s exactly how it works. Build your delivery system to be optimised for ‘flow’.

“With that space built in, it creates a realistic workload which can be met. If someone does finish that program delivery early, then you can bring that ‘space’ up ahead of schedule and celebrate the success. Then the next program can begin earlier.

“There are other techniques workplaces can employ, like making sure employees are given autonomy to solve problems, increasing transparency measures, and putting the right people on a job, not just the available people.

“A simple analogy is, don’t just overload the freeway. What this means is that some companies put all their cars that they've got on the freeway, and they wonder why the freeway gets jammed up.

“And if you think about the freeway traffic jam, you're stressed as you want to get somewhere, and you’re annoyed. You're feeling de-energised from that.

“But if you limit the traffic on the freeway, everything goes smoothly and there’s much less stress.

“We need to change our mindset, and if we do that, everyone benefits from it.”

Mr McAllister says there are several ways that employees can address the issue of burnout which can cause stress and fatigue, along with health issues such as high blood pressure and heart disease: 

• Create visibility of your work - tools like a kanban board can help highlight issues that block your flow of work. 

• Start a 30 minute ‘review of the week’ - this session will help team members and leaders go through what is working well and what can be improved.

• Walk and talk – take some meetings while walking in the fresh air as this can add a calmness to your day. 

• Make sleep a priority – tweak and refine your night time routine to ensure you get the best sleep possible. 

• Take small breaks – do this throughout the day to help with focus and clarity.  

Additional references:

A respected US study revealed that almost three in five employees have reported negative impacts of work-related stress, including lack of interest, motivation, or energy (26 per cent) and lack of effort at work (19 per cent). The American Psychologists Association Work and Well-being Survey also found 36 per cent reported cognitive weariness, 32 per cent reported emotional exhaustion, and 44 per cent reported physical fatigue, which is a 38 per cent increase since 2019. 

According to the World Health Organization, burnout is an “occupational phenomenon” resulting from workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It’s characterised by feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy.