How to prevent employee burnout and leaves of absence

What is employee burnout?

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) defines burnout as “a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.”

Employee burnout has become a major issue in recent years. In fact, recent studies show that 42% of workers report higher rates of burnout, with top causes linked to heavy workload, lack of support from managers, and toxic workplace culture. This is an increase from 33%. And there’s a clear and direct impact on businesses. Mental health issues are by far the most common cause of short- and long-term disability claims, and the most disabling illness affecting employees aged 18 to 44.

Knowing this, what can you do to protect the health of your employees and your business? 

Signs of burnout to recognize

People suffering from burnout at work tend to feel emotionally drained and unable to function in their job and other areas of their life. They sometimes experience physical symptoms such as: 

• Fatigue 
• Headaches
• Loss of appetite
• Difficulty sleeping 

Behavioural changes are also common. Their productivity and motivation levels drop, and they may feel helpless, hopeless, and resentful. All these symptoms can make it hard to cope, disrupt sleep, and lead to other health issues.

What causes employee burnout?

According to psychologist Marielle Simard, D.Ps., some common risk factors for burnout include the following: 

• Overwhelming workload 
• Poor work-life balance
• Communication issues
• Lack of support or recognition
• Negative interpersonal dynamics 

For people to remain healthy and productive at work, explains Simard, certain fundamental psychological needs must be met: 

• Autonomy: sense of having control over one’s actions and the ability to act according to one’s values
• Competence: sense of being able to achieve one’s goals, learn new things, and overcome challenges
• Belonging: a sense of connection with people

Not having these needs met causes stress and mental health issues that can lead to burnout.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to improve employee mental health and prevent burnout and leaves of absence.

1. Encourage good communication

So many workplace frustrations—role ambiguity, lack of recognition, unmanageable workloads—can be traced to communication issues, which is why good communication is key to preventing burnout.

It’s a good idea to have managers schedule one-on-one check-ins with their team members to discuss questions and concerns. Doing this on a regular basis will give employees a chance to bring up any challenges they’re facing at work, allowing supervisors to better understand each individual’s needs and find solutions to problems before they escalate.

These meetings also give team leaders the opportunity to provide feedback and clarify expectations about specific tasks and performance in general. This not only ensures that employees will be better equipped to do a good job, but also boosts their sense of belonging by ensuring their voice is being heard and that they’re being kept in the loop.

As Simard explains, good communication at work involves actively listening and asking questions until you really understand what someone is trying to say, and responding in a respectful, constructive way, without judgment. If you suspect that poor communication is causing problems within your organization, consider investing in communication training for your staff, such as a workshop on active listening skills.

It’s also worth initiating a discussion with your team leaders about specific strategies for improving communication. Employees working from home may be experiencing additional stress related to the challenges of communicating virtually: without the benefit of face-to-face interaction and nonverbal cues, messages can be misinterpreted and people may feel isolated from their colleagues.

2. Prioritize work-life balance

Workers and their managers cite unmanageable workloads as one of the main reasons for burnout. Simard points out that this, combined with poor work-life balance, negatively impacts a person’s sense of autonomy, leading them to feel like they have no control over their job or the way they spend their time. While some overtime may be unavoidable during busy periods, it’s important to make sure employees aren’t constantly overloaded with work, forcing them to put in extra hours to stay on top of it all. This breeds stress, exhaustion, and resentment. 

If long hours are the norm at your organization, it’s going to take a concerted effort from the top down to change the culture over time. You’ll need to investigate the reasons for all of this overtime and determine how to solve the problem—do you need to hire more people? Delegate tasks differently? Once you’ve taken steps to address unrealistic workloads, you’ll be in a better position to promote work-life balance. By discouraging employees from checking emails after hours and on days off and offering flexible arrangements for schedules and remote work, you’ll show them that you respect their time outside the office and that you’re recognizing their needs.

3. Offer advancement opportunities

Career stagnation is another contributor to burnout. This sentiment is echoed by Simard, who says that employees need to achieve their goals and learn new things in order to maintain their mental health at work.

Examine whether employees at all levels of your organization have opportunities to grow in their careers and develop their skills. It might be helpful to find out why past high-performing employees decided to leave. Is there something you could offer that would have persuaded them to stay? What kinds of barriers stop people from advancing at your organization?

To show your employees that you’re invested in their success, you might consider allocating budget for upskilling experiences like conferences or workshops. You could also implement a mentorship program to give junior-level employees the chance to learn from more experienced staff—this can be a great way to provide senior-level employees with a new challenge and renewed sense of purpose.

4. Recognize hard work

In Simard’s experience, patients with work-related mental health issues often say things like, “I feel like my efforts are for nothing.” Not surprisingly, employees who don’t feel valued are less likely to stay motivated and engaged in their work, leading to diminished productivity and greater risk of mental health issues and burnout.

There are a number of ways leaders can recognize their employees’ hard work. While a simple "thank you" can be a nice gesture, it can be even more meaningful to point out specific contributions that have positively impacted the organization. This helps employees truly understand the value of their work. Public acknowledgment also helps people feel valued, so highlight your employees’ major achievements with their colleagues and fellow leaders.

Leaders may also choose to implement a more formal recognition program or nominate deserving employees for an internal or external award.

5. Offer evidence-based mental health care

When employees are dealing with high levels of stress, their mental health can quickly deteriorate, putting them more at risk of burnout. That’s why it’s critical that your employees have fast, easy access to mental health support. Ideally, your workplace mental health program will take a proactive approach, identifying at-risk employees and addressing problems early on.

Dialogue’s mental health program does this by ensuring that your employees receive care tailored to their specific needs. From self-led tools to psychotherapist interventions, they can access the appropriate level of support, avoiding unnecessary treatment.  

Unlike traditional mental health care, Dialogue offers fast access to virtual support: patients don’t have to wait weeks or months for an appointment, and they can speak with a therapist from the comfort of home. With convenient access to therapy, they’re much more likely to start and stick with treatment until they recover.

Plus, organizations benefit from ongoing engagement initiatives, like educational monthly member newsletters, health and wellness webinars, and more. This proactive approach takes the onus off employees who may be hesitant to ask for help with a mental health issue because of persistent stigma.

While there’s no short-term fix for preventing burnout, there are steps you can take right now to build a culture that fosters a greater sense of well-being for all employees. Adopting an effective workplace mental health program is a great way to start. Dialogue’s services have made a lasting impact on members’ lives, providing them with tools to deal with stress and build resilience.

Learn more about Dialogue's mental health program.