From the great resignation to the great reset.

We don't need a 2021Global Workplace Burnout Study surveying 3,273 participants in over 30 countries to hit us on the head and justify reasons for "the great resignation."  The ‘r’ word is quickly becoming the norm within and beyond my networks and a personal leap I took in 2021. The study conducted by Infinite Potential confirms what many have directly experienced in the workplace trenches - burnout.  In 2021 the study reported 40% of people who left their jobs listing burnout as the reason.

According to WHO (2019) "burnout is a syndrome resulting from workplace stress that has not been successfully managed." Experienced by individuals as feeling an energy of depletion, exhaustion, increased mental distance from one's job, negativism or cynicism related to one's job and a notable reduction in professional efficacy.  It was reported that burnout experienced by individuals in a workplace is symptomatic of two sinister and sometimes invisible beasts, “unclear organisational structures and toxic cultures.”

We don’t have to look far beyond contemporary political discourse to see how burnout is quick to be categorised as a personal problem. Compounding this phenomena are the countless conversations witnessed within the workplace like, ‘did you hear about the latest casualties... Adam from HR is out on stress leave and Sarah from Accounts has dropped the ball.’  

The personalisation of an organisational problem hides what most employees really want self-aware leaders and managers who “develop a capability to understand burnout, identify stressors in the workplace” and design evidence-based solutions to alleviate chronic stress. Structurally and culturally.

It is pretty clear the funding and the implementation of bolt on quiz-based training modules to support wellbeing in the workplace have little or no impact on reducing burnout rates.

Here's the thing, organisations can attempt to stop or slow burnout with wellbeing programs for employees but are often rendered useless if managers and leaders believe they don't play a crucial role in the wellbeing trenches or if no change is made structurally or culturally. The status quo will remain.

The Burnout Study also highlighted the sandwich population of middle management being the hardest hit in the burnout wars.  

Employees seeking structural and cultural shifts need managers and leaders to step up and value their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of the people they lead far beyond policy and compliance.  It is psychologically irresponsible and financially indulgent for leaders and managers to want a silver bullet solution without participation in the process.  

The professional trainer, coach, leadership consultant and teacher in me knows real change is possible.  I have witnessed it with my own eyes and facilitated the process time and time again.

Change starts with leaders and managers normalising their own humanness and tackling burnout as a priority in the workplace well before staffing retention figures are spotlighted.  

With most people spending 70 percent of their time living in survival mode, constantly anticipating the worst possible outcome, so many are living in a constant state of stress.  Stress can be defined as the body and the brain being knocked out of balance activating our stress response. This response is what the body does innately to return to order. However, if the stress response is constantly on and can’t be turned off we are headed for disaster.  No organism can live in emergency mode for a long period of time and our thoughts alone can turn the stress response on.  

It may well be a triad of workplace tigers keeping us in fight or flight mode.  

Leaders and managers who understand the organisational burnout problem know it is vulnerable work.  It requires sitting in the discomfort of owning the problem and being accountable for the ‘self that leads’.

Leaders and managers can operationalise change by learning practical skillsets around mindfulness-based stress reduction and radical authentic leadership traits. Both can have significant structural and cultural impacts and possible when leaders and managers are prepared to go all in and explore their own relationship with the ‘self that leads.’  While it does require effort and practice it may well be the thing that leads us from ‘the great resignation’ to ‘the great reset’.

If you are a leader or manager who would like to learn these tangible skillsets I will be facilitating the next Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction 8 Week Course from April 18 or get in touch custom courses designed for your organisation are my specialty.  

With Gratitude,

Kylie Bartlett