Council Post: Preventing Employee Burnout With Empathetic Leadership

By Ben Zimmerman, president at Media Design Group.

Nearly one-third of employees wish their organization would act with more empathy. Just let that sink in.

According to a study published by the Workforce Institute at Ultimate Kronos Group (UKG) in September 2020, nearly half of respondents consider their organization’s ability to balance workloads to prevent fatigue and burnout a top priority during the pandemic. Burnout equally affects employees working remotely (43%) and in a physical workplace (43%). And while the study found that 59% of employees and business leaders say their organization has taken at least some measures to address burnout, 29% of employees wish their organization would act with more empathy.

So, what does empathy look like in the workplace? It’s admittedly tough to define what is essentially a human trait or quality. From a psychological perspective, empathy centers on the ability to recognize and understand other people’s thoughts and feelings — you know, walking a mile in each other’s shoes. Empathy helps us connect with others.

But in the workplace, empathy goes beyond a simple understanding of each other. It’s about assessing your own biases, privilege and power. But perhaps more importantly, it’s about taking things one step further and listening to people around you, and then taking action on your learnings. And as parts of the country explore new work-from-home environments and workflows, this means monitoring, assessing and responding to your employees’ needs.

Employee Burnout During A Pandemic

Jennifer Moss, an award-winning author and workplace expert, has written extensively about employee burnout, a topic that’s become startlingly relevant during a global pandemic that has caused so many Americans’ careers, work habits and personal preferences to be upended. She writes about how the term “burnout” has been criticized as a “made-up, first-world crisis, most likely drummed up by millennials and Gen Zers who want more work-life balance.”

This couldn’t be farther from the truth, she claims — and she points to data to back her stance. In a Gallup survey from 2018, 23% of respondents said they felt burned out at work “very often or always,” and 44% said they experience it “sometimes.” Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) included burnout as a syndrome in the International Classification of Diseases, IDC-11. As the WHO outlines, burnout manifests itself as feelings of exhaustion, negativity and cynicism. It can even lead to reduced professional efficacy.

Listen To Your Team Members

As we continue to work in unfamiliar territory, it’s important to listen to your team members — and lead with positivity. In recent research for her upcoming book, Moss talked with leaders across the country who have pivoted to meet their employees. Like many of us, these leaders are learning on the fly and reinventing company policies to account for new approaches.

She states that some realized the expectation that employees sit through hours of videoconferencing and then a companywide happy hour at the end of the day was overkill. Another leader found that giving employees Fridays off meant that team members just ended up making up for lost time on Saturdays. Why? Because the workload stayed the same. He found that to remove pressures from team members, it’s important to readjust workloads, not just hours.

Getting To Know Your Employees

As these examples illustrate, it’s essential to get a read on your employees — perhaps now more than ever. Leading with empathy means knowing their needs. This can be done in numerous ways. Now, I’m by no means a business coach, but I do know that being flexible and nimble is important. I also know that frequent communication is key to nurturing relationships.

Leading with empathy means listening to your employees, paying attention to their needs — and yes — deploying tactics that meet the times. If you don’t have them already, establishing one-on-one check-ins with your team members may be a good idea. No one likes an extra meeting, though, so keep things somewhat structured but informal. The more open the line of communication you establish, the more naturally you’ll build trust. And make sure to listen.

You can also consider implementing tools to record employee feedback. According to Gallup, the best feedback is the kind you ask for. Feedback can encourage self-development and engagement. It establishes a two-way street built on empathy and open exchange. It can separate fact from feeling by establishing data points across your organization. Leading by example is a tried-and-true method of gaining trust. And gathering opinions across meetings and check-ins can establish help the feedback loop — and keep it going.

No matter how you spin it, facing the perils of employee burnout is a task that no one wants to undertake. However, when approached proactively with empathy and positive thinking, you can encourage employees —and management — to reflect on their performance and well-being.