In the past week, the topics of burnout and mental health in the workplace keep coming up. Between my clients, my colleagues, HR discussion boards, and webinars, I feel as though the universe is shining a light on the amplified reality of burnout and mental health challenges in the workplace.

Burnout and Mental Health Challenges are not New

This is not a new phenomenon.  Burnout, for example, is a term that was popularized in the 1970s and was specifically connected to severe stress in “helping” professionals. On Wednesday, January 13, the Institute of Coaching (IOC) featured a webinar led by Dr. Jacinta Jiminez; Buffering Against Burnout, based on her book that will be released this spring. During this webinar, Jiminez referenced several sources supporting that mental health is not a new challenge in the workplace. And, since the Covid pandemic broke, “American’s ratings of their own mental health has dropped to the lowest point since a Gallup survey began two decades ago.”[1]

Organizations Are Looking to Help their Employees

Separately, on an HR discussion board, an HR professional asked the group for resources or recommendations for tools and education available for employees feeling challenged with their mental health. This HR professional specifically mentioned stress and isolation.

Similarly, I have been working with COOs, HR professionals, and clients, who are all either witnessing or experiencing forms of mental health challenges, burnout, stress, isolation, and exhaustion, among their colleagues. They are looking for ways to manage through and/or help team members or employees to manage their challenges. They recognize that helping the individuals who are facing challenges, is not only helpful to the individual, but can help the teams and the organization as a whole.

What I know from my own coaching sessions with clients, and thoughts shared by other coaches, COOs, HR professionals, and on the IOC webinar, companies and employees want to put more focus on wellbeing in the workplace! It is essential to focus on this current workplace reality as burnout and mental wellness challenges negatively impact productivity, engagement, and ultimately teams and organizations.

What can a company do? A few ideas to consider:

• If your company offers an Employee Assistance Plan (EAP), be sure to communicate reminders to your employees to ensure they are aware of the support available to them.
• Encourage your employees to take time off! I have witnessed, specifically during this pandemic, numerous employees who chose not to take their vacation time because they knew they wouldn’t be “going away on vacation”. When one doesn’t take the time to recharge, the burnout, and/or mental health challenges get worse. The longer it persists, the harder it is to break out of the cycle.
• With isolation being a hyper-focused challenge during the Covid-19 pandemic,
  • Managers need to be more proactive in reaching out to their direct reports and checking in with them as “humans” – not just checking in to be sure the work gets done.
  • Companies can create virtual gatherings – not work focused, to help build community and connection. Whether a virtual happy hour, a virtual cooking class, or other fun and engaging activities, this time “together” is important – if employees want it!*
• Jiminez focused on “learning how to recognize, respond, and replenish.” She encouraged creating a menu of choices for “micro and macro replenishments”. Perhaps managers can work with their direct reports to encourage they go through this process. Whether it’s taking a walk, breathing, exercising, or meditating (just some quick examples), to taking a vacation – even if it’s a staycation, having choices can encourage more proactivity to managing these stresses and/or challenges.
• Empower employees to build community and connection such as through Employee Resource Groups (ERG).
• Offer resources such as a meditation app.
• Invest in your managers to help them gain the competencies, including empathy, to manage during the pandemic. This may be even more important for managers leading remote teams who had not done so before.

If you have other ideas that would be helpful for companies to learn from, please share!

If you are looking to brainstorm ideas, help yourself or your leaders to be better able to support their direct reports, manage their burnout, or bring their best selves forward, let’s connect.

“In dealing with those who are undergoing great suffering, if you feel “burnout” setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself. The point is to have a long-term perspective.” – Dali Lama

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*Most important – managers should have a pulse on what their employees want and/or need!

[1]https://news.gallup.com/poll/327311/americans-mental-health-ratings-sink-new-low.aspx