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The Single Best Defense Against Workplace Burnout
Recently I met with founders of startup companies to discuss a problem they’ve been struggling with and it’s one many companies are talking about — employee burnout.
When I said the topic of the presentation out loud there were audible chuckles in the room and one of the founders jumped in with, “This is a great topic, because I don’t ever experience burnout, so I have no idea why it’s such a problem.”
As our discussion went on, it became clearer to me why burnout is a commonly misunderstood issue. The founders equated burnout with work overload and assumed it meant that some people were better suited to manage and avoid burnout than others — both common misconceptions of burnout.
The truth, however, is that burnout impacts us all, but for different reasons and in different ways. In fact, according to a recent survey called the Burnout Epidemic Report, nearly 89% of respondents said they’ve experienced burnout within the last year due to many different factors, some work-related and some not.
In addition, 70% of respondents would consider leaving their current organization for one that provides more support and resources to address burnout. With these kinds of results amid the “Great Resignation”, it’s no wonder that these founders felt mounting pressure to support their people.
