Burnout: The signs employers should watch out for, by experts

The soon-to-be former New Zealand Prime Minister will step down in February after a five-year term.

Announcing her resignation on Thursday, she told news reporters: “I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice.”

Ms Ardern, 42, said she hoped to find the heart and energy to go on in the role after a holiday.

"But unfortunately I haven’t, and I would be doing a disservice to New Zealand to continue," she said.

Although she didn’t use the word "burnout", the term means you’re "forcing yourself to work until you mentally and physically can’t do your job," according to experts.

Her resignation underpins the need for employers to recognise the signs to watch out for and learn how to prevent it. 

The consequences of burnout may include increased employee absence, lower productivity, and higher turnover of staff, all of which can affect a company’s success.

From 2019, burnout was recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as an "occupational phenomenon".

But Professor Sir Cary Cooper, who has just published a book, Burnout In The Workplace, said this is far from a new problem.

He told Reward Strategy that it is more common than people think and that Britain has a “particularly bad problem" because of the uncertainty of Brexit, the cost-of-living crisis and the possibility of a recession.

“The year before the pandemic, 57% of all long-term absence in the UK was for stress, anxiety and depression and burnout," he said.

What are the signs?

When you’re in the stress arena and the burnout arena, the symptoms of it are behaviour change, Professor Cooper said.

The first indication is the behaviour of the person suffering burnout changes.

“When you’re normally very affable, outgoing, humorous, that all disappears. You become socially withdrawn. Or you might become the opposite, very aggressive or angry. In other words, your behaviour changes.

“Normally when you’re humorous, you lose your sense of humour. Normally when you go out for coffee with colleagues, you stop doing that, you become more isolated.

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“That’s when you’ve crossed the line from ordinary stimulating pressure into stress. And that’s where the burnout occurs.

It will then begin to affect your physical and mental health.

“The second phase is you start getting symptoms such as palpitations, difficulty sleeping at night, or over consuming alcohol.

“You also might stop looking after your physical health. For example, you might stop going to the gym."

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He said the problem is prevalent at the moment because companies are trying to keep their labour costs down, and people feel insecure in their job because of the recession.

“Employers are trying to cut their labour costs, and so people start working longer hours, and they have unmanageable workloads, and they get burned out.”

How can employers help?

Wendy Muirhead, Managing Director and Regional Leader for EMEA at Ceridian said: “Organisations, people managers, and HR leaders need to be tuned in to the symptoms. 

"The best way to prevent burnout is to spot when it is happening and take action quickly. That means asking good questions, listening and understanding the causes, and then being as proactive as possible to make practical changes.

"Organisations should think about options like revising roles and boundaries, reviewing compensation and benefits, creating opportunities for time off and promoting a culture of recognition at all levels.

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"One way to mitigate against symptoms of burnout is to work on introducing non-linear career paths. Ceridian’s recent global Pulse of Talent research found that 90% of people reported feeling stuck in their roles within the past year, whereas 84% of employees said having a clear career path makes them more loyal to their employer.

"Giving people progression they can be excited about and opening up new opportunities means organisations can keep their people engaged and enthusiastic about their future growth and professional development."

Why don’t employees speak up?

According to Professor Cooper, an employee might be “reticent” to speak up because they may be afraid to lose their job or look incapable.

"The reason for this reticence is because jobs are insecure. We’re in a recession, and in recessions, people are scared to lose their jobs," he said.

Psychotherapist Ben Jones told Reward Strategy that it is "vital" that employees set healthy boundaries between home and work.

“I have my own lived experience of a breakdown which, at least in part, was caused by working too hard and not doing enough self-care.

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“The willingness of people, especially high-profile leaders in all industries, to speak out about the importance of work-life balance and sometimes their own struggles with burnout can be hugely empowering for others to hear.

"Speaking up about all mental health challenges in the workplace, including on burnout, can play an important role in reducing stigma and help others to speak up and seek help.”