Editor’s Note: SHRM has partnered with Harvard Business Review to bring you relevant articles on key HR topics and strategies.
Amidst record-breaking job turnover, leaders have been feeling pressure to pay attention to the well-being of their workforce. These days, many professionals—one Deloitte study puts the number at 77%—have experienced burnout at their current job.
When an employee comes to you expressing burnout concerns, it can feel challenging to know whether—or how—to deal with it. Lacking training in well-being, many managers don’t know how to respond in the moment, much less how to address the systemic drivers of burnout. This may prompt leaders to suggest traditional Band-Aid approaches, such as recommending some time off, an afternoon yoga class or better time-management skills. While these may be helpful for releasing stress, they’re unlikely to address the root cause of burnout, such as workload, difficult workplace relationships or a lack of autonomy.
It can be challenging for even the most enlightened leaders to have conversations about employee burnout while managing the needs of the business. “I was trained in business, not therapy,” as one of my CEO clients put it. “How do I have this conversation in a way that will be productive and show I care about my people?”
