© 2022 Fairygodboss. All rights reserved.
Burnout
What do you think is the best way to prevent burn out on your team(s)?
To me, accountability is the number one. Having your manager connect with you daily or weekly to make sure that you're doing okay is my personal way that I don't get burned out. What about you?
Miranda Wilcox
Helping women thrive at work and in life
163
10/30/19 at 12:12PM UTC
Encouraging (or gently forcing) breaks is one of the best things you can do for hardworking colleagues. This gives them a chance to step away from their work--physically and mentally--and recharge in whatever way works best for them.
KaleanaWellbeing Director @ Sequoia
152
10/29/19 at 6:56PM UTC
I think the most helpful thing you can do is help your team with prioritization, and helping coach them on where to focus there time. The work NEVER ends in most of our worlds, there are always emails coming in, projects coming up, fires to put out... so I often will take a "breather" moment to my team to say, tell me what you're working on. They'll then list out 15 different things. Then we'll work through what they think is the top 3, and what I think are the top 3. Giving people permission to put less important projects on the back burner while they get through the urgent ones really gives people a sigh of relief. It's someone senior to them saying hey - it's ok to not do EVERYTHING at the same time. Work on this, then let's tackle this. I then let them know I'll own working with the leaders of those *not so urgent projects* to set a realistic turn around time and expectations.
Anonymous
10/31/19 at 1:05PM UTC
Super cool suggestions here. I really appreciate your insight on that. Especially having your team provide their insight to you to calibrate on what is priority 1. Really appreciate that.
User deleted comment on 10/29/19 at 3:21PM UTC
BossladyRoseEngineer with a Passion for Medical Technology
156
10/25/19 at 5:03PM UTC
I personally tend to burn out more when I have a single project or task to work on. I work best with two or three projects at once. Maybe learning how your coworkers work-style can help to delay burnout up front. Also making sure you don't accidentally make an employee a single point of failure. For instance, if someone becomes a subject matter expert in one area, make sure they start to mentor someone so the expert can feel free to take a vacation if they start to experience burn out.
Anonymous
10/26/19 at 6:04AM UTC
Great advice about how to treat SMEs, BossladyRose. As leaders we need to encourage sharing knowledge, not hoarding it. In addition, I encourage people to take vacation (and other steps) before they get near to burnout. See my blog post here http://www.mscareergirl.com/are-you-on-the-road-to-burnout/
Anonymous
10/25/19 at 5:03PM UTC
There are so many strategies! I keep it simple: Recognize that everyone has a life outside of work, and give them the support they need to live it without guilt. That means:
1) not making them 'ask permission' to work from home or leave to take care of doctor's appointments or sick children. We're all adults, we know what has to be done and by when
2) noting if someone looks particularly up or down on a given day, and asking how they are. We are all whole people and it's fine to acknowledge it
3) knowing the difference between real and fake emergencies. I use the question 'is there arterial bleeding?' If the answer is 'no' it is may be important, but we probably have time to stop, breathe, and think before reacting appropriately
4) modeling balance. I don't answer or send emails after hours or while on holiday. I leave early or come in late to accommodate important life appointments. I notice my colleagues as people and ask how they are. And I say thank you - publicly and often.
Sandra DiazI leverage data and systems to deliver results.
764
10/25/19 at 4:45PM UTC
I work at an organization that does formal self-care plans twice a year, giving me as a manager a tool to know and follow up on the things and activities that fill an employee's tank on a personal level. Since the organization works with survivors of human trafficking it is critical that all employees in it serve from a place of fullness. Secondary trauma is a risk for workers in social services, so this process helps with avoiding that state.
Stephanie KoehlerData loving storyteller
291
10/25/19 at 3:45PM UTC
I love these ideas! Burnout starts when you feel alone. When you are part of a tribe, it is easier to see past the trials of the day-to-day and look ahead to goals and success.
As a manager, I used our one-on-one meetings to check in on projects and larger career goals. Having that 'bigger picture' career conversation helped me know 1) If a team member was looking at other internal positions 2) If a team member needed training or professional development opportunities and 3) Helped me understand where they were in their journey.
I found these tools very helpful in turning around frustrated team members.
Anonymous
10/25/19 at 3:16PM UTC
Working from home one day a week helps me prevent burning out!
Ruzana GlaeserCo-founder of brightmeetsbrave.com
950
10/25/19 at 2:38PM UTC
The best way that has helped me:
1. Find your passion, when you do what you love, burnout isn't really an option.
2. Define balance: you must know your limits, what you are willing and not willing to do, and communicate that with your manager and team!
3. Take care of yourself: you must take care of yourself if you want to avoid burnout, and if it's something your manager has to get on board about, communicate with them why it's important to you.
4. When on vacation - unplug! This one is hard to do nowadays, but critical to avoiding burnout. When you are off, set expectations that you won't be answering any calls or emails. The world will not stop spinning, I guarantee you that!
5. Schedule down time in your day. I make sure I have some time during the day when I have unstructured thinking. It might be just over lunch hour on some days, other days it's later towards the end of the day, but it's critical to get at least 30 minutes of unstructured thinking. It's very refreshing.
Laura ScaloneNew Mom looking for New Career Path
212
10/25/19 at 2:36PM UTC
We had a couple recognition programs that helped. For one, we used Fond.co to send points to other teammates with a note about how great they were doing. The other was the Three Musketeers Award. That was a certificate that was sent out to people who went above and beyond for the team (All for one, and one for all). Both forms of recognition were read out during a monthly team meeting to draw attention to the great work everyone was doing.
Anonymous
10/25/19 at 2:43PM UTC
At my last company, we used Fond and I absolutely loved it! It was a great way to encourage feedback, but also throw some larger points when folks really helped out with an initiative or project.
Laura ScaloneNew Mom looking for New Career Path
212
10/25/19 at 2:46PM UTC
Yes, I love Fond! Personally, I love the rewards that are available, but it's also just really fun to see what people I'm not in daily contact with are up to.
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