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Over the last year, the term ‘burnout’ has hit headlines on several occasions. And in May the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially added burnout to its International Classification of Diseases (ICD) for those employees who feel mentally exhausted and emotionally drained due to their working patterns and increased workloads – The Sun reported.
Several media outlets are offering tips on how to nip burnout in the bud by cutting down incessant workloads, learning when to say ‘no’ when you don't have the capacity, advising employees to stop self-sacrificing and striving to be perfectionists and to be realists when it comes to determining an appropriate workload. Yet, a Harvard Business Review (HBR) article explained that the key prevention for employee burnout is hiring better bosses.
The article theorised that bosses should be protecting their employees from feeling stressed and they should act as a breath of fresh air when times are tough. If bosses, for example, are exemplifying a verbally aggressive manner to their employees then they are likely to feel stressed and anxious which could result in hampered productivity, high staff turnover and a poor company culture that will struggle to attract new recruits.
So, if employers want to improve employee experience and prevent excessive burn out, they should look towards improving their leadership hires. If employees are happy at work then they will feel healthier and more motivated to work hard and achieve the desired business results. So, how do organisations crack down on those applying for their leadership roles?
