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28 Sep 2020

Three ways a reward and benefits strategy can be used to tackle a burnout culture

With the World Health Organisation (WHO) defining burnout as an occupational phenomenon “resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”, employers have a responsibility to prevent this counterproductive culture taking hold in their organisation.

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According to the WHO, burnout manifests itself in three main ways. Alongside feelings of exhaustion, someone suffering from burnout can feel mentally distanced from their job, often resulting in negative or cynical feelings. Unsurprisingly, while it can be caused by trying to do too much, it can also have a detrimental effect on performance, leaving someone unable to complete their normal workload.

As well as affecting the workplace, burnout also affects the sports field. In a recent interview with REBA, double Olympic gold medal winner and a Legal & General Not A Red Card Ambassador, Rebecca Adlington OBE, admitted it was something she’d experienced as an athlete but also while running her business.

“Everyone has a bad day but, with burnout, this could go on for a couple of weeks,” she says. “My performance would go off and I’d feel drained and as if I had nothing to give. I wouldn’t sleep well, even though I was so tired and mentally and emotionally, I just wanted to switch off.”

Although it’s a health issue that’s been around for years, changes in working practices have increased the risk. This year, the shift towards the always on culture was accelerated by the pandemic, with many employees working from home and struggling to separate the two aspects of their lives. Add to this concerns about job security and finances, and it’s understandable why burnout’s on the radar again.

Putting appropriate measures in place to reduce the risk of burnout is key. These are three ways a reward and benefits strategy can help to create the right workplace culture and prevent behaviours that can lead to burnout.

1. Reward and enable the right behaviours

Burnout happens when employees do too much or feel overwhelmed by their workload or the expectations being placed on them. To help reduce the risk, avoid incentivising employees on the volume of work they undertake as this can encourage them to do more and more.

It’s also prudent to have policies in place covering areas such as email use and homeworking. This should underline what is and isn’t acceptable, stressing the importance of a work life balance and outlawing those stress-inducing emails that land in an inbox on Sunday evenings.

Time management is another skill that can reduce the risk, with Rebecca saying it’s something she’s brought into her business career from her time as an athlete.

“I’ve always set myself goals, both short and long-term,” she explains. “They have to be realistic, but it helps me to prioritise my day.”

2. Give line managers the tools to support employees

A reward and benefits strategy should also recognise the important role that line managers have in reducing the risk of burnout. Training them to recognise the warning signs that someone is experiencing stress can enable them to provide appropriate help and support before someone suffers burnout.

This could involve signposting them to benefits such as the employee assistance programme (EAP) or online counselling, but also needs to include helping employees manage their workloads and expectations. As well as regular catch-ups to make sure they’re not coming under undue pressure, line managers also need to be able to offer flexibility and support to employees. 

3. Promote wellbeing and the early intervention support that’s available

Making wellbeing a key part of your reward and benefits strategy can help tackle burnout in a number of ways.

Wellbeing benefits can provide employees with the ability to prevent burnout. This could be through learning relaxation and coping skills to help them deal with stress; through the provision of support through an EAP; or by helping employees recognise when they might need help with their mental health.  

Just as importantly, it also demonstrates that the organisation cares about employees’ welfare. This helps to create a culture where employees feel able to reach out if they do need support or are struggling with their workload.

This article is provided by Legal & General.

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