Workplace Burnout: Covid-19 pandemic impacts linger
Workplace Burnout: Covid-19 pandemic impacts linger
If you鈥檙e still feeling flat and washed out at work despite the Covid-19 pandemic鈥檚 impact on our day to day lives having receded, you鈥檙e not alone.听
Nick Petrie, an international leadership consultant who delivered a workshop on the art of avoiding burnout at 爆料社区鈥檚 Connections 2023 conference, is well-qualified to offer insights into the effect of the pandemic on workplace happiness and productivity.听
He鈥檚 not only studied it 鈥� but suffered through some of the most common negative impacts of burnout himself.听
For those whose jobs weren鈥檛 wiped out by the first wave of lockdowns, things actually went pretty well as we settled into a new routine of working from home and meeting remotely via online platforms.听
鈥淧roductivity actually went up at the start of the pandemic,鈥� Petrie noted.听
That鈥檚 because employees started working earlier, working later and not taking breaks. But that new routine 鈥� and the underlying imperative to navigate a crisis - was massively stimulating and taxing on people鈥檚 nervous systems.听
Nine months in, the cracks started to appear. Many us were in a state of 鈥� when the body derives energy from a fight or flight state.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 very expensive energy,鈥� noted Petrie. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like an overdraft at the bank. You are supposed to repay it. But nobody was paying it back.听
鈥淭he way they were working wasn鈥檛 working. People started either burning out or getting to the point where they said 鈥業 just don鈥檛 want to go on鈥�. They couldn鈥檛 perform properly. It was just everywhere.听
鈥淎nd it is ongoing now.鈥�听
Suffering from burnout himself, Petrie set about finding out what was happening. He conceived the and pulled together a research team consisting of academics, industry professionals from global corporates such as Uber and Netflix and high performance sports entities the Boston Red Sox and Rugby Football League.听
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These included how well aligned an employee was with their organisation鈥檚 values; their level of intrinsic motivation; and the balance between performance demands and the chance to grow and learn on the job.听
Warning signs when employees were over-extended included resentment, exhaustion, feeling unappreciated and fear.听
鈥淲e are not good at spotting the warning signs ourselves,鈥� said Petrie. 鈥淥ther people around you are better at seeing changes. The question is does it feel safe enough for them to say something? Often the answer was 鈥榥o鈥�.鈥�听
鈥淲hat sort of culture could we create for everyone, so that we can have high-performance, healthy environments to work in. I would encourage you to think about how we do both of those things really well.鈥�听
High performers suffering from burnout tended to try to work harder as a solution.听
鈥淎ll of them worked harder because the felt 鈥業 am becoming unproductive, I am not getting as much done as I used to鈥�. Their body was starting to shut down and their brain was becoming less effective.鈥�听
Petrie details three stages of burnout.听
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While companies often recognise when employees are struggling, in many cases the mitigations offered don鈥檛 match the stage of burnout an employee is enduring.听
Measures such as meditation, yoga, taking a day off or getting some exercise were 鈥渁ll great solutions for first degree burn鈥�.听
The problem was many workplaces were offering those things to people who were in third degree.听听
鈥淲e heard from them 鈥� it felt like they were being gaslit. So pay attention. Ask: 鈥榙o we have different solutions at different levels鈥�?鈥�听
The most effective way to avoid or recover from burnout was active recovery 鈥� ideally an activity that was completely separate and distinctly different from a person鈥檚 work. Petrie gave the example of an Amazon executive who found Argentinian tango dancing the perfect antidote to workplace stress.听
鈥淚t is not exactly rest people need, it is switching out of that work mode. If you don鈥檛 have something that switches you off or recharges you it is very hard to keep going.鈥�听
Many organisations offered workshops and development opportunities, however these typically consisted of about 20 hours a year, while employees would be on the job for 2000 hours annually. So the question facing employers was how to create an environment in which employees could perform and also grow in a sustainable way.听
In his work with global corporates, Petrie had noticed a trend away from wellbeing and back towards a focus on productivity.听
鈥淎 lot of companies have swung back now. They鈥檝e said 鈥榳e鈥檝e done that, we went too far鈥�. It has got to be performance 鈥� it is all performance now. That makes sense because they need to perform, they need to deliver for their stakeholders. The question is what sort of culture are you going to end up with?鈥�听
Petrie laid down a challenge for the leaders in New Zealand鈥檚 sports and recreation sector.听
鈥淲hat sort of culture could we create for everyone, so that we can have high-performance, healthy environments to work in.听
鈥淚 would encourage you to think about how we do both of those things really well.鈥�听
Hear more in the full presentation video >
