How leaders can prevent employee burnout

Let’s talk about burnout—that physical-emotional feeling that you can’t carry on with your job for one more Zoom call without losing your mind—and how leaders can prevent it. 

I speak frequently about burnout because it significantly decreases your quality of life. Employers are aware that an employee collapsing on the job is a problem. So they take steps to prevent it.

But if those mandatory relaxation classes and seminars on resilience were working, why do people still experience burnout? 

Burnout has existed since the Industrial Revolution. But in times of crisis, like during a pandemic, its severity explodes. 

My message today is for anyone who is in a management role, whether leading hundreds or supervising a few. Because let’s be honest. Burnout is about the system and leadership, not the individual.   

Trying to fix employees is not the solution, because they’re not the problem.  

Leaders who try to solve the wrong problem end up doing more harm as employees tend to feel guilty for not being “resilient enough to cope” with their burnout.   

I’m not saying that people shouldn’t learn better coping strategies. I’m saying if you fail to tackle the main issue, individual efforts will be insufficient. 

The key lies in prevention. Leaders need to fundamentally change they way they work and communicate with their people so that burnout doesn’t become an issue in the first place.

There are hundreds of things a leader can do to prevent employee burnout, but today I’ll focus on three: digging beneath the surface, proactively helping, and compassionate listening.  

1. Dig deeper than a friendly “How are you?”  

As a leader, it’s non-negotiable that you check-in with your people. 

While it’s easy to get caught up in the thousands of things on your plate, showing genuine care and interest in others requires more than a cursory “how are you?”  

If you want to lead better and really understand what people need (or whether there’s anything you can do to help them), you need to dig deeper and at least follow up with:  

“How are you REALLY?”  

I’m not asking you to become a therapist. But give your people some space to reflect on the question. They need an opportunity to be really listened to, and to reach out for help before they arrive at a tipping point where they become totally drained.   

This won’t happen every day with every one of your team members. But when you do speak, if you notice an early warning sign that your employee’s resources are running low (becoming withdrawn, feeling down or anxious, looking tired or demotivated, having lower energy than usual) try asking a better checking-in question.   

You’ll be amazed by what people tell you when you’re genuinely interested in their wellbeing.  

You’ll see that it opens the door to vulnerability, better connection, trust, and psychological safety. These are the antidotes to burnout.   

2. Proactively offer help.  

Offering help is incomplete if it’s not proactive.  

Someone is telling you that they’re going through a tough time, or they’re stressed out.  

Asking them “What can I do? or “How can I help?” is good, but we can do better.  

• First, these questions imply your employee is weak or helpless.  

• Second, such questions put the burden on the employee, who now feels the need to come up with an answer. And people are generally reluctant to ask for something.  

• Third, it’s being passive and not offering anything tangible.  

Here’s how to be more proactive: 

“Let’s take some of the obstacles/burdens out of the way. Let’s talk about where to start.” 

“I’d like to make a suggestion. How about we delegate that task you’ve been working on?” 

“How about I cancel those client meetings this week so you can have some space?”  

“Why don’t you to take some time off to refresh. Let’s discuss how much time off would work for you the best right now.”  

You see, it’s about how we frame the question.  

You don’t have to fix your employee’s life. Start small. Do something that will ease their situation a little bit.  

This approach not only provides your team with instrumental support but also helps them feel heard and seen.   

Remember, everyone’s needs will be different, and it makes sense to ask your team directly what they need. But if you sense they’re being hesitant, try being more proactive.  

3. Be a present and compassionate listener.   

This is so much better than any relaxation workshop. Because if your team are not feeling supported, valued, or listened to, they will burn out, leave, or both.  

Connection and compassion prevent burnout. This is the human approach, and it starts by you setting your intention as a leader. 

For example, every morning I ask myself how I want to show up as a leader. It helps me remember my values and what really matters for me in how I’m leading others.  

You can also ask this question in different situations, like before sending an email to one of your team members, or before you respond to a question in a meeting. Even pausing for a few moments and then taking action will give you the space to connect with your intention.  

Remember that at the individual level, everyone’s values are different. But leading people requires connecting with universal values: empathy, integrity, honesty.  

Another useful exercise I run with my leader clients is to ask them to think back on their careers and remember the behaviours of leaders who helped them move forward and who held them back.  

Trust me, not a single client ever said being yelled at, ignored, or dismissed helped them. The leader behaviours that moved them forward were always a sense of care, compassion, and support.  

*** 

There are more things you can do as a leader to prevent burnout, and they all come down to prioritising people.  

Being human doesn’t mean being weak or ineffective. On the contrary, it means drawing strength from recognising where we need support. 

Great leaders are able to do the hard things with kindness and compassion. 

By prioritising people, recognising we’re all humans, and offering support, your leadership will become more effective.  

And for me, that’s a far better result than any resilience class.