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Human Capital Management

Employee Burnout and Manager Behavior

Marissa Dowdy /

An image of a woman with weary look on her face as she sit across a table from two others.

When employers hear the word “burnout”, they often associate it with employees working too many hours. While that can contribute to the problem, a study by Gallup shows that it’s not just the number of hours employees work, it’s how they’re managed and what their work experience is like during those hours.

As 76% of employees report feeling burnout in their jobs at least sometimes, employers must understand how employee burnout happens and what they can do to resolve it. Here are the top five factors that contribute to employee burnout:  

  1. Unfair treatment at work  
  2. Unmanageable workload  
  3. Unclear communication from managers  
  4. Lack of manager support  
  5. Unreasonable time pressure  

All these factors have one thing in common: they’re all influenced by manager behavior. An effective manager supports their employees, advocates on their behalf, and ensures expectations with upper management are reasonable.

An ill-prepared manager will set impossible standards and make work unnecessarily stressful. Organizations must properly train managers and ensure their needs are met, in addition to supporting other employees.

Otherwise, the entire company will face challenges with employee burnout and turnover as employees leave for less demanding roles. Overly stressed employees are 37% more likely to take days off, 18% less productive, and produce 15% less profitability, so prioritizing mental health can save your company thousands of dollars. 

As organizations return to their offices, it’s essential to employee well-being that managers stay flexible and engaged. COVID-19 has impacted everyone and goals from the beginning of the year may need to be adjusted.

Managers should work with individuals on a case-by-case basis to set realistic expectations and reassure them to reach out if they need help. If your organization is struggling with employee burnout or you’re looking for additional ways to support your employees, fill out the form below for a consultation today.  

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