By Ivan Hollingsworth, founder of Centric Consultants
October saw businesses across the UK mark Mental Health Awareness Day with heartfelt LinkedIn posts, mindfulness talks, and yoga in the boardroom – but amid a burnout epidemic, where should business leaders be focusing their efforts for the other 364 days of the year?
According to Gallup, only 15 percent of the global workforce is engaged at work and a study by University College London found overwork is having a real impact on our physical health too with research showing that those working over 55 hours a week are 33 percent more likely to have a stroke compared to those working 35-40 hours per week. Lots of organisations are sleepwalking towards burnout, and while the pandemic has potentially exacerbated the feeling, burnout is nothing new.
Burnout was first described in the 1970s by psychologist Dr. Christina Maslach as a “state of emotions, stress, physical exhaustion, cynicism, psychological overwhelm, and a decline in professional efficacy that a person exhibits in the presence of workplace stressors” – if any of these characteristics are becoming common in your team or workplace then you have a potential problem that you need to address sooner rather than later. The best way to beat burnout is to prevent it in the first place by creating a thriving team where connection, trust and psychological safety are in abundance. But how?
1. Create vitality – to put it simply, give people a sense that what they are doing daily makes a difference.
2. Growth through learning – while learning can also give a competitive skills advantage, it also sets in motion a virtuous cycle; people who are developing their abilities are likely to believe in their potential for further growth.
The concept of what it takes to be a good leader has completely changed over the last 30 years. Gone are the days of aggressive leadership strategies and top-down approaches to performance, to truly create a culture where your people feel valued, leaders need to take on the role of coach, listener, and collaborator. Poor relationships at work are one of the key contributing factors to burnout and by taking this approach you start to build real relationships with your people and avoid transactional conversations that leave your team feeling cold.
The world of business books and culture advice can seem impenetrable and it can be difficult to know where to start, but if you are looking to find out more about how to address burnout, and how to build and sustain a great team, I would highly recommend the following reads this month…
The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It by Jennifer Moss
In her thoughtful, and timely book, workplace well-being expert Jennifer Moss discusses the misconceptions around how to solve a problem like burnout, including fascinating new research alongside eye-opening, practical advice. The Burnout Epidemic offers readers insightful and actionable advice that will empower them to help themselves and their employees feel healthier and happier at work.
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle
The Culture Code reveals the secrets of some of the best teams in the world – from Pixar to Google to US Navy SEALs – explaining the three skills such groups have mastered to generate trust and a willingness to collaborate. Combining cutting-edge science, on-the-ground insight, and practical ideas for action, it offers a roadmap for creating an environment where innovation flourishes, problems get solved, and expectations are exceeded.
Ivan Hollingsworth is the founder and director of Centric Consultants – a business founded in a bid to tackle ‘culture-washing’ and support business leaders to build strong, sustainable, high-performing teams based on trust and psychological safety.
For more insights on what company culture truly means, and how to implement change across your business follow Centric Consultants on LinkedIn or email Ivan directly at ivan@centric-consultants.com