National Stress Awareness Day: Staff burnout on the rise

Workplace health experts warn of soaring staff burnout rates this winter, on National Stress Awareness Day in the UK.  

They are urging employers to get prepared to deal with workplace stress following a steep rise in online searches for ‘burnout’ symptoms. UK workplace burnout symptoms increased by 24% in January 2020 compared to the year before, according to Google search data. The study also highlights a gradual increase in the volume of searches for ‘signs of burnout’ over the last four years. 

DEPRESSING STATISTICS

On average, total searches on burnout symptoms have increased by 41% annually in the UK since 2017. Globally, however, online searches for the term ‘occupational burnout’ have soared by more than 2,500% since 2015.

The study attributes this rise to stress associated with low mood, depression and demotivation in staff. These symptoms traditionally increase in the winter months. However, health experts believe staff burnout will be worse this year because of additional Covid-19 stress, fuelling an even faster rise in work-related mental health issues. So health experts are urging employers to prepare for the upcoming spike as additional support will be needed to maintain mental health and productivity. 

EXCESSIVE WORK STRESS

“Burnout is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Pressure at work is usually the main culprit and when budgets are tight and teams are small, people often find themselves with multiple roles and heavy workloads, piling on the stress,” explained Richard Holmes, Director of Wellbeing at Westfield Health. 

Policies such as “turning off email servers outside of working hours helps ring fence valuable recovery time”, he continued. “Mental health first aid training can also help managers spot the signs or triggers and put preventions in place. Contractors or freelancers who don’t have the support of HR might need to adopt their own strategies such as setting working hours, turning off email alerts out of these hours and separating work and living space if working from home.”

MISSED WELLBEING OPPORTUNITIES

So what more can employers do to help reduce excessive stress and burnout in the workplace? It is clear that understanding of the problem among employers remains relatively low. “Recognising burnout or excessive stress in employees is a vital part of the HR manager’s work,” explained Angela Knox, Director of workplace employee wellbeing programme Keep Fit Eat Fit.

However, it’s an issue they often overlook. “If employers have systems in place that are designed for regular monitoring of each employee, then problems can be identified and dealt with before they escalate,” added Knox. 

She believes employers often miss opportunities to intervene. “In larger companies with higher head counts it is a good idea for the head of HR to have eyes and ears in the various departments so that they can keep track of any key developments or problems before they occur,” she advised.

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS 

There are plenty of steps that people can take in order to reduce stress and the risk of burnout. Employers can proactively encourage these among their staff through the following:

• Encourage regular exercise. Even the shortest 10-minute brisk walk can have a real impact on mood and motivation; it doesn’t have to be a 10-mile run. Getting away from the desk to exercise in the fresh air has a direct link to increased productivity.
• Ensure employees don’t sit at their desks for too long. Ensure staff don’t sit for long periods. A five-minute desk break every hour reduces the risk of injury. It also refocuses the mind and helps break the monotony of both home and office working – even if it’s just a walk to the kitchen for a cup of tea.
• Encourage quitting unhealthy habits. Poor diet and excessive drinking both have a major impact on a person’s stress levels, as does smoking. A recent study found that quitting smoking made immediate positive improvements to mental health, especially after the first four weeks.
• Make sure people talk to their line manager. Communication is what prevents those initial feelings of pressure, anxiety or demotivation from becoming mental health problems like burnout. The sooner an employer is aware of the problem, the sooner they can do something about it.
• Set up routine catch-ups with the team. With more staff now working from home, it’s vital to keep lines of communication open to maintain the social side of work. This reduces the feeling of isolation and has positive a impact on wellbeing.
• Promote mental health days. Fostering a workplace culture where people don’t feel guilty for occasionally taking the day off sick, will help alleviate longer-term stress and maintain morale.
• Push annual leave. Employers should encourage staff to use all of their holiday allowance each year, even if they’re not going away anywhere. This fosters a healthier work environment and creates a better work-life balance that benefits everybody.

Check out why employers must prioritise employee well-being here.