In our modern technology- and service-driven culture, it’s inevitable that the long hours, constant availability, and demands on social and mental energy will lead to burnout at some point. While many people experience burnout early on in life when balancing school, work, and social activities, it can be difficult to manage as a nonprofit or organization leader when you are responsible for staff burnout as well. Your personal experiences with burnout may not prepare you with steps for how to avoid staff burnout.

By defining burnout, examining what staff burnout looks like, and establishing some practical tips for addressing it, we can provide a game plan for preemptively addressing this workplace threat.

What is “Burnout?”

According to an article by The Nonprofit Megaphone, the term “burnout” that we hear so often today originated in the 1970s. A psychologist who ran two New York clinics where he worked with child drug addicts coined the term in reference to “the severe stress and high ideals of ‘helping’ professions.”

Freudenberger noticed his own burnout manifested as fatigue, stress, inability to get out of bed, frustration, and unpleasantness of character. He distinguished it from exhaustion or depression, and published a book defining this new “illness” in 1980.

In his book, the psychologist describes burnout as “a response to a demand that an individual may make upon themself in terms of a requirement for perfectionism.”

Burnout can affect almost anyone, and according to one survey, a third of working professionals admit to feelings of burnout by the early age of 32.

What Does Staff Burnout Look Like?

The first step in remedying any issue is to acknowledge you have it. In American society, being overworked is the new norm. Because phones give us access to our work—which is now often online—24/7, we feel the pressure to also be working and available 24/7 instead of confining the work day to, for instance, a 9-5 schedule.

For this reason, the mental strain can take its toll, and you or your staff can experience burnout without you even recognizing it. So, what does staff burnout look like?

As the leader of a company, business, church, or nonprofit, you might know how to manage your own schedule and combat burnout in yourself, but recognizing it in your staff looks completely different.

For instance, as a leader of the organization, you may try not to complain about work in order to maintain morale, but a volunteer or staff member who is burnt out will not have the same convictions. Recognize burnout by noticing formerly enthusiastic employees turning to cynicism or gossip about other staff. A volunteer who may have previously been ready to jump on any task may begin to complain about small things or be noticeably detached from work.

A few other keys symptoms of burnout:

1. Exhaustion – burnout exhaustion can look like anything from emotional numbness to physical illness, changes in appetite, and forgetfulness as the staff member neglects to take care of themselves.
2. Alienation – notice volunteers or staff who are not fitting in, intentionally avoiding other staff, or seem dispassionate about their work. Exhaustion can cause alienation as staff step back from social activities in attempts to address mental or emotional burnout.
3. Reduced performance – formerly creative and engaged staff may experience a lack of ideas or enthusiasm indicated by decreased motivation, tardiness, or procrastination.

How to Avoid Staff Burnout

Staff burnout is caused by overwork, and overwork can stem from a number of things. Here are a few key sources of burnout and how to preemptively address them:

• Issue: Lack of time management skills OR a too flexible schedule without clear deadlines — as the leader of a company, you may be used to managing your own time, but many staff may not have that skill or experience, and structure is essential to preventing overwork.
• Response: Have a clear schedule, timeline, and time in and out of work to provide limits that keep staff from overworking. Encourage staff not to work outside of hours and to engage in a more balanced work-life dynamic.

• Issue: Lack of work-life balance.
• Response: If you are working with a small team, host events such as outdoor sports (volleyball, soccer, flag football), happy hours, talks and seminars, and other activities that encourage your staff to both develop relationships and encourage physical activity.

• Issue: Unclear job expectations — staff want to know they are progressing or at least accomplishing their designated tasks.
• Response: Make accomplishments evident. Give staff members the option to check a box, report a finished project to a company leader, or find another way to show that they have met a deadline so they can feel accomplished at the end of the day.

• Issue: Lack of support
• Response: Provide clear resources for staff who are feeling overwhelmed. Make sure they know the members of staff that make up their support system, and make time off processes and holidays clear. If possible, provide seminars, counselors, social events, meals, or other resources to support staff.

Many young adults entering the workforce experienced the first few years of their college or career during COVID-19. This means that they have been working remotely with no real structure for most of their career so far, and that has affected their time management, motivation, and interpersonal skills. Keep this in mind when creating a workplace dynamic so that they can stay engaged and feel supported.

If you are still in doubt whether or not your staff is experiencing burnout or what staff burnout looks like, you can have them take this test to figure it out, and then proceed with brainstorming as a group some ways to proceed.

If you are a company leader who is experiencing burnout yourself, check out this recent piece on “How to Collaborate to Avoid Burnout.” Here at Amenable, we collaborate with you to help streamline your organization and prevent issues such as staff burnout. For more information, check out our services here!

Overall, preventing staff burnout depends on preemptively creating a staff dynamic and environment which discourages overwork. Provide your staff with clear expectations, a set schedule, personal and relational support, and encourage work-life balance, and you’ll have all the kindling you need to keep that fire going.