Workplace Burnout: How to Support Employee Well-being
Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc. CEO, Bonita Eby was interviewed on CTV News. This article is a summary of that interview.
Click the image to watch the live television interview starting at 21:15.
The Great Resignation due to burnout & stress
Host: During the pandemic, we heard about mass resignations and people leaving their jobs because of burnout and stress. Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention Strategist and owner of Breakthrough Personal and Professional Development Incorporated. She joins us today to talk about workplace burnout and how to support employee well-being. Bonita, thank you for joining us today.
Workplace burnout & how to support employee well-being
Host: You have a personal story about dealing with workplace burnout that led you to this work, yes?
Bonita: I did. I went through burnout, and at the time, people were not talking about it. So after many years of research and my background in leadership development and healthcare, I combined these things together to create this company, Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development, which works with organizations and individuals to prevent employee burnout.
Comprehensive Burnout Assessment tool
Host: You've created a Burnout Assessment tool. Can you tell us about it?
Bonita: That's right. It is the first burnout assessment with both a professional and personal profile. The professional profile is based on the six factors of burnout that research shows create burnout in the workplace. They are
1. An overwhelming workload,
2. A lack of control,
3. A lack of reward,
4. A lack of community,
5. A lack of fairness, and
6. Conflicting values.
The personal profile is based on the ramifications that burnout has on our personal lives. This includes our physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and relational health.
Host: And is it an online tool? How do we use it? How does it work?
Bonita: It is available online on my website at www.break-through.ca. Right on the home page on the right-hand side, you'll see a blue button that says Burnout Assessment, where anyone can download it for free.
Organizations use the Burnout Assessment across their entire organization. For example, nonprofits, corporate entities, municipalities, and universities use it across the organization as a whole to open the conversation about burnout with those they lead, making a psychologically safe place to be able to talk about it.
Leaders can assess through the Burnout Assessment exactly what the challenges are that employees face. Then they can provide, based on that data, resources and training that will equip their people to prevent burnout.
Burnout affects a company’s top performers
Host: I know we hear a lot about burnout on a personal level. Many people report or say they feel this way, but you're encouraging organizations and employers - the leaders in the workplace, to recognize burnout amongst their workforce.
Bonita: We each have a personal responsibility to care for ourselves and create a work-life balance. But the research shows overwhelmingly that burnout is actually based on workplace stress that has been unsuccessfully managed. The systems that are in place often lead to people feeling less productive, exhausted, and cynical about their jobs, and oftentimes it affects an organization's top performers. So we need to put strategies in place to protect them and the organization for longevity.
Recommended strategies workplaces can adopt to help employees feel less burned out
Host: What strategies do you then recommend that workplaces adopt in order to have employees feel less burnt out?
Bonita: One of the great things about the Burnout Assessment is that it provides leaders with quantitative data to understand where the gaps are in their organization. That way, they can implement strategies, such as training, resources and benefits in order to protect and support their employees based on data.
Companies sincerely want to support their employees but don't know what to do. So they implement numerous strategies, but too often, they’re not answering the problems they actually have within their organization. The assessment provides that data.
Host: Such an important issue, Bonita. Thank you so much for joining us today.
About the author
Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention & Organizational Culture Consultant, Executive Coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals. Bonita is on a mission to end burnout. Get your free Burnout Assessment today.