Chris Taylor

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Burnout is a rare exception to the norm.

COVID has made it seem almost the standard in this era.

Jennifer Moss suggests that organizations look closely at the culture of excessive work and how it can lead to a worse workplace. The author, speaker and workplace wellness expert has penned “The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It” to help slam the brakes on this crisis before we all hit the wall.

Moss talked to Reuters about how he made it through the pandemic without complications. Below are edited excerpts.

Q: What do people think now? Which findings did you make?

A: COVID’s second-wave survey revealed that only 2% of respondents thought their health was excellent. 89% also said they were experiencing worsening work conditions. People would become more tired, work harder and lose their effectiveness.

But we also found that cynicism was really high: People are starting to feel like they don’t have any control over outcomes. That’s really dangerous.

Q: What is the best way to define burnout?

Answer: Chronic workplace stress is not managed. It can be caused by six factors: A unsustainable workload; a perceived lack in control; inadequate rewards for effort; a lack a support community; a lack fairness; mismatched values or skills.

Q: If companies are aware that there is something seriously going on, how do they respond?

A: Because leaders are concerned about their employees leaving, they’ve been adding well-being strategies into their portfolio. This has put employees more in the driver’s seat; for instance, we have been seeing many companies delaying a return to the workplace. While self-care strategies are sometimes a positive thing, they can also be an aid to larger problems that need to be addressed upstream.

Q: What can businesses do to avoid burnout?

Answer: It is important that they look into the causes of work. While it is acceptable to give people the day off, you must also reduce expectations regarding productivity.

If you have a culture of overwork, that is not making people more effective – it’s making them sick. Companies need to give people more agency about how and when they come back to work, pay people what they’re worth, compensate them if they’re working extra hours, and make sure they’re promoting people for the right reasons.

Young people often feel that there is no pathway for them.

Q: What can individuals do to make sure they’re not running on empty?

R: While organizations need to be held accountable for their employees’ burnout, they can also take responsibility. We can do a lot of work to identify whether we’re burning out, like how often we feel exhausted and disengaged and cynical. Next, we should think about taking short breaks, using digital detox, getting outside and listening to music.

Set boundaries about answering e-mails and manage your clients’ expectations, so everything doesn’t always seem so urgent.

Q: Can leaders also burn out? What can leaders do to manage these feelings?

Q: This is the first time we have ever experienced a collective trauma such as this. All of us feel fear, anxiety, and that is also true for leaders.

Have some self-compassion, show transparency with your team and don’t worry about appearing vulnerable. You’ve got things going on too, and employees can’t be what they can’t see, so model the behavior. If you’re not taking care of yourself, you can’t help the team.

Q: What are your thoughts on burnout?

A: It’s been really hard. This is why we have to let ourselves be less effective than before. We’re tired, and nothing about this is normal.

I really did try to follow my own rules and take moments for myself – sitting outside, reading some fiction, walking my dog in nature.

This was the only way that I could get out of this mess and make it a positive experience for my children. This worked.

Every day, every single one of us should look back at the past year and pat ourselves on the back and say, ‘I made it.’