Employee Burnout in the UK - Is Inclusivity The Answer?

In recent years, burnout in the workplace has become a talking point for both employers and employees. Now recognised as an important issue that needs to be addressed, there are various schools of thought about how best to prevent burnout amongst teams of staff.

Depending on the field of work, rising workloads, changing expectations, skills shortages, financial pressures and the blurring of boundaries between work and home can all contribute to employees feeling exhausted, disengaged and unable to cope.

And when you are also employing young people - whether school leavers or graduates - burnout can occur if they are feeling overwhelmed with all that is new to them in the workplace.

At the same time, however, many companies are now paying greater attention to inclusion in the workplace.

Building workplaces where people feel respected, valued, listened to and able to contribute is no longer simply an ethical objective. It is increasingly recognised as an important part of creating healthy, productive and sustainable workplaces.

But can inclusion really be a solution to preventing employee burnout?

The short answer is: inclusion can be an important part of the solution, but it is not a solution on its own.

Burnout is often caused by excessive demands, inadequate resources, lack of control, poor management and unhealthy working practices.

An active inclusion policy in the workplace can help address several of these factors, particularly when employees feel they have a voice, psychological safety, flexibility and support.

However, as an employer, you might find that you solve the burnout problems simply by introducing an inclusion strategy. If there are excessive workloads for your staff and a culture where they are not taking entitled breaks or holidays, the problem of burnout will persist.

Active inclusion and wellbeing policies will help, however, as part of a more holistic approach where other problem areas are also addressed.

What Is Employee Burnout?

We have written in length in the past about burnout and how it can affect your business but briefly:

Burnout is generally associated with prolonged exposure to excessive demands and pressure. It can involve physical and emotional exhaustion, reduced motivation, cynicism and declining effectiveness.

An employee who feels excluded from decision-making, unable to speak openly, unsupported by their manager or treated differently from colleagues might experience additional pressure which can eventually lead to burnout.

On the opposite side of the coin, an employee who feels respected, listened to and supported may be better positioned to raise concerns before pressure becomes overwhelming. Whilst they still might be feeling a level of pressure and stress, burnout could be prevented.

Why Inclusion Matters

We have written in the past about inclusion in the workplace and how important it is, especially for young people. They will likely research your company to assess the level of inclusivity before they apply for any roles you are advertising.

Workplace inclusion is about creating an environment where all staff can participate fully and feel that they belong.

It goes beyond simply having a diverse workforce. Diversity is concerned with who is represented; inclusion is concerned with whether those people are genuinely able to participate, contribute and progress in the workplace and with their career development.

An inclusive workplace can involve:

• Giving employees a meaningful voice
• Treating people fairly and consistently
• Creating psychologically safe teams
• Providing flexible working where appropriate
• Supporting different working styles and needs
• Ensuring managers and team leaders listen to concerns
• Tackling any discrimination, bullying and harassment
• Giving employees opportunities to develop
• Making workplace information accessible to all
• Ensuring people feel respected regardless of their background or circumstances

NICE (National Institute For Health & Care Excellence) guidance on mental wellbeing at work specifically recommends equitable and inclusive policies, processes and ways of working that encourage a fair and supportive workplace culture.

This suggests that inclusion should not be viewed as separate from employee wellbeing. The two can reinforce each other.

Inclusion Can Give Employees A Voice

One of the most significant links between inclusion and burnout is employee voice.

People are more likely to experience stress when they feel that decisions are imposed upon them and that they have little influence over how their work is organised.

If an employee’s workload has gradually increased and has reached a point where it is just too much, if they feel unable to tell you or a senior figure that deadlines are unrealistic, the problem may continue until they become exhausted.

An inclusive culture should be one that makes it easier for that employee to speak up.

This does not mean that every request must be accepted. Instead, employees should feel able to come to you and raise concerns without fearing that they will be labelled difficult, uncommitted or incapable.

In this case, employee voice therefore becomes an early-warning system that something might need to change.

If several employees are saying that workloads are excessive, deadlines are unrealistic or staffing levels are inadequate, this needs to be investigated.

An Inclusive Culture Can Reduce Hidden Pressure

Psychological safety is another important element of inclusion.

When young employees feel that they are struggling there should be a culture where they feel confident to admit that fact and ask questions, challenge decisions and acknowledge mistakes without automatically expecting negative consequences.

This can be particularly important when burnout is developing.

One of the biggest problems with workplace stress is that employees may hide it. They might continue working longer hours, for example or take fewer breaks and avoid asking for help because they feel that admitting difficulty will damage their reputation.

An inclusive culture can help change this.

As an employer, if you regularly ask employees how they are doing and create opportunities for honest conversations, this can identify problems earlier.

Inclusion & Flexible Working

The ability to have flexibility can also have an important role in reducing burnout.

Different employees have different circumstances and responsibilities. Depending on the nature of the company you are working in, a rigid approach that assumes everyone works best in exactly the same way can create unnecessary pressure.

For some employees, flexibility around working hours may make it easier to manage caring responsibilities. For others, adjustments to working patterns, breaks, location or workload can also make a significant difference.

Studies show that reasonable adjustments for mental health can include flexible hours, additional breaks, changes to responsibilities and reviewing workloads or deadlines. Obviously, this can be more difficult in some workplaces than others as not all workplace environments lend themselves well to flexibility.

Flexibility does need to be designed carefully.

Simply allowing employees to work from home does not automatically eliminate burnout. In fact, in some cases, remote workers can actually find it harder to switch off because the lines are blurred between home life and work life.

Where possible, it can be better to ask your young recruits what they think is the best set up for them and monitor this.

Inclusion Can Help Employees Feel Valued

If young employees feel undervalued, this can contribute to disengagement and this, in turn, can have a negative effect on productivity.

Employees who feel that their contributions are ignored or that opportunities are distributed unfairly could gradually lose motivation and, even if burnout doesn’t happen, they could start to look elsewhere for more meaningful employment.

Inclusion means recognising all staff on your team as individuals.

This recognition does not necessarily require expensive rewards. It can involve:

• Acknowledging good work
• Listening to suggestions
• Providing development opportunities
• Giving constructive feedback
• Involving employees in decisions
• Recognising different contributions
• Creating fair promotion processes

All of this can help to create the conditions in which employees are able to remain engaged and productive.

Managers Are Central To The Solution

When negating the risks of burnout among staff, those in immediate senior positions have a particularly important role. For your recruits, this can be someone who is their workplace mentor, for example.

A good manager or mentor can make it easier for young employees to discuss workloads, ask for support and establish boundaries.

Mentors and managers can be trained to learn how to be proficient in:

• Recognising potential signs of stress
• Having effective wellbeing conversations
• Managing workloads
• Handling conflict
• Supporting flexible working
• Understanding reasonable adjustments
• Preventing discrimination and exclusion
• Communicating organisational change
• Signposting employees towards specialist support

Inclusion Should Be Measured Through Employee Experience

Another common mistake is measuring inclusion through policies rather than experiences.

An organisation may have an inclusion policy, but that does not necessarily mean employees feel included.

As always in cases like this, it can be good to survey your own staff to see how they perceive the company culture. Ask questions such as:

• Do employees feel comfortable raising concerns?
• Do people believe managers listen to them?
• Do employees feel respected?
• Do people have reasonable control over their work?
• Are workloads manageable?
• Do employees feel able to take breaks?
• Are opportunities for development fair?
• Do employees feel safe challenging decisions?
• Are particular groups experiencing higher levels of stress or absence?
• Do employees feel that flexible working is genuinely available?

Anonymous employee surveys, focus groups, one-to-one conversations, absence data, turnover rates and exit interviews can all help to identify patterns.

Inclusion Alone Will Not Stop Burnout

Inclusion is not a magic solution to burnout.

If there is a staff shortage and individual employees are doing the work of three people, an inclusive culture will only go so far.

A more holistic approach is needed where the particular causes of stress are dealt with.