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At YMCA WorkWell, we’re on a mission to identify, research and take action on the top organizational challenges to employee well-being. Currently, burnout is one of our top priorities – and for good reason. Our 2024 Workplace Well-Being Report found that one in four non-profit employees – and one in three leaders – report burnout “Often” or “Extremely Often.” That number climbs to 58% of all employees and 71% of leaders if you include those reporting “Sometimes.” This blog will focus on the top cause of burnout: workload.
Typically, when I mention workload in a professional development session or in a meeting with senior leaders, I get a response like: “Yes, we know it’s a problem. We’re all drowning! But there’s nothing we can actually do to change workload.” Perhaps this sounds familiar. And it begs the question: Are our heavy workloads inevitable? Are we truly powerless to address them in any meaningful way?
I’d like to challenge that while this may feel true, it isn’t. Instead, data shows us that we’re buying into this story. I don’t believe we need to stay on the hamster wheel of doing more with less. All it takes is the courage to stop the spin.
However, I also want to acknowledge that it isn’t easy. Full disclosure: I started writing this blog on workload last year, got most of it done, and then my workload made it impossible for me to get to the last edits. What was meant to be a summer blog post is now a winter blog post. So, I get how hard this is, I really do.
This blog was originally published on YMCA WorkWell and has been reprinted with permission.
Why is workload an issue?
Play along with me for a minute. Wherever you are right now – close your eyes (okay, finish reading the task first, and then close your eyes). Take five slow, deep breaths in and out through your nose. Then ask yourself, “How does my workload make me feel?” Pay attention to the thoughts and emotions that you are experiencing right now, as well as any tension or other physical experiences in your body. Now, take another minute or two to breathe and be mindful. Then open your eyes and come back to what I’ve got to share next.
Take an inventory of what you experienced – write it down or simply reflect. How does it feel to think about your workload?
If you’re feeling and experiencing workload like many of the clients I work with, I bet a lot of negative emotions came up for you.
And that’s just one experience – yours. If you magnify that by all the employees in your company, the scope of the workload problem becomes clear.
Working more does not equate to better work
For many, being busy – both professionally and personally – has become a badge of honour. There are a couple of interesting cultural norms to point out here: First, we often measure productivity by how many hours a person spends working or at work. Second, we tie motivation or care about career success to those hours worked.
It goes something like this: “To be successful here, you need to be the first person in the office in the morning and the last to leave. That’s how you’ll get that senior management position.” This sentiment reared its head again in post-pandemic debates, with some leaders arguing in-office work is a prerequisite for productivity, while workers sought increased flexibility. It is time to let go of the falsehood that more is always better, particularly for working hours and workload.
For many, being busy – both professionally and personally – has become a badge of honour.
Our reverence for this culture of overwork may be killing us – yes, metaphorically, though the increased stress is doing nothing for our overall physical health. Author Alex Pang advocates for “deliberate rest” as the “true key to productivity.” Trying to keep up with our workload in our “always on” culture comes at the expense of our well-being and happiness.
Start with mindset
In order to address workload and ensuing burnout, the first step is to tell it like it is. Workload is in our control. Overworking isn’t necessary or glamourous. Being perpetually busy is not a status symbol. As managers and leaders, there are concrete steps we can take, and it starts with modelling the way ourselves.
1. Be a workload disrupter
Once you know you have power over workload, wield it. And help your teams do the same.
Start with getting clear on priorities. What is most important for your team and each person on it? Get them involved in identifying priorities and barriers. Make sure that the best working time, when people are fresh and focused, is spent on those high-priority items. Remember: if we say everything is a priority, nothing is a priority.
Next, foster open communication and normalize asking for help. Get off the hamster wheel – and take your teams with you.
2. Stand up to the excuses
Studies are clear here: working more hours and doing more doesn’t improve productivity. In fact, productivity wanes. Which means that high workloads are costing you money, not increasing your profits. If nothing else, think about the cost of absenteeism in your organization. Those overwhelming workloads are making people sick, and people who aren’t healthy aren’t performing at their best.
3. Stand in your power
But remember, with great power comes great responsibility. Take the time to measure the pulse of your team’s overall health and well-being (our Employee Insights Survey includes assessment of burnout and workload. Celebrate where your team is excelling, support them where they need it.
4. Lead by example
Stick to your hours. Take your vacation. And encourage your teams to do the same. There’s never an ideal time – there will always be more work. Breaking the cycle is hard. Do it anyway.
If you know workload is a problem and fear that burnout may have reared its ugly head on your teams, it’s not too late. In fact, there couldn’t be a better time to get started. You can manage workload – both for you and your team.
