How to help your staff avoid burnout

Charity staff are no strangers to burnout. We’re passionate about the causes we work on, and those causes are often emotionally draining.

 

We’re used to delivering more with less, which translates to long hours, heavy workloads, and a huge emotional commitment to our work.

 

As more and more charities have embraced remote or hybrid work, there’s also an increased risk of digital burnout.

 

Add in the stress from an ongoing pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis, racial trauma – and plenty other challenges – and it’s no wonder burnout is worryingly common. It’s enough to make you wonder if the whole charity sector is burnt out.

 

 

What is burnout?

 

Burnout is more than just stress. Mind describes burnout as a collection of challenging symptoms that can leave people feeling exhausted, isolated, helpless, cycnical, irritable, and drained.

 

If we don’t manage or prevent it, it can leave our staff miserable, unable to fulfil their potential, and likely to quit.     

 

 

How we can prevent burnout at work

 

 

Ask staff what they want

 

Some staff may love certain policies, like a four day working week to help prevent burnout. But it may not work for everyone. They might much prefer five shorter days, or the freedom to work outside standard working hours and days.

 

Consult your team. You don’t need an expensive formal consultation or elaborate survey, you can just ask people what’s affecting their wellbeing at work, what changes they’d like to see, and how you can better support them.

 

 

Create flexibility

 

Staff won’t always feel comfortable sharing their wants and needs, and that’s okay. They might not want to ask for reduced hours, for example, for fear of seeming lazy.

 

It’s on all of us – but especially senior leaders - to challenge this kind of grind culture at work. And while we’re working to change our culture, we should make flexibility the norm.

 

Even if nobody asks for it, see if you can introduce more flexibility to working hours, locations, or styles.

 

It costs nothing, but it can be transformative – especially for disabled people, carers, and neurodivergent folks.

 

 

Model healthy work behaviours

 

Everyone has a part to play in preventing and reducing burnout. Junior staff need support to push back on unhealthy working practices, while senior leaders should be encouraged to model healthy behaviours.

 

For example, senior staff can schedule their emails to send during working hours only. That way, if they choose to work outside of standard office hours, they’re not creating an expectation of instant replies or unsustainable working hours.

 

 

Plan for busy periods

 

When multiple deadlines hit, staff wellbeing can quickly suffer. Plan ahead and think about especially busy times of year, like end-of-year appeals, fundraising events, or annual reporting periods.

 

Bring in temporary staff or volunteers to help with the workload, if possible.

 

If not, see what non-essential tasks you can take off people’s plates. Perhaps you could pause data reporting and analysis for a few weeks and schedule a time to address it later.

 

 

Consider different needs

 

The conventional working calendar tends to work well for people who are non-religious or Christian, with automatic time off around Christmas and Easter. You don’t need to ask for it, and it’s very unlikely that important events will be put in your calendar over those times.

 

But this doesn’t reflect everyone’s needs. So make sure that work deadlines, social activities and major events take into account important cultural and religious occasions, like Ramadan, Passover, or Diwali.

 

 

Consider traumatic dates

 

Think about anniversaries, events and patterns that may be traumatic for staff from minoritised communities.

 

For example, the anniversary of a racist atrocity, like the murder of George Floyd, may be especially tough for people of colour.

 

Well-intentioned efforts to mark these events can also do harm. If there’s an outpouring of discussion around anti-racism in your organisation, for one day only, this can be incredibly painful for staff who live with racism every day of the year, and don’t get to switch their awareness of racism on and off.

 

This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t mark these days. But make sure the conversation, and meaningful action to address injustice, continues beyond that one day of the year.

 

 

Showcase self-care

 

It’s important not to put the whole burden of staying well on individuals. One person can’t resist the whole of grind culture with a few bubble baths and a single early night.

 

But self-care is still incredibly powerful. And making it visible matters. 

 

Senior staff should lead by example, showing themselves taking downtime, visibly defending their boundaries, and sending the message that it’s healthy to challenge false urgency and prioritise rest.

 

 

Don’t forget about remote workers

 

Out of sight can mean out of mind. Try to be especially mindful of staff who you don’t see as often.

 

If one person always has her camera on and replies to a lot of group discussions, she’s likely to be top of mind. And we may find it easy to get a sense of whether she is well and happy (although this can often be inaccurate, as many people will mask).

 

If another team member is quieter, usually has their camera off and rarely responds in group chats, it’s understandably harder to gauge how they’re doing.

 

But it’s vital that we don’t forget about them! Especially because they may have access needs, and we know that disabled and neurodivergent people are particularly likely to experience burnout.

 

Without forcing people to switch their cameras on or come into the office, try to create low-effort ways to check in. It could be as simple as asking “tell me about a challenge you’ve had this week” or “what’s a practical thing I can do to support you better”?

 

 

Encourage time out

 

Everyone needs time to rest.

 

Offering flexible working arrangements, such as remote work or flexible hours, can make it easier for people to take the rest time they need.

 

Consider Mental Health first aiders

 

Mental health first aiders are trained to give support to colleagues who are experiencing mental health issues.

 

They can help staff by creating a safe space to talk about their struggles, as well as signposting people practical advice and support.

 

 

Get proactive

 

Charities develop strong processes around fire safety, anti-slavery, or cyber security, even if we hope never to need to them. 

 

So why should burnout be any different? Don’t treat it as something that might happen. Treat it as a real and present risk that needs managing.

 

Make sure you have a system in place before somebody gets properly burnt out.

 

Ask questions like:

• If someone is feeling burnt out, who do we expect them to talk to?
• What resources are available to them?
• Do staff need to get a doctor’s note, or are they free to self report and take time off immediately?
• Can staff take mental health days (or other dedicated leave) to help them before they reach burnout?
• If we do have a system for supporting people through burnout, how widely known is it?
• Are we regularly communicating about it, and taking feedback from your staff?

Burnout may be a huge risk for charity staff, but it doesn’t have to be. With an open, supportive culture and a proactive approach, we can create workplaces that keep people feeling well. So your staff can feel their best and get to work building a better world for everyone.