Cassie Sellars* says burnout is usually put down to overwork but a recent survey found bad management to be the main cause.
I recently published an article about burnout, and it had a high level of interaction compared to my other material.
This got me thinking about why are so many people interested in hearing about the signs of burnout and prevention strategies?
All paths led me to conclude that many people have suffered or are suffering from the effects of burnout. Why?
In 2015 I published an article about bad managers costing companies millions.
Could it be that bad managers also cost us our sanity?
Could it be true that in the past four years since undertaking that research the problem still exists, and now it’s also contributing to a big epidemic of burnout?
To quantify this theory, I found a recent survey conducted by Teamblind Inc. that found poor leadership is the number one contributor to burnout.
Some 23 per cent of the 9,000-plus surveyed said poor leadership was the primary source of employee burnout at their workplace.
Work overload ranked second at 19 per cent.
What sort of common characteristics does a bad manager have?
Well, he or she tends to badmouth colleagues, play favourites among their direct reports and are focused on proving themselves right above all else.
However, their very worst trait, according to a recent survey conducted by the Predictive Index, was a failure to communicate clear expectations, with 58 per cent of respondents saying this was a characteristic of bad managers.
A bad manager is someone who fails to communicate with clear expectations.
They don’t set specific goals or give justifiable timelines.
He or she can change their minds frequently leaving even the most stable employees off-balance.
They will often change expectations and deadlines regularly, generally without any notice, leaving employees not knowing where they stand and whether they’re meeting expectations.
These managers often misuse disciplinary measures when simple, positive communication would correct the problem.
Bad managers ignore employees until there is a problem, and then they pounce.
You may be able to pick a bad manager as soon as you walk in a room as they often speak loudly, rudely, or one-sidedly to employees.
They don’t provide the opportunity for employees to respond to accusations and comments.
They intimidate people and allow other employees to bully employees.
A bad manager frequently talks right over an employee who has put aside their fear and attempted to communicate.
These same managers take credit for the successes and positive accomplishments of employees instead of recognising the employee who had the idea or put in the hard work.
They are equally as quick to blame employees when something goes wrong.
Without remorse, they throw employees under the bus loudly and in public whenever they need to cover for their poor performance or lack of leadership.
So if you have a high turnover, high absenteeism or low productivity, you could be facing an epidemic of burnout.
If this is the case, the first thing you need to do is look at your behaviour and that of your managers.
* Cassie Sellars is a Brisbane-based personal trainer who offers fresh perspectives on issues of concern. She can be contacted at linkedin.com.
This article first appeared on LinkedIn.
