Burnout contagion: Managing and reducing socially-transmitted burnout

How does burnout spread at the workplace?

Individual transmission.

At times, burnout spreads from one employee to another, the way a cold or flu may be passed around a workplace.  A burned out employee’s negativity, diminished productivity, and psychological unwellness may set a negative example for their peers and subordinates (Chullen, 2014). Their negativity may serve as a social model, and influence how others feel and think directly (Oberle et al, 2016). The individual impact of a burned out employee can also be indirect; since burned out employees tend to be low-performing, their poor quality of work may inconvenience people around them, or may require co-workers to increase their efforts, to “pick up the slack” (Salyers et al, 2017). These co-workers may, in turn, develop burnout of their own, and pass it to their nearby colleagues.

Group transmission.

Burnout can also spread rapidly, across an entire department, office, or company (Dunford et al, 2014). This type of burnout contagion effect typically occurs following some precipitating event, such as mass layoffs, budget cuts, policy changes or the introduction of a new manager (Gill et al, 2017). In the wake of threatening changes, employees may experience fear and confusion, or frustration and anger. When these difficult feelings are not addressed by an unresponsive organization, burnout may develop and engulf numerous people who are in close contact with one another (Kim et al, 2017). Conversations in which employees repeatedly complain, exchange gossip, or exaggerate wrongdoing may cause burnout to increase in intensity or in scope. 

Catching fire: Which events in particular spread burnout?

Restructuring.

When organizations restructure, there is often some redundancy in positions. Employees may perceive, or genuinely experience, a risk to their jobs. This risk can feel overwhelming, and outside of an employee’s control (Greenglass & Burke, 2016). Changes in how work is done may also follow this restructuring, causing more confusion. When a transition is not managed in a gradual, clearly communicated fashion, employees are particularly likely to feel undervalued, out of the loop, and demotivated. This can cause group transmission of burnout, and diminished productivity is a frequent result.

New management.

Most employees view new management with some degree of suspicion. When a new individual ascends to a position of power within an organization, workers may experience increased scrutiny, new work standards, new rules, and more negative consequences (Boamah et al, 2017). At times, individuals who are moved into new leadership positions do not receive adequate support or briefing on the organizations current projects; this can lead to employees’ time being wasted with redundant communications. New leadership policies can be hard to keep track of, and may not be preferable to the policies that employees had grown accustomed to. Due to all these factors, newly hired (or newly promoted) managers must be very proactive about the avoidance of burnout.

Layoffs, firings, and negative consequences.

Most humans are loss averse – they experience a loss more intensely than they appreciate a gain. Thus, when employees have to worry about losing their jobs or losing desire benefits, they tend to be deeply demotivated and demoralized (Vifladt et al, 2016). At times, cutting back is a necessity within an organization; however, managers must be aware that eliminating positions or cutting back on payment and benefits will be negatively received by workers. Effective managers will be up-front about the extent of cuts, and the rationale for them; they should allow for open communication about negative feelings. Frank, respectful discussions that honor employees’ fears can go a long way in preventing burnout contagion.

Cooling tensions: How to reduce the impact of burnout

Consult with employees.

As much as is possible within your organization, let employees in on the decision-making process. If your organization is about to restructure, ask your team about their reactions and concerns. They may be able to identify problems that you are unaware of, and which can be addressed prior to the restructure, preventing a crisis. When new management is instituted, consider allowing employees to meet with the prospective hires and to familiarize themselves with their work. When individuals have a sense of control over difficult circumstances, they are less likely to burn out in response to them (Chullen, 2014; Greenglass & Burke, 2016).

Honor negative feelings.

As a manager, you may feel tempted to brush employees’ feelings under the rug, to maintain morale and reduce conflict. However, suppression of emotions can have a rebound effect: hurt feelings, frustrations, and anger can come rushing back stronger than ever. Employees can also feel disrespected when their emotions are downplayed (Petitta et al, 2017). To avoid this, listen to employees when they are angry, sad, or frightened by developments. Do not take offense if they express critical reactions. Listen actively, and indicate that you understand why they are concerned. Your goal should not be to eliminate bad feelings; by legitimizing them, you can help employees process them and move forward.