Fighting Burnout

Beyond fundraising what is the main thing you worry about as a nonprofit leader?  Many of my colleagues say burnout.  Burnout of volunteers, their staff team and you.  There are many factors that affect burnout and some are in your control and others are not.  How can you manage what you can control?

What is Burnout?

“Burnout results when the balance of deadlines, demands, working hours, and other stressors outstrips rewards, recognition, and relaxation,” according to Alexandra Michel, a science writer at the Association for Psychological Science.

We are all capable of a tremendous amount of work, but when the work doesn’t feel rewarded, recognized or there isn’t time for relaxation burnout can set in.

How to Manage Burnout

I used to think I was the only one who could manage my own burnout.  I just needed to take care of myself.  But later I realized (and so is the rest of the industry) that nonprofit employers and leaders have a role in managing burnout. 

Here are three ways (there are more here) to manage burnout of your team (and this may work for volunteers too)

1. Encourage Employees (and model it as a supervisor) To Take Vacation Time
   It’s important to encourage staff to take time off, especially in a remote work setting where it can feel more difficult to take a break. Since this can lead to high levels of burnout and stress, employees should be encouraged to take time off. For example, our firm has offered extra days off for staff to reset and focus on their mental and physical health. – Larry Dolinko, The Execu|Search Group
   
2. Establish Company-Wide Rules For Availability
   Establish company-wide rules, championed by the C-suite, around times when employees are expected to be online and available to respond to requests and attend meetings. This will help to reduce the feeling employees have that they need to be available at a moment’s notice or 24/7. Senior leaders need to reinforce the expected behaviors so employees see that taking time away from work is important. – Jennifer Rozon, McLean & Company
   
3. Train Employees To Be Mindful Of Messaging
   It’s tempting to message a team member when a work thought pops into our heads because we don’t want to forget it, but that may cause undue stress if it’s not clear if the item is urgent or not. Companies need to train their teams to be mindful about messaging each other during traditionally “off” hours. For truly urgent items, go ahead. But if it can wait, hold off until the next day. – Angela Nguyen, Good Gummy

My colleague shared this story with me.  It hit home.

….picture a canary in a coal mine. They are healthy birds, singing away as they make their way into the cave. But, when they come out full of soot and disease, no longer singing, can you imagine us asking why the canaries made themselves sick? No, because the answer would be obvious: the coal mine is making the birds sick. 

Leaders must make changes to the coal mine.