Talking To Your Manager About Burnout

It’s World Mental Health Day on 10^th October, and this year’s theme is “It is time to prioritise mental health in the workplace”.

According to Mental Health UK, 20% of UK employees took leave because of stress last year, and it’s clear that chronic stress and burnout is becoming an increasing challenge. When it comes to burnout, it’s important to recognise the signs and talk to your manager for support. Trying to press on without help can lead to more serious and chronic mental and physical health issues like depression and heart disease. Talking about it can feel difficult, so here are some tips to guide the conversation with your boss.

What is burnout?

Burnout is the more severe consequence of unchecked stress. Burnout is a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that is usually caused by long-term stress and pressure. It’s not the same as stress, where there is still usually an ability to do whatever is causing you stress (e.g. going to work). Burnout impacts on your motivation and can cause disengagement from life to the extent that you feel as if you are unable to function. Say you have work pressures and alongside that, you have financial worries, and you’re trying to care for a sick relative. This type of situation is the perfect storm for burnout.

Are you suffering from burnout?

You don’t just wake up one day suffering from burnout. It might feel that way, but in reality, it comes on so gradually that you may not even notice it, or put the way you’re feeling down to something else. Mental Health UK has produce this helpful acronym aimed at helping people spot the signs of burnout. Have you noticed any of these in yourself?:

Becoming isolated, withdrawn, or detached.

Unexplained and persistent fatigue.

Reduced performance at work and unable to cope with the demands of everyday life.

Neglecting self-care.

Overwhelmed and feeling unable to cope.

Uninterested in the things you usually enjoy.

Tension and stress

If you are suffering from burnout or you think you are at risk of burnout, it’s important to talk to your manager so you can get support before it leads to more serious problems.

Talking to your manager about burnout

Telling your manager that you are suffering from burnout can feel difficult, but here are some of our top tips to guide your conversation and help you get the support you need.

·      Talk about the impact it’s having on you-how is burnout affecting you mentally, emotionally, and physically?

·      Discuss any work-related factors that are contributing, like a heavy workload, negative team culture, unrealistic deadlines, or conflicting priorities and options for lightening your load such as extending deadlines or allowing you to delegate work to someone else.

·       Talk about work-life balance and share examples of where this is lacking. Do you frequently work more than your contracted hours, skip your breaks, or feel like you’re expected to reply to messages and emails outside of working hours?

·      Share any personal circumstances (if you feel like you want to) that are causing you to feel stressed and pressured, for example, caring responsibilities or physical health issues. This may help your manager direct you to the right support.

·      Ask about any support that is available like Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) which may include access to counselling or therapy. It may also be useful to talk about other things that would make your job easier, like adaptations, more resources, or extra learning/training you need.

·       Agree a follow-up chat with your manager to see how whatever you’ve both decided to put in place is working.

Support for better mental health

According to Mental Health UK’s 2024 burnout report, 91% of UK adults experienced high or extreme levels of pressure or stress in the past year. Burnout costs employees their physical and mental health and it costs organisations due to lost productivity, sick days, low morale and engagement, and a higher staff turnover.

Talk Works works with leaders and HR and occupational health teams to offer bespoke and targeted support aimed at reducing the incidence of poor mental health and burnout, and creating mentally healthy workplaces.

Get in touch to find out how we can support individuals and organisations on their way to better mental health.