Burnout and Wellness Resources

The burnout epidemic persists and workforce wellbeing continues to suffer. In a 2022 McKinsey survey, nearly 60% of the global workforce reported at least one mental health challenge, including symptoms of anxiety, depression, or burnout. But we have an opportunity to do better for ourselves and limit these impacts on our well-being. We each have generous time off accruals, but many of us do not use them to self-heal or reset as we should. Your vacation time benefits aren’t just for cruises and road trips! It can be used for any endeavor that helps you rest and recharge.

Challenge / Ask for All Staff

1. Schedule time off and  when you are away
2. Speak up if priorities are unclear or if workload is unmanageable
3. Accurately report your weekly effort. Let the data show your actual workload.
4. Recognize your colleagues. Peer to peer recognition is meaningful and validates work was worth the effort. Say thank you more (probably much more) than your current practice.
5. If your manager/supervisor isn’t responding, you are empowered to escalate to their supervisor or divisional director, or Kian or Tom if you’ve exhausted other avenues
6. Avoid scheduling meetings during lunch hour wherever possible – especially for recurring meetings, which have plenty of lead time. This slot should be used for only the most urgent and critical meetings.
7. Limit after-hours emails or IMs. If this is the only time you can catch up on your Inbox, try the Microsoft delay send feature, or mark non-urgent or FYI emails in the subject line.
8. Submit your suggestions to address staff burnout using the feedback form on the culture website. This can be anonymous if you prefer.

Challenge / Ask for all levels of OIT Leadership

1. Become an active listener starting with a 30-minute udemy course  
2. During 1:1 meetings: ask how your team member is doing and how effectively they are managing their level of burnout. Be aware and listen for the nuances to their response for cues that may need deeper probing
3. During 1:1 and team meetings: ask employees about their next scheduled time off (see this example from Okta)
4. Encourage staff to schedule time off and reinforce the expectation that they need to unplug when they are away
5. During 1:1s and team meetings routinely ask your team if they understand the priorities and if they can manage the workload. Escalate or seek clarification from senior leadership if you are unsure
6. Review workloads and effort reporting to make sure work is evenly distributed 
7. Recognize your staff through SPOT awards, use the Praise feature in your team’s MS Teams channel, the Teams Kudos channel, in team meetings, etc.
8. Most of all, demonstrate the behavior you want your team to emulate

Resources:

• OIT Burnout Presentation (May 2021 Town Hall).pptx
• Burnout Survey Report (Sept 2021 Town Hall).pptx