‘Burnout’ became one of the pandemic’s buzz words, with research from Mercer revealing that 85 per cent of Singapore-based employees admitted they feel at risk of burnout. A global spotlight was shone on this issue earlier this year, when Jacinda Ardern resigned as New Zealand’s prime minister. Although she didn’t directly reference any mental health struggles in her speech, she alluded no longer having “enough in the tank” to do the job, which has led to a resurgence in think pieces dissecting burnout and the issues it causes. Most of these articles tend to give vague, if any, advice on how to practically tackle this growing workplace issue.
Googling ‘burnout’ returns 327,000,000 results. A lot to wade through. To clarify, ‘burnout’ is not classified as a medical condition. The World Health Organisation (WHO) instead defines it “as an occupational phenomenon” which develops from “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”. This in itself makes burnout unique as a mental health condition as it is purely related to someone’s work. The WHO is very clear about the fact that burnout “should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.” However, all of this information also means it can be more difficult to get hard data on burnout as it’s not a clinical term or separated from stress itself.
It is a tricky issue, but one which law firm leaders can’t shy away from. Failing to deal with burnout is not just bad for wellbeing – it’s bad for the bottom line too.
Rather than rehashing a list of wellbeing tips for your workplace – many of which end up being common sense – here’s a list of the common mistakes when it comes to dealing with burnout:
- Don’t assume a generational gap. Millennials are commonly called the burnout generation and whilst elements of this are true – partly down to the age of these workers (most likely to be juggling more work responsibilities with young children), it’s a mistake to assume a certain age group is more likely to suffer with burnout. A study focusing on physicians revealed that despite a perception that Millennials are more likely to burnout due to “generation vulnerability”, it was proven to be false and the older generation, Generation X, experienced burnout just as much.
- Don’t keep it vague The WHO identifies burnout by feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy. It’s helpful to have a really specific idea of what this means and what burnout looks like so it can be identified and dealt with properly – and not confused with other types of stress and anxiety.
- Don’t force WFH A couple of my colleagues have mentioned that they feel more energised for being back in the office. Many assumed working from home would make them feel more motivated, but actually they realised the variety did them good, in terms of raising spirits and enthusiasm. You’d think commuting could wear people out, but it seems to help add diversity into the week. Better not to assume people’s preferred working patterns, and ensure the return to the office is supported and easily accessible for all.
Law firms in Singapore should take a leaf out of Ardern’s book – her resignation certainly shone the spotlight on burnout and gave a lesson for leaders on how to talk openly about these issues. And it’s important to cut through the fluff – burnout is a serious issue and one which can’t be ignored.
For further information, please contact:
Matthew Kay, Partner, Pinsent Masons,
matthew.kay@pinsentmasons.com
