Flourish Health & Wellbeing eMag - Latest Edition - Flipbook - Page 53
But how do managers overcome
burnout? How do they recover
from exhaustion and adverse
mental health outcomes? In this
article, we’ll explore why
managers are feeling burnt out
and how organisations can take
measures to support their
managers with their mental
health and wellbeing.
Manager Burnout Symptoms:
Warning Signs to Watch
With managers juggling a lot, it’s
no wonder burnout rates in
leadership are rising. Alarmingly,
61% of Aussie workers are
experiencing burnout, Mental
Health First Aid Australia
reports. That is 21 percentage
points above the global average
of 40%. But there are many signs
and symptoms of burnout to
watch out for, especially for
leaders:
Emotional and mental signs of
manager burnout
Leaders can experience
increased irritability and
cynicism.
They may display signs of
detachment, disengagement,
and negativity towards work
and colleagues.
They may feel overwhelmed,
anxious, and hopeless,
leading to an inability to
cope.
They may have difficulty
concentrating and making
decisions.
Behavioural and performance
signs of manager burnout
Managers may miss
deadlines, fail to meet
service-level commitments
and put off work tasks.
Leaders who are
experiencing burnout may
withdraw and isolate
themselves from others, such
as avoiding events and team
gatherings.
Managers may also become
more absent from work,
taking more sick days –
otherwise known as
absenteeism.
Quality may dip, leading to
increased errors and
mistakes, or poor judgment
calls.
They may feel a need to
overwork and gatekeep their
workload, meaning they’re
reluctant to delegate tasks to
others.
