Surviving the 9 to 5: Managing Work-Related Stress and Burnout

Description:

Many employees face work-related stress and burnout in today's fast-paced and demanding work environment. In this podcast, we delve into the challenges of the modern workday and explore practical strategies for managing stress, avoiding burnout, and achieving work-life balance. We discuss common stressors in the workplace, such as heavy workloads, long hours, deadlines, and high expectations, and offer insights on how to cope with them effectively. We also share expert tips on time management, setting boundaries, practicing self-care, and building resilience to thrive in the 9 to 5 grind.

Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting your career, this podcast provides valuable guidance and support for surviving and thriving in the modern workplace. Don't let work stress take a toll on your health and well-being. Tune in to MRA's "30 minute THRIVE" and learn how to manage work-related stress and burnout like a pro.

Resources:

Time Management - MRA Course 

Gallup 2020 Survey on Employee Wellbeing

Harvard Business Review Article-How to Tell Your Boss You’re Burned Out

Eisenhower Matrix

Forbes article on The Pomodoro Technique

MRA Membership 

About MRA 

Let's Connect:

Guest Bio - Michelle Hyde 

Guest LinkedIn Profile - Michelle Hyde 

Host Bio - Sophie Boler 

Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler 

Transcript:

Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word.

00;00;00;02 - 00;00;21;05
Unknown
Hello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything HR. Powered by MRA, the Management Association. Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR? MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler, and we are so glad you're here.

00;00;21;06 - 00;00;46;07
Unknown
Now it's time to thrive. Hello, everybody, and welcome to this episode of 30 Minute Thrive. I'm excited to talk about this topic for today, and it's one that it's really never gonna lose its importance and a topic that people are always looking at for new tips and advice, and that is managing work related stress and burnout. So I'm also excited to introduce our guest for today.

00;00;46;14 - 00;01;14;16
Unknown
So I'm here with Michelle Hyde and MRA learning in Development Instructor. So welcome to the podcast, Michelle. Thanks so much. So be so excited to be here with you today and to be talking about this really important topic. Absolutely. Well, Michelle, I know you hold a lot of expertise and diversity, inclusion, employee experience, coaching and event planning. So I know you have a lot of great tips on this topic, like timing and communication.

00;01;14;24 - 00;01;39;04
Unknown
So this title for this episode is Surviving the 9 to 5: managing work related stress and Burnout. So let's start out by talking about how you can really identify that stress and burnout in the workplace. So Michelle, what are some common signs and symptoms of work related stress burnout that employees and employers really should be aware of? Great questions.

00;01;39;05 - 00;02;03;07
Unknown
I'll be So first off, we all have stress. Every one of us has stress, whether it's a deadline. Maybe it's a big project, an upcoming public speaking engagement. All of these things are stress. And I think a lot of times stress and burnout are used interchangeably. You know, it's kind of viewed as the same type of thing, but they actually are different stresses that work short term stress.

00;02;03;09 - 00;02;29;22
Unknown
It's you know, we have a big event coming up. We have a big launch that's coming up. So there's going to be stress that's going to be involved in that. We're burnout is a more prolonged and heightened response to that stress. So in the nineties, Dr. Christina maxwell did developed that MBI, the Maslow burnout inventory three and it's still used today.

00;02;30;05 - 00;03;04;18
Unknown
And according to her research, there's actually three characteristics that distinguish burnout from everyday stress. And those characteristics are emotional exhaustion, depersonalization. Fancy word and then reduce personal and professional accomplishments. So basically what it means that in addition to this overwhelming exhaustion feel as a result of this burnout, there's usually decreased motivation lowered on the job performance and then negative attitudes towards both yourself and other people.

00;03;04;27 - 00;03;31;01
Unknown
Sounds like a real party, right? But really not so much. No, but that's the stress is kind of that one time thing where that burnout is, is as a result of all those things kind of piling up. Okay. Well, that's good to know. I feel like like you said, a lot of people do use those terms interchangeably, but it means like you have to be experiencing the stress for a wild kind of experience, the burnout.

00;03;31;10 - 00;03;52;28
Unknown
Yes. It's kind of compounded, perhaps. And it shows up, you know, if you live ever. We all get tired in the mornings, Right. And it's hard to get out of it. But if you ever really, truly struggle to get out of bed in the morning and then when you do, there's this disproportionate emotional response to what you're seeing maybe in your email inbox.

00;03;53;07 - 00;04;22;09
Unknown
You get an email and everything just seems like the biggest deal ever. Could be anger or you could burst into tears or the situation doesn't really call for that. It's just completely disproportionate to the situation. We really looking at that point. Mm hmm. I kind of have another example about when you mentioned about kind of having a hard time getting out of bed, just kind of dealing exhausted right away in the morning.

00;04;22;18 - 00;04;47;23
Unknown
It's also kind of like the feeling on Sunday nights where you're just dreading work and it's 8:00 on Sunday and you're like, oh, my gosh, I have to go to work tomorrow. And that just those thoughts consume you. I feel like back then they vary. Yeah, there. These are real. Absolutely. I need to find something on LinkedIn recently that said you're workplace culture is how your employees feel on Sunday night.

00;04;48;03 - 00;05;17;26
Unknown
And I thought that was a really eye opening for sure. And for sure we'll kind of moving on into the next question. How can employees really differentiate between normal work, stress and burnout and when they should be really seeking help or taking action? Yeah, so it's somewhat of a chicken and the egg mentality at that point. Know, the more burnout you are, the less able you are to bounce back from being sort of the less resilient you are.

00;05;18;09 - 00;05;42;24
Unknown
And so it kind of becomes the cycle that you get into. I think once these action becomes long lasting, once you start making sex at work or missing deadlines, your emotions are getting in the way of things happening at work, all of those things. It may be time to get some help, and help will come in many different forms too.

00;05;43;06 - 00;06;03;23
Unknown
So everything from seeking out your support network of friends or family to reaching out to a counselor from your organization's employee assistance program, maybe even just having a heart to heart conversation with your leadership where you can say, This is what I'm dealing with is our end way. We can rebalance some of these priorities that I have on my plate right now.

00;06;03;24 - 00;06;28;24
Unknown
All of those things can look like help. It doesn't have to be just one particular thing. Yeah, that's great advice, too. And you know that communication and I know I'm sure you have more advice to come on communication, but I feel like keeping your manager or your boss in the loop of how you're feeling in your emotions with how you're dealing with stress and burnout is also really essential, too.

00;06;29;11 - 00;06;51;20
Unknown
Absolutely. If you have if you built that sort of basis of psychological aid where your employees feel like they can come and talk to you about things, then you're going to get the real responses as opposed to just this canned answer of, oh, I'm fine. And does it make employees push through? This burnout is that's one mistakes happen and that's when that's when we start to get into some real trouble.

00;06;51;20 - 00;07;20;06
Unknown
Actually. Absolutely. So what are some effective strategies then, for managing heavy workloads and long hours to prevent this burnout? Well, what's interesting and I actually found this out just in doing some research for this podcast. Burnout doesn't only result from long hours. So there are some studies that say, you know, if you work over a certain number of hours per week, that's going to have detrimental impacts to your health.

00;07;20;26 - 00;07;45;00
Unknown
Look what found out about burnout is that it tends to be the types of work that we're doing, not necessarily the hours themselves that are causing the burnout. So there was a study done in 2020 by Gallup, and the results showed that working less didn't necessarily equate to happiness. It was more questions like, Are you able to shine within your home?

00;07;45;18 - 00;08;07;18
Unknown
Are you able to make a positive impact? Are you getting strong feedback on your work? It's when that work starts to feel like it's out of our control. That's when that burnout really sets in. And additionally, the study showed that the relationship with your manager sets the foundation for almost all other causes of burnout, which probably comes as no surprise to you.

00;08;08;22 - 00;08;36;03
Unknown
That role with our readers is so important. So, you know, no pressures. Manager But oh my goodness, it's so important. Absolutely. Well, I feel like it's also just important. If you do have a really heavy workload, you're just working long hours. Something that helps me when I'm feeling a little overwhelmed is just setting small goals every single day, even if the goal is very small.

00;08;36;10 - 00;09;09;06
Unknown
Something like cleaning out your filing cabinet, or maybe it's I want to make five people smile today. But when you when you accomplish that, you feel so good about yourself and the work you're doing. So it makes that big, heavy workload just seem more doable, honestly. And also finding motivators like what motivates you at work and what can help kind of build your resilience and know you'll get into that later.

00;09;09;06 - 00;09;41;26
Unknown
But I think those are some kind of things that help me when I'm feeling a little overwhelmed too, is just setting those small goals and checking them off and and you kind of feel successful and it builds your confidence and motivation to absolutely. To find those wins through out there for sure. And I think when you're looking at a really heavy workload and you're trying to balance everything, the first thing I would recommend people do is make a list of absolutely everything that they have to do.

00;09;42;09 - 00;10;09;19
Unknown
Now, in the short term effort media huge list person. In the short term, this can stress you out more. I would tell you this as you're making the list and as you're looking at every single thing, you might start thinking, Oh my gosh, like I'm never going to get all of this done, but stick with me here, because from there you go through the list and you prioritize everything within A, B or C based upon importance.

00;10;10;03 - 00;10;26;26
Unknown
And if you're able to do that, you can kind of triage. Okay, what are the things I have to get done before I leave the office today? Those are your A's, your B's are what do I need to finish by the end of the week? And then C is what are those longer term projects that I don't want to lose sight of that those also need to be on energy.

00;10;26;27 - 00;10;47;26
Unknown
So that that prioritization can be really helpful to you. And then what's been identified where you think the priorities are. We're not past your supervisor to make sure they're on the same page is an 80. You may be a senior so supervisor, how can you balance those different things And just having a second set of eyes on that can be helpful too.

00;10;48;10 - 00;11;14;23
Unknown
Yeah, that's also great advice. So that would be kind of tricky. It's you made the list and you prioritize so many A's in your boss looked at it and said, No, all your B's should be A's. All right. I'm sure you're on the same page there. Back to that communication. So we talked about this a little bit, but what are some other effective time management techniques that can help employees balance their workload and prevent that burnout?

00;11;15;24 - 00;11;42;25
Unknown
Well, I'm so glad you brought this up, because MRA does happen to offer a whole time management thinking during that. But it's a class that I teach my supervisor cabin procedures. Many of our instructors teach the time management class, and we've gotten fantastic feedback on how it really is some of those tools that you just haven't thought about in a while, but it's a really good reminder.

00;11;42;25 - 00;12;08;04
Unknown
So definitely would recommend taking that time management class. But some of the tools that we offer within the class, if you've ever heard of the Eisenhower method, it's a circle grade where you kind of identify what are the most important things that you need to do based upon some different ideas. So I would encourage folks to look at the Eisenhower method.

00;12;08;25 - 00;12;27;25
Unknown
Certainly the prioritization that we had talked about with the Abby and see with the list. There's also a tool that I used a lot in grad school that I love. It's called the Pomodoro Technique. Have you ever heard of the Pomodoro technique? I've heard of I've heard of that word, and I don't remember exactly what it means. So you should get refreshed?

00;12;28;11 - 00;12;50;12
Unknown
Absolutely. It's you know, a lot of times it's associated with that tomato timer. I think just Pomodoro. And you know what it is? It's this idea. And there's all kinds of online resources where you can utilize the timer. And I've seen it done in a couple of different ways, whether it's 15 minutes or 20 minute increments, but it set a timer for 15 minutes.

00;12;50;12 - 00;13;15;21
Unknown
We can do anything for 15 minutes, right? We found what I tell myself and I'm on the treadmill 15 minutes at a time. Right. And so if there's anything that you really need to focus on and it needs to be heads down work, turn off your email, turn off routines, it'll set a timer for 15 minutes and then you get a break and then another 15 minutes and you get a break and then another 15, 20 minutes, and then you get a longer break.

00;13;15;21 - 00;13;37;09
Unknown
So it's basically just an idea of sort of breaking down time in order to focus on really specific pieces. And so for me, when I was in grad school, I was reading some really dense material and I would say, okay, if I can read this for 15 minutes, then I can take a 15 minute break. It was a great way to kind of break up the studying.

00;13;37;18 - 00;14;05;13
Unknown
So for those really sort of cerebral tasks that you have or maybe even just things that you've been pushing off, I think the Politburo technique can be really helpful to you. And then yeah, and then finally, just making your calendar work for you, right? You know, there's all sorts of different things that you can do, whether it be blocking out time to do certain tasks, whether it be setting up office hours where your team can get a hold of you and they know that they can reach you during this time.

00;14;05;23 - 00;14;24;04
Unknown
What are the things that you can do to make technology work for you and in particular your calendar work for you too? Absolutely. Kind of going back to that technique that you were just talking about, like so many people feel like a high of 8 hours in a day. I need to be working at 8 hours a day, like no breaks.

00;14;24;14 - 00;14;54;16
Unknown
And that's also what can cause that stress and burnout, too. So that that technique where you're working hard for 15 minutes and then you're kind of taking that break, that also allows you to just breathe and cross off something on your lowest rates, right? Absolutely. And again, back to that motivation. I think so. The reason you and I like lists so much is being able to cross that they got that the best part of a list right doing something called or meeting.

00;14;55;04 - 00;15;26;14
Unknown
Oh yes oh yeah or you're like list maker 2.0 I love it. So kind of moving in to setting boundaries, how important is that in setting boundaries in the workplace for managing work related stress? And do you have any tips or advice on how to establish maintaining healthy boundaries? Well, you know, I think this is boundaries is a word that has really come into play in the workplace much more frequently in the last few years than it has.

00;15;26;23 - 00;15;46;20
Unknown
I mean, I think if I asked my dad about, you know, what were your boundaries like in the workplace, he would laugh at me. You would say, are you kidding? Well, like, what's the boundary? Right? So I think that with boundaries, like much of this, it's so individual based upon what kind of a job you have, what kind of a a role you have, what are your responsibilities?

00;15;46;20 - 00;16;09;08
Unknown
So boundaries might look different for different workplace cultures and then different roles, too. So I'm thinking about like a health care organization or, you know, if you're on call or if you're at the highest levels of leadership, you may not be able to turn your phone off or your notification bar. That may not just be not a reality to you.

00;16;09;18 - 00;16;34;09
Unknown
It's a visual thing. So I think the question is what are healthy boundaries look like for you personally? I've heard of one of my colleagues doing this with a trusted colleague. A lot of times our colleagues can see when we become a little bit more short fuzed than even when we ourselves didn't see it. Sometimes it's easier for us to recognize it and other people needs to be created.

00;16;34;09 - 00;17;09;07
Unknown
This honesty pact where they said, If I can tell that the emotions are coming pretty fast, maybe I'm sensing some burnout. I'm going to go to them and neither one of us can get offended by this. But I'm going to say, Hey, maybe it's time for you to take your day, maybe take it personally. And by having that honesty pact or knowing they could both go to each other and say that and recognizing some signs of burnout and you would it be helpful for you to take just a step back now, maybe that's not going to one day offer or even a couple of days vacation isn't going to clear every ounce of burnout that

00;17;09;07 - 00;17;38;00
Unknown
you have. But lighten your load a little bit would help. And yeah, but it also shows that your managers supervisor does care about you, that they're off. Hey, take a day off. We know this. You're you're experiencing a lot of stress or burnout even right now whether you're sure the word or the term self care I feel I can say has been pretty explosive the past couple of years.

00;17;38;00 - 00;18;03;22
Unknown
So what was it about that? Okay. So I'm curious what role self-care does have in managing work related stress and burnout, And do you have any self-care tips or practices that employees can kind of incorporate into their everyday routine? Well, I think self-care is one of those words that it means something different to a lot of different people.

00;18;03;22 - 00;18;27;27
Unknown
Right? And in the research that I've done around burnout, I found that a number of different experts say that self-care alone can't fix burnout. So what say your heart surgeon who has done 100 procedures this week? Or maybe you're a full time caregiver for a sick family member or something like that. And then I tell you, you know, go do a sheet mask, go get a pedicure.

00;18;28;08 - 00;18;54;12
Unknown
Right. That's going to be what if they got your to do list, but you just can't get to you and you set pieces. You can actually make you feel worse because it becomes something else. You're responsible for you. So that was the really interesting way to look at it. So instead of the you about what we normally consider self-care, I actually called a group of my friends and I said, What are the things that you do to manage work related stress?

00;18;54;12 - 00;19;19;09
Unknown
And I loved their answers. One friend in particular, I just thought that this was so valuable. So the first thing was delegation. And I don't think we normally think about self-care and delegation as going hand in hand, but our point was that both professionally and personally, are there things that you could afford to hire out around the house that would take stress off of you?

00;19;20;03 - 00;19;40;22
Unknown
So the yard work, things like house cleaning, things like meal prep, all of these different things. What can you delegates in both your work life and your home life that would allow you more time and space to work on what you do best? Well done. Stayed out really simple. Yeah. I thought that was such a good way to look at self care.

00;19;41;03 - 00;20;08;22
Unknown
Another thing is sharing tasks. So another one of my friends and her staff, they take turns doing the dishes and one deals with the dishes on even days of the month. And what deals with an odd date of the now this. These are very specific, right? But by doing this, nobody feels like it's unfair, nobody gets resentful and another thing that this couple does is they assign point people for tasks.

00;20;09;06 - 00;20;32;11
Unknown
So maybe one person is in charge of all things scouting for their kid and other partner doesn't have to read emails, doesn't have to organize anything with scouting. That is the one person's job. They are totally owning that. The other manages basketball camps, same role we aren't worried about. The other person is going to read the emails. They're not going to bring the snacks.

00;20;32;25 - 00;20;53;21
Unknown
It's all sort of shared by that one person. So that way they'd all kind of get in each other's lane with that, and then it lessens the amount of things that they personally have to worry about. Well, that's totally smart. I feel like a lot of people don't kind of use delegation in their personal lives. So more and that's great.

00;20;54;00 - 00;21;16;06
Unknown
And I feel like I like how you said that self care alone can't fix Bruno. And I almost feel like it's kind of like putting a Band-Aid on the burnout if you I mean, if you're feeling stress and or even feeling symptoms of burnout, you go take a hike that's not gonna fix your stress and burnout, maybe put a Band-Aid on it.

00;21;16;06 - 00;21;50;13
Unknown
But if you consistently do it each week, it might be long run. I'll be right. Absolutely. So kind of talking about how employees can effectively communicate their needs, how can they communicate their needs with their employer and colleagues May comes to managing the stress well, this is a theory proposition for high performers. Bitcoin people, especially high performers, are fearful of being seen as weak.

00;21;50;27 - 00;22;15;13
Unknown
They don't want to be seen as a whiner. And so if you're really stressed out, if you're really burnt out, some people feel like it looks like failure, going to your supervisor and asking for help and spoiler alert, your boss and your team probably already know it. We feel like, you know, we've put up this big wall and nobody can tell.

00;22;16;01 - 00;22;45;13
Unknown
Guess what? They probably are. Yeah. So by being vulnerable and being open to help, you can actually take some really positive steps towards resolving that burnout, which is also something that high performers are looking to do. We're fixing, right? We want to get in there and make sure that we're fixing whatever the problem is. So by taking these positive steps and reaching out and opening up these lines of communication, that actually is what we need to do to get to that fixing mindset.

00;22;46;11 - 00;23;11;02
Unknown
You're fantastic article from Harvard Business Review from 2021, and it's called How to Tell Your Boss You're Burned Out. So I can talk about like perfect timing, right? It gives some really great tips, like start by telling a work friend if telling your boss in too overwhelming, can you go to a peer instead and have that conversation to kind of practice that a little bit.

00;23;12;11 - 00;23;45;06
Unknown
Just things like owning your feelings which can be tough breast You you know, the truth is you just try to push it down on your feelings and then thinking about what it would look like to make the situation better before going to your boss and asking for help. So one of the things that you have to take that whiny mentality off the table is if you think about what the possible solutions could look like and how you could get there before you start talking to your boss, that it's going to seem like you've thought this out, not like it's the hot potato that you're trying to pass to your boss that says, Hey, I'm burnt

00;23;45;06 - 00;24;06;24
Unknown
out. How are you going to fix it? Look more thought into it so you can go in there proactively and say, and here, here are my recommendations. What do you think? Yeah, absolutely. And you gave me this example earlier on, kind of having your manager recognize that you're burnt out and giving you the option of having a vacation day or a free day.

00;24;07;03 - 00;24;29;12
Unknown
So this also may be very important when it comes to high performers that your manager supervisor can identify you as a high performer and as someone who may not as easily speak up about stress and burnout. And they may have to play a bigger role in kind of offering that help instead of the employee coming to the employer.

00;24;29;26 - 00;25;09;01
Unknown
Absolutely. Yeah. So can you explain what resilience is and how building resilience can help employees cope with work related stress and how to prevent burnout? Are there any strategies or exercises so you can kind of offer up that can help improve resilience? Yeah. So in our change management training that we do, we talk about some visual representations of resilience and we like to use the examples of a willow tree and an old metal trashcan.

00;25;09;01 - 00;25;29;20
Unknown
So think about the kind of trashcan that Oscar the Grouch was. Then we go when there are winds, there are high winds here in Iowa. We've been having a lot of those recently with the spring weather and all of that. Willow trees have a tendency to bend and in the wind and they bounce back to their original shape.

00;25;29;20 - 00;25;53;01
Unknown
Now, they may lose a few branches along the way, but ultimately the willow tree and palm tree actually to both of those trees were designed to be able to bounce back to their original form and not show all of the damage that's occurred to them on the outside. An old metal trash can we think about every time you, you know, hit it with your car or it's fallen over.

00;25;53;01 - 00;26;17;20
Unknown
It shows every single bump and bruise. And resilience is ultimately getting to that point where we're able to come back to center a little more easily and not show every single bump and bruise, because we've been able to find that center more quickly and more easily. Now, it's easier to bounce back when everything's going great about what happens when you're in the middle of burnout.

00;26;17;23 - 00;26;37;11
Unknown
You know, we can definitely become more that old metal trash can in those cases. And so that's why it's so important to to think about what are the things that keep you resilient, what are the things that are going to help you find that center a little bit more easily in making sure that that picture is full in good times?

00;26;37;20 - 00;27;12;03
Unknown
So when a bad time comes along, you have something to actually work from. In that piece. So how can we become willow trees? Yes, that is the question. Yeah. You asked if there are any sort of exercises that you could do. Yeah, there are some different assessments out there that you could take that just kind of see, you know, how comfortable are you with change in particular, What is resilience look like for you and where are your strengths, Where are your weaknesses as it relates to that?

00;27;12;03 - 00;27;36;15
Unknown
And then maybe doing a deeper dive, I'm looking at your team as well. It could be a team exercise that you do some sort of a resilience assessment to say, how does my team bounce back from adversity and what are what are the things that we could do to continue these positive thoughts? I think celebrating wins is and you had mentioned that earlier, too, you know, just with the to do list, but also with your team as well.

00;27;36;28 - 00;27;56;24
Unknown
If you're celebrating wins along the way and it's not only what am I doing wrong, but what am I doing right as well, Those are the things that can really help us build that resilience bucket. Those are great ideas. Now I'm looking for some of your real life stories and examples. I know national money, but who doesn't at this point, right?

00;27;58;09 - 00;28;25;27
Unknown
Could you pick one story that kind of shows someone or a group of individuals who has effectively managed work related stress and burnout and any lessons that you can share from that experience? Absolutely. So again, this is individual right. This is not going to be a one size fits all answer. Are you kind of starting a theme here with all of this about burnout is really individual.

00;28;26;23 - 00;28;52;12
Unknown
I've heard several stories lately, especially post pandemic of people taking a look at their roles and determining either what they like or maybe don't like so much about their roles and assessing if that role is still the right fit for them. At this time in their life. A dear friend who went out on her own as an entrepreneur in 2020, the worst possible year to decide I'm going to be an entrepreneur.

00;28;52;25 - 00;29;16;01
Unknown
And she thought I'll pay for last three years. But burnout was definitely a factor in her choice to return to working for an organization. It's just not the right time in her life for that particular role, and she was excited about the security and the flexibility and organizational role would offer her, as opposed to being the one person who is responsible for everything.

00;29;16;25 - 00;29;46;14
Unknown
So I'm not saying that you need to leave your role in order to overcome work related stress and burnout, not at all, but encourage folks who are burned out to kind of audit what is most important to them right now. That flexibility is the compensation. Is it making a difference in the world? It could be all of these different things, but then assess your current role and what could you be doing differently now You need your supervisor in this conversation.

00;29;46;14 - 00;30;10;12
Unknown
What does that balance look like for you? So I think it's asking the questions to find out what are the things that are going to be the most motivational for you, the most impactful for you? Because ultimately, even if you're working those hard hours, those long hours, if the work that you're doing is fulfilling and rewarding and it makes you want to get out of bed in the morning, then that burnout is going to be alleviated.

00;30;10;25 - 00;30;46;08
Unknown
Absolutely. And I would also just encourage to do those reevaluations throughout your career, even if you have an experience that stress or burnout. Ed, I mean, it's important to always be evaluating, is this the best fit for me? What can I be doing better? What changes can I make? Some Yeah, that's great advice, Michelle But as we do wrap up here, do you have any ways or resources organizations to provide to help its employees work stress or burnout?

00;30;47;09 - 00;31;19;27
Unknown
Absolutely. So open door policy, I think we talk a lot about open door policies, but really showing through action how important that is. Approach liability goes a really, really long way. As a manager, if I feel comfortable talking to you, then when there's an issue, I'm going to come to you much quicker than, you know, trying to hide it, trying to just go through the motions and then having mistakes down the line so that approachability is huge for managers.

00;31;19;27 - 00;31;40;00
Unknown
Check in with your teams, ask them how they're doing. Evette really listen to the answer, not just sort of a perfunctory, you know, how's it going? Oh, yeah. Can you dive right now? Like, really listen to what they're saying and reading you sometimes, not only listening to the words coming out of their mouth, but their nonverbals in their tone too.

00;31;40;00 - 00;32;09;10
Unknown
What are the different things that are adding to that story to get to the bottom of what are they really doing okay? Or could be use a little bit of extra support in the same next step is flexibility. And we're hearing time and time again, especially post-COVID. Flexibility is so huge for so many employees right now, so that you as a manager organization could ask is we're planning to be more flexible, Is it in how the work gets done?

00;32;09;18 - 00;32;28;03
Unknown
There's a lot of different ways that work can get done. Is that how is it when the work it start? Can you be flexible in that hours? Is it where the work gets done too? So we we've seen a lot about, you know, return to the office versus work from home where is the flexibility within all of that?

00;32;30;01 - 00;32;53;00
Unknown
Managers can be really helpful with prioritizing or rebalancing. So if an employee comes to you and says, I am really overwhelmed right now, these are all the things I'm working on, can you help me triage what's going to be the most important right now? Being open to having those conversations too, and not looking at them as failures, saying you're seeing this as a bonus that they.

00;32;53;00 - 00;33;16;01
Unknown
Kendi This was really, really hard for this employee to come to you, probably. So to be able to have those conversations about how to rebalance things as a manager is is really key. And then finally, as you start to recognize the signs of burnout on your team, letting your team know about any sort of employee assistance program, resources that may be available to them.

00;33;16;13 - 00;33;39;09
Unknown
So I think oftentimes we sort of default to, you know, the mental health counseling, which is certainly an aspect of this. But there's also things like financial wellness that people and that goes back to that self-care habit that we were talking about earlier. Right. A lot of these awful offer legal counseling as well. So, you know, is that a resource that could be households for them?

00;33;39;14 - 00;34;09;23
Unknown
We never fully know what's going on in somebody's life. And so to be able to offer the resources that we can can really alleviate some of those burnout symptoms that they may be experiencing in their personal life, making it a little bit easier on their professional life as well. Those are all great resources. Michelle And I would just reiterate that MRA does have a time management class too, so free to go on the website and check that out and sign up and maybe we'll get Michelle as an instructor and as a time.

00;34;09;25 - 00;34;28;13
Unknown
I promise we have a good time with it. Okay, well, that is all the time we have today. So I want to thank you for being on 30 minute Thrive today, Michelle, and really share your knowledge and advice on managing stress and burnout in the workplace. It's definitely an important topic and it's something that it's never going to go away.

00;34;29;07 - 00;34;52;11
Unknown
So Tara was yours. If you liked our chat and topic today, I would encourage you to share this episode. Leave a comment, share with your friend or coworker, leave a review and consider joining MRA if you aren't a member already. We have all the resources needed in the shownotes below. We've included Michelle's bio and LinkedIn profile if you want to get in touch with her.

00;34;53;11 - 00;35;14;27
Unknown
Otherwise, thank you so much for tuning in today and thanks again, Michelle. And we need to tell you this was a blast. Thank you. And we will see you all next week. And that wraps up our content for this episode. Be sure to reference the show notes where you can sign them to connect for more podcast updates, check out other MRA episodes on your favorite podcast platform.

00;35;14;27 - 00;35;24;14
Unknown
And as always, make sure to follow MRA’s 30 minutes Thrive so you don't miss out. Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next Wednesday to carry on the HR conversation.