INTHEBLACK June/July 2024 - Magazine - Page 49
“One thing I speak with leaders and managers about is
how to recognise the signs that someone is not coping
and to identify the differences between stress, burnout
and a potential mental health issue, because they are
on a continuum.”
FLEUR HEAZLEWOOD, THE BLUEBERRY INSTITUTE
BURNOUT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE.
Leadership expert Fleur Heazlewood, author
of Leading Wellbeing and managing director
of the Blueberry Institute, can attest to that.
Like many professionals, Heazlewood has
occasionally slipped into patterns of behaviour
in her career that left her feeling exhausted and
struggling to get back on track.
“One of the reasons I have become an expert
in how to be healthy while being high performing
is that I feel like I have earned a personal PhD
in burnout,” Heazlewood says. “I want to do
a great job, and I push myself hard, which can
result in long hours and, if left unchecked,
can be detrimental to my health.”
While Heazlewood now recognises the
warning signs for developing chronic stress
and knows how to avoid them, she says helping
an employee or colleague experiencing burnout
requires a combination of empathy, support,
and practical solutions.
“The best strategy is to prevent it from
occurring in the first place, because when
you get to a state of burnout there is literally
nothing left in the tank. It is not solved by just
taking a few weeks off work.
“The road to recovery can be long and
people need both professional health support
and changes to the way they work as part
of their plan.”
BURNOUT EXPLAINED
The World Health Organization defines burnout
as a syndrome caused by chronic workplace
stress that has not been successfully managed.
It can manifest as physical symptoms such
as headaches, stomach aches, fatigue,
frequent illnesses, changes in appetite
and sleep disruptions.
Not everyone experiences burnout the same
way, and some burnout sufferers may experience
atypical symptoms, such as the inability to
disconnect from work.
It is normal for people to experience
stress on a situational basis in day-to-day life.
At healthy levels, stress can help people to
grow, overcome challenges and get results.
Stress becomes a problem when a person
“lives” in their stress response, going from
peak to peak, without their nervous system
returning regularly to a healthy baseline,
Heazlewood explains.
“One thing I speak with leaders and
managers about is how to recognise the signs
that someone is not coping and to identify
the differences between stress, burnout and
a potential mental health issue, because they
are on a continuum.”
The earlier people see the signs in both
themselves and others, the quicker they
can “course correct” to avoid burnout.
Managers need to educate themselves on
how to create a psychologically safe space,
be clear on priorities, set reasonable
workloads and have regular conversations
about wellbeing in relation to performance
with their team, Heazlewood argues.
“People experiencing burnout are more
than utterly exhausted. There is also a sense
of detachment, where they struggle to engage
and contribute ideas. Their productivity suffers.
It feels harder to get work done and may result
in people missing deadlines, working more
slowly or making mistakes.
“Burnout is not an acceptable price for
success, and actually, it leads to a deterioration
in business performance and a loss of good
talent. Managers need to create a healthy
team where people can manage pressure
before it gets out of hand,” she says.
LISTEN
to a recording
of this story
FROM BURNOUT TO BALANCE
When a client approached Dr Sven Hansen,
founder of the Resilience Institute, for
help with a high-earning partner who had
resigned because of burnout, the first thing
Hansen identified was that the partner was
clinically depressed.
“He had already resigned by the time he got
to my office. I said to him that, ‘When you are
READ
an INTHEBLACK
article on overwork
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au 49
