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Burnout has been a serious workplace phenomenon for many years, but some argue that hybrid work environments could be exacerbating the phenomenon. Workers everywhere are feeling overwhelmed and even though there are many job opportunities out there, 53% of managers and almost 50% of employees report that they feel burned out according to new research by Microsoft. Worse yet, the imminent recession has prompted many companies to bring employees back to the office, making them work longer hours each day.
That’s why it’s critical to learn how to prevent employee burnout and disengagement that can negatively impact the workplace. Addressing employee well-being is essential in preventing burnout in all work environments. Recognizing and tackling employee burnout early can save your team from its damaging effects. Here’s why burnout happens and how public sector organizations can prevent it.
What Causes Employee Burnout?
Most of us have disengaged or faced burnout from one or more jobs at some point in life. If you think about why you experienced it, you’ll see that employee burnout happens for many reasons. Some of the most common causes of burnout in employees include:
- Job scope creep
- Unfair treatment at work
- Long hours and high stress
- An unmanageable workload
- Unclear job expectations
- Poor communication
- Lack of support from supervisors and managers
- Limited job advancement
- Poor management
- Unreasonable time constraints
Managers need to know the telltale signs of burnout. Employee burnout symptoms include:
- Cynical or critical attitudes
- Lack of focus
- Impatience
- Irritability
- Physical and emotional exhaustion
- Missed deadlines
- Negative body language, such as forced smiles or lack of eye contact
- Mental health and physical health issues
Knowing how to prevent employee burnout is crucial for every organization, as addressing this issue early on helps to avoid long-term effects on both employees morale and productivity. Proactively focusing on your employees health and preventing workplace burnout can greatly reduce stress and create a better work environment for everyone.
Basic Foundations for Preventing Burnout in Public Sector Organizations
Although burnout isn’t something you can solve overnight, there are ways public sector agencies can address the issues behind it.
1. Build Resilience at a Team Level
The robust hierarchies and team structures present in public sector organizations can provide ample opportunity for leadership to build resilience through open communication, modeling, and active engagement techniques. Through these strategies, managers can encourage employees to share ideas or concerns without fear of judgement, repercussion, or perfectionist standards. This allows more opportunity to develop great ideas into high impact actions that contribute to an organization’s overall core goals.
This is especially critical to monitor and improve in cases of hybrid or remote work, in which it can be much more difficult for employees to contribute actively.
2. Make Well-Being an Important Part of Work Culture
The way employees work, interact, and feel, all comes down to workplace norms and culture. Employees with more resources to make well-being a priority are much more likely to have happier healthier lives – and everyone knows happier employees are more productive!
Organizations can improve their commitment to employee well being through more flexible schedules, functional benefits, and genuine relationships. This helps reduce stress, or perceived stress, that causes employee burnouts. Recognizing that employees are humans with lives and priorities outside of work is critical to them feeling valued and motivated in the workplace.
3. Provide Employees with Autonomy
It’s important to provide workers with some flexibility in completing tasks and meeting deadlines. Leaders should be careful not to cause further stress, and particularly avoid micromanaging. Communicating their confidence in employee’s abilities to perform well in their duties will have a much more positive effect in the long run.
Sometimes rigid structure may be necessary, but allowing flexibility wherever possible shows employees you are committed to their success. Regular check-ins with helpful feedback can eliminate the need to micromanage, which can ultimately help to keep workers on track. When employees feel truly trusted and valued, they are likely to rise to meet that honor and expectation.
4. Leverage Tools and Technology in the Workplace
Employees are increasingly requesting flexible schedules and hybrid work environments to keep up with current societal demands on both individuals and families. Many federal and local organizations will find their antiquated practices may benefit from more modern procedures and technologies like virtual calls, collaboration tools, or task automations. Not only does this meet modern employee motivations, but also ends up reducing costs and boosting productivity for an overall improved outcome.
5. Prioritize Focus Time
While using technology has many benefits, the convenience it brings can also distract workers. A University of California study found that it can take 23 minutes to refocus after interruptions or when switching between unrelated tasks. A constant influx of phone calls, emails, and chat notifications can distract even the most efficient employees. Encouraging employees to create blocks of time to focus on work without interruption is the key to productivity.
Managers can play a key role in increasing productivity by only scheduling meetings when necessary.
6. Promote Healthy Work Habits
Encouraging healthy work habits is crucial in preventing burnout and fostering a more balanced work environment. One way to do this is by encouraging employees to take regular breaks throughout the day. Short, frequent breaks help workers recharge and return to their tasks with renewed focus and energy.
Employees should be reminded of the importance of managing their physical and mental health through exercise, good nutrition, and proper sleep. When organizations promote these habits, employees are more likely to maintain a sustainable level of energy throughout their workday, reducing the likelihood of burnout. Integrating healthy habits into the workplace culture can be done by offering wellness resources, encouraging physical activity during breaks, or providing ergonomic workstations that promote comfort.
7. Assess Workloads Regularly
Managers should have regular discussions with their teams to review workloads and adjust expectations as needed. This allows employees to express concerns early on, making it easier to redistribute tasks or provide additional support. Ensuring that workloads are manageable and reasonable for each individual creates an environment where employees feel heard, supported, and less likely to fall into burnout.
Hidden Gem Strategies That Few Organizations Will Try
Tip #1: Normalize “Burnout Debriefs” After Major Projects
Public sector roles often involve long timelines, rigid processes, and emotionally taxing work—especially in education, social services, or emergency response.
After big initiatives or periods of high intensity (like grant deadlines or public events), it is extremely beneficial to hold structured burnout debriefs – short team sessions focused on reflection and recovery. Let employees share what was most draining, what helped them stay grounded, and how the team can better support recovery time next round. This creates a cultural shift toward pro-active burnout management—and helps employees feel seen and supported before burnout becomes chronic.
It can seem difficult to set aside even more time between large undertakings, but this brief check in can save a great deal of unproductive hours on projects to come.
Tip #2: Commit to Strategic Outsourcing
When teams are stretched thin, even the most dedicated employees can start to crack under the pressure. One overlooked but highly effective solution is strategic outsourcing—especially for time-consuming or high-stakes processes like recruitment, testing, or onboarding.
It can be difficult to trust that outsourced tasks will meet expectations and standards. However, public sector agencies can partner with trusted HR service providers like CPS HR to take on time consuming hiring and administrative functions. Our experts help lighten the load for internal teams, shortens time-to-hire, and ensure that processes stay compliant and consistent—even during times of change. The result? Less stress on your staff, smoother operations, and more bandwidth to focus on mission-critical work.
Key Takeaways
Burnout is becoming more prevalent in hybrid and virtual work environments as the line between work and home life increasingly blurs. It can negatively affect the employee experience and hamper productivity. Fortunately, public sector organizations can take proactive steps to reduce stress in the workplace by training supervisors to recognize burnout in workers and providing resources to help employees avoid this occupational phenomenon. Investing in your employees’ health and focusing on preventing employee burnout is important for long-term success and well-being.