Manager Burnout: Prevention Beats Firefighting

What is Manager Burnout

Manager burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion resulting from chronic work-related stress. Renowned burnout researcher Christina Maslach identified three key dimensions of burnout:

Persistent exhaustion: A continual feeling of being physically and emotionally drained.

Cynicism or depersonalisation: Developing a detached or negative view of one’s work.

Perceived lack of personal accomplishment: A sense that one’s efforts are futile or underappreciated.

In practice, managers experiencing burnout may find that even the most routine tasks become overwhelming, and their ability to lead and inspire their teams diminishes as a result.

What Are the Symptoms of Manager Burnout?

Burnout manifests through a range of symptoms that affect both personal well-being and professional performance. Managers may experience:

• A significant lack of energy.
• A loss of motivation
• Trouble concentrating
• Slower decision making
• Negative mood swings
• Social withdrawal
• Physical complaints (headaches, sleep, tension)

What Are the Risks of Manager Burnout?

When manager burnout develops unchecked, the consequences extend beyond the individual. The risks include:

Reduced Productivity: Overwhelmed managers often struggle to perform their roles effectively. Research from HBR (2023) found that the self-reported productivity of managers experiencing all three dimensions of burnout is an average of 22 points lower.

Higher Turnover: Burnt-out managers are significantly more likely to leave their organisation. Managers suffering from all dimensions of burnout are 5.3 times more likely to depart (HBR 2023). This turnover increases recruitment and training costs and disrupts team cohesion.

Spill over to Employees: Teams with a burnt-out manager experience increased stress and weakened support systems.

These risks highlight the urgency of addressing burnout not merely as an individual issue but as a systemic problem that can impact the whole organisation.

What Causes Manager Burnout?

Burnout is a complex condition with no single cause. However, the work environment plays a significant role. Some of the key contributors include:

Work Culture: Research from the McKinsey Health Institute (2022) indicates that toxic workplace behaviour is the single biggest predictor of burnout symptoms and intent to leave.

Role Demands: The Manager Resilience Report (The Wellbeing Project 2024) identifies workload as the primary pressure point fuelling unhealthy levels of stress for managers.

Capability Gaps: Stepping into management is a major transition, yet many managers are ill-equipped for the role. A striking 77% of managers receive no managerial training (Capterra 2024), leaving them without critical skills to lead effectively.

Low Autonomy: Middle managers are caught between top-down directives and day-to-day operations. With 44% reporting a lack of autonomy in decision-making (HR Digest 2023), managers may feel unable to shape the projects they oversee.

How to Prevent Manager Burnout

Preventing burnout requires a comprehensive strategy that addresses both the individual and the organisational environment. Here are some effective measures:

Track Manager Resilience

Assessment tools like the Wraw psychometric enable organisations to track workforce wellbeing and identify burnout risks early on.

Provide Structured Manager Training

Effective manager training should help managers do 3 things: build their resilience, create a healthy team culture and drive team performance. Provide initial training, and refreshers at key transitions.

Clarify Roles and Responsibilities

Ensure managers are clear about their roles and responsibilities and promptly communicate changes in expectation.

Foster a Supportive Community

A sense of belonging can significantly mitigate burnout. Create internal mentoring programmes that pair new and experienced managers, or establish dedicated forums where managers can share challenges and success stories.

Set Norms for Healthy Performance

A sense of belonging can significantly mitigate burnout. Create internal mentoring programmes that pair new and experienced managers, or establish dedicated forums where managers can share challenges and success stories.

Key Metrics to Track

A proactive approach to manager burnout begins with meaningful data. HR leaders should track indicators such as:

Absenteeism and Sick Leave: Rising or repeated absences can signal mounting stress.

Turnover and Retention Rates: High departure rates among managers often point to underlying workload or cultural issues.

Engagement and eNPS Scores: Regular pulse surveys and Employee Net Promoter Scores (eNPS) can reveal shifts in morale.

Performance Indicators: Sudden drops in productivity or team output may be early warnings of burnout.

By regularly monitoring these metrics, organisations can catch early signs of burnout and intervene before the issues become entrenched.

Final Thoughts

Manager burnout is more than an individual problem – it’s a systemic issue. Invest in the conditions for healthy performance and you protect your managers, your teams and your results.

How We Can Help

Manager training: We develop people-centric managers fully equipped to lead healthy team performance.

Resilience assessments: Provide your managers with a clear understanding of their own resilience.

Author Bio: Sandra Ordel is a Senior Business Psychologist specialising in workforce resilience and neuropsychology. She supports organisations worldwide to build resilient teams and cultures of healthy performance.