Employee burnout has become a significant workplace challenge, characterized by stress, disengagement, and exhaustion. Burnout often leads to reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, and a host of other problems for employers, as detailed in this Employers Council article.
A powerful tool for addressing this challenge is emotional intelligence (EQ), the ability to understand, manage, and use emotions effectively with oneself and others. By developing and improving their emotional intelligence, leaders and employees can help prevent burnout, contributing to a healthier, more productive workforce.
Here are three EQ elements that can help prevent workplace burnout:
Self-Awareness
As a foundational element of EQ, self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand one’s emotions, stress levels, and triggers. Individuals with high self-awareness are attuned to when they are stressed, upset, or fatigued and can recognize early signs of burnout. This awareness of self is the first step on the journey of having a high EQ.
Awareness of physical cues is a sign of a high EQ. For example, if your body tenses up during a difficult conversation, it’s often an indication of an impending challenge that, if not checked, could lead to unproductive behavior. Acknowledging this cue is a first step to self-awareness.
For a leader, self-awareness is an essential tool for effectiveness. Leaders are a resource, especially to their subordinates, for answers and solutions. A common mistake leaders make is believing they must have all the answers now. A self-aware leader is humble enough to know when they don’t have all the answers and will admit it. They also use other resources to find the right answer.
Self-Regulation
Once one acknowledges their emotions, self-regulation is the next step. Self-regulation is managing emotions effectively in demanding situations. We all experience difficult situations in the workplace, many of which are out of our control. What we can control is how we react and manage these situations. For example, if our manager gives us constructive feedback, do we get angry or do we accept the comment and try to learn from it? Self-regulation is a choice that we own.
Regulating oneself especially applies to leaders. A leader who can manage their stress will set a positive tone with their team. This type of discipline from a leader will trickle down to the employees and help them realize their leader can manage difficult situations, and they will most likely follow the example of their boss.
Empathy
Empathy is a foundational part of EQ and involves understanding and sharing others' emotions. In the workplace, empathy is understanding when someone is struggling and being present for them. It doesn’t mean we have to solve the problem for them; rather, it means “put ourselves in their shoes.” As author Brene Brown wrote in Dare to Lead, "Empathy is connecting to the emotions that underpin an experience." Being able to empathize with someone is a sign of high EQ.
A leader who practices empathy will create an environment of trust and connection. Employees want to be heard and understood. For example, an empathetic leader will pull aside an employee who has become disengaged and check in to see how they are doing. Such actions build trust and connect with the struggling employee.
Burnout in the workplace often results from difficult situations. Such situations are inevitable and often beyond our control. What we can do is be aware of these situations and manage our reactions. When experiencing difficult interactions with another person, empathy will likely lead to better collaboration and teamwork.
Self-awareness, self-regulation, and empathy are three EQ elements that can lead to better workplace interactions and help prevent burnout. Mastering these three is not easy and, like any behavior, gets better with practice.
At Employers Council, we offer training on emotional intelligence, Building Workplace EQ. This course discusses ways to use EQ to regulate emotions, feelings, and behaviors, with the goal of understanding oneself better and interacting more effectively with others. For more information about this training and other leadership and development classes, please email us at info@employerscouncil.org.
Mark Castillo is a Human Resources Consultant with Employers Council.
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