The Link Between Burnout and Conflict
“Burnout is conflict’s
quieter, slower cousin.”
Annonymous
Two weeks ago, I hosted a LinkedIn Live event on how to use an organization’s budget as a tool to prevent burnout - because when organizations don’t approach their budgeting this way, they’re basically budgeting for turnover. Turnover is costly, both in literal cash terms as well as in intangible losses like institutional knowledge and relationships. (Ask anyone who has lived through a layoff.)
Some folks might be wondering why I, a mediator and facilitator, talk as frequently as I do about burnout. Most of the folks I know who focus on burnout are coaches and therapists - I am most definitely neither.
Of course, there’s a bit of a personal story here - I never imagined I would be an entrepreneur, but the journey that led me to switch careers and create my own business started with being burned out as a nonprofit staff person in the public policy and reproductive rights fields. Lots of small experiences over time built up to a point where I could not continue to do that work - it was too fraught with disappointments, exhaustion, and anger.
More importantly, in the workplace, burnout exacerbates conflict - and, conflict exacerbates burnout. It can be a self-perpetuating cycle, one that mediation is unlikely to resolve: As people work on dealing with the inevitable conflicts that come up at work, they become more exhausted; as they become more exhausted, they are more likely to feel burned out. And, as they become more burned out, they feel less able to utilize the skills they have to deal with navigating conflicts.
Multiple studies have found that people who lack skills to deal with conflict are more likely to become burned out. Some have found that people whose primary conflict approach is avoidance are also more likely to experience burnout.
As one of my former colleagues once said, “I’m all outta nice today.”
Because some days are just harder than others - and those are the days that are more likely to be filled with busy work, yelling, eye-rolling, or gossip.
Looking at a whole organization, those whose leaders prioritize consensus and listening over an autocratic approach tend to have lower rates of both burnout and conflict - or at least, conflict that is disruptive and non-productive. (Of course, conflict can be an important source of innovation - but typically we don’t tend to call productive conflicts “conflicts” per se - they’re “diverse ideas.”)
My nonprofit background has a deep impact on my approach to running this business, Chantilly Mediation and Facilitation - I would be happy to put myself out of a job. At CM&F, we are here to help others solve problems, and if other people had all the skills needed to resolve their own issues then they would not need us. That would be a good thing. (I have other dreams - I could open a joint child care-elder care center.)
If you lead a mission-driven organization, reach out for an introduction to our capabilities. We can help you create a culture that embraces the positive sides of conflict (innovation, deeper connections, better work outcomes) and does not offer employees a burnout culture. And if you’re dealing with burnout, I recommend finding a great coach.
H/T to my partner Queirra Fenderson and to my former colleague Trista Murphy.