workload, the expectations that others have on us, and the expectations we have on ourselves,” she said. “Research shows that perceived control and fairness are hugely influential on a journey towards burnout.” She suggested practical including
interventions,
clear communication about workload, setting boundaries, as well as clarifying roles and responsibilities, and modelling realistic behaviours. Beatriz Fuentes described
the reality of a typical day: urgent emails, conflicting demands from the CEO, CFO, and managers, alongside emotional support for colleagues and employees. “By the end of the first
meeting, you already have ten tasks that they’re expecting you to accomplish by the end of the day. You check your emails and realise your manager is concerned about a team member. The CEO calls. The CFO is frustrated. Marketing needs approval. Operations wants advice. And it’s only 11 o’clock.” This constant juggling has
intensified since the pandemic. Remote work has blurred
boundaries and there is a feeling that we live in an “always on” culture, checking emails outside of work hours and in our weekends and holidays. “There’s no pause between
projects. No space to reflect or reset. As soon as you finish one transformation, another begins,” she said. “The goalposts keep moving, making it harder to feel proud or even recognise what we’ve achieved.” Fuentes noted that burnout
often starts small and may not be immediately obvious but might include persistent fatigue, brain fog, irritability, withdrawal, procrastination, and overworking to hide stress. On a physical level, your ability to recover from each bout of stress becomes longer, you may experience changes in your appetite, and the quality of your sleep may worsen. Emotionally, you may end up feeling disengaged and even cynical about your work and your role. “Burnout isn’t a weakness,”
she said. “It’s an indicator that your capacity has been exceeded for too long. That battery is at 5%.” Both Brann and Fuentes concluded that cultivating
“ BURNOUT ISN’T A WEAKNESS. IT’S AN INDICATOR THAT YOUR CAPACITY HAS BEEN EXCEEDED FOR TOO LONG. THAT BATTERY IS AT 5%.”
BEATRIZ FUENTES, A PEOPLE LEADER & A FELLOW OF THE CIPD
wellbeing is a strategy to ensure that you are able to perform at your best and continue to enjoy your job. Chronic stress can reduce cognitive function, empathy, innovation, and decision-making, and leaders under strain might also make poorer decisions. “We literally cannot get the
best out of people if we are not attending to wellbeing. Stress isn’t a weakness, but we do need to look at
the processes that
are leading to chronic build- up,” Brann said. In today’s rapidly changing workplace, the ability to thrive, rather than just survive, is important to everyone, no matter what their role in an organisation.
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GLOBAL LEADERSHIP WELLBEING
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