1. Develop and reinforce empathy skills

One way to combat burnout is to keep honest lines of communication open between leaders and employees. Most people are reluctant to talk about their feelings of burnout for fear of jeopardizing their position, so it’s important to nip this taboo in the bud.

Empathy is so important for preventing employee burnout, both because it opens two-way communication and establishes mutual respect and trust between leaders and their teams. An empathetic leader can respond thoughtfully to facts and feelings or defuse negative emotions while acknowledging positive ones.

Among companies best prepared to mitigate employee burnout, empathy ranks as a top leadership skill. When leaders connect with their teams on a human level, they are more likely to identify burnout and other risks to wellbeing. That’s why it’s crucial to offer empathy skills building as part of your leadership development training.

2. Help leaders manage their own wellbeing

Fortunately, burnout across an organization is a phenomenon that can be prevented or decreased if the right skills and strategies are set into motion. But while leaders fight burnout culture, they need to acknowledge that they aren’t immune to the risk of burnout themselves.

As the level of change and crisis leaders face continues to evolve, leaders need to focus on reducing workplace stress to help manage their own feelings of burnout. HR should play a significant role in supporting the wellbeing of leaders by taking steps to ensure a safe and supportive atmosphere at work. For instance, HR can facilitate and promote programs that raise mental health awareness or create a robust employee assistance program.

3. Develop leaders’ skills to prioritize and manage work

Coaching and delegation are tactics leaders can use to ensure their teams have growth opportunities, balanced workloads, and resources to reach their goals, without burning out. Through effective delegation, leaders can empower their teams to shape and manage important projects that interest them and are good learning experiences, improving overall engagement. Additionally, leaders can use coaching discussions to help employees improve skills that are critical for doing their jobs well--whether that's prioritizing work, technical mastery, or building interpersonal relationships with others.

Although burnout can be a substantial challenge for organizations to manage, effective leadership is an important strategy to help mitigate it. A leader’s ability to demonstrate empathy, lead change, coach their peers, and delegate work can help their teams remain engaged and effective.

1. Reinforce the importance of building trust

Leaders need to understand that trust is crucial for building a positive company culture. And they may need real-world examples to understand why building trust is an imperative. It may be helpful to include questions about trust on employee engagement surveys so leaders can begin to understand how they’re doing.

2. Purposefully develop trust

Like any critical leadership skill, building trust takes work. Companies can’t assume that their leaders already have the skills to build trust effectively, so trust building must be prioritized throughout leadership development. Trust is fragile. It is easily broken, yet very difficult to build back up.

3. Model trust from the top down

Nowhere is building trust more crucial than at the top. Senior leaders and executives have fewer opportunities to build trust directly with employees, so it’s critical that they make the best of every opportunity to do it.

1. Help leaders “see” their role in a virtual workplace

One of the greatest challenges of working in a virtual or hybrid environment is visibility. Leaders don’t have equal visibility, nor do their team members. To promote equal opportunity and fairness, leaders must create visibility for their teams. Help leaders see their role in creating a fair and inclusive virtual work environment by assessing their skills and reinforcing the behaviors that strengthen your work culture.

2. Develop leaders together

Leaders want more meaningful, formal learning and development experiences that connect them with a cohort of peers. Peer connections can be powerful, especially in dispersed and virtual workplaces where leaders may not otherwise have the chance to connect. Leaders can benefit greatly from learning with and from others, especially those facing similar challenges.

3. Create more inclusive and engaging virtual workplaces

Effective leaders play a crucial role in virtual and hybrid teams by helping create a sense of connection to work. Employees working from home may feel isolated or disengaged, unaware of how to participate in the workplace culture or communicate with colleagues. Leaders are in a position to help employees build a strong connection with the workplace and other colleagues. When leaders build foundational skills to include and engage their teams, you can expect engagement and innovation to increase across the organization.