How can you do your best work when you're feeling burnt out? It’s nearly impossible, but the daily reality for 98 percent of HR professionals, according to one study. While doing any job while feeling tired, overwhelmed, and underappreciated, it’s even harder when helping others is one of your key responsibilities.One way to prevent HR burnout is to automate and streamline your processes wherever possible. Tools like case management software allow HR leaders to do more work in less time, protecting team members’ well-being while serving the needs of employees. In this guide, we’ll discuss what HR burnout is, why it’s happening, and how to reduce or prevent it.
What is HR Burnout?
HR burnout is similar to burnout for people in other careers. According to the Mayo Clinic, job burnout “includes being worn out physically or emotionally" and “may involve feeling useless, powerless, and empty” due to career-related stress.It can be tough to tell the difference between HR burnout symptoms and simply having a stressful week at work. To determine if you might be burnt out, the Mayo Clinic suggests asking yourself the following questions:
- Do you question the value of your work?
- Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started?
- Do you feel removed from your work and the people you work with?
- Have you lost patience with co-workers, customers or clients?
- Do you lack the energy to do your job well?
- Is it hard to focus on your job?
- Do you feel little satisfaction from what you get done?
- Do you feel let down by your job?
- Do you doubt your skills and abilities?
- Are you using food, drugs or alcohol to feel better or to numb how you feel?
- Have your sleep habits changed?
- Do you have headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other physical complaints with no known cause?
Burnout is not technically a medical condition, but it can be a sign of poor mental health. People with preexisting mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, or PTSD might be more prone to HR burnout.
Why Burnout Is a Problem for HR Professionals
Burnout can affect anyone in any industry, but HR leaders are experiencing more of these feelings than ever. Why? Experts think it could be a combination of escalating issues, compassion fatigue, and quickly-growing organizations.First, according to Sharlyn Lauby, SHRM-SCP, and President at ITM Group, HR professionals might be experiencing burnout because of “little things that become big things.” She explains that “a little disagreement amongst employees . . . becomes a much bigger issue because it wasn’t addressed when it was a little conflict” often because managers don’t nip issues in the bud.As a result, a minor conflict that could’ve been “talked out” between two teammates now becomes a formal complaint, which HR must address and investigate. This surge in caseload, as well as the illusion of increased employee conflict and dissatisfaction, can lead CHROs to feel burnt out.Another issue that can cause HR burnout is compassion fatigue. This phenomenon occurs when someone who helps others (such as medical patients, students, or victimized employees) in trying times takes on their emotional pain. “It is also known as vicarious or secondary trauma, referencing the way that other people’s trauma can become their own,” according to the Canadian Medical Association. Because HR leaders investigate harassment (including sexual), discrimination, bullying, workplace violence, and other sensitive subjects, their investigations can cause emotional strain to build up over time.Eventually, the brain becomes overwhelmed, and you might feel exhausted, apathetic, cynical, depressed, and/or angry. Workplace investigations expert Kenneth McCarthy experienced compassion fatigue after a subject he interviewed for a case died by suicide. “I went from doing interviews and writing reports to ‘can’t do anything,’” he explains.Finally, HR burnout can be the result of simply not having adequate resources. Many organizations are experiencing rapid growth due to industry booms or mergers and acquisitions; as a result, HR caseload will naturally increase. However, if no one is added to the HR team, the investigations process can’t scale at the same rate as the rest of the company.When the HR team can’t keep up with their increasing case volume, they will obviously feel stressed. But this stress can lead to full burnout when cases aren’t actioned in a timely fashion; employees might become angry and file a lawsuit or complaint to a regulator, causing more work for and scrutiny of the HR department.
