Coaching Around 3 Unwritten Core Values in a Company that Can Contribute to Burnout

What follows are 3 unwritten core values in a company that can contribute to burnout. Of course, no one will ever say they are "company values," much less "core values." 

Yet, their existence is known to leaders and team members who feel the brunt of their presence and impact.

Of course there may be several more unwritten core values in a company that can contribute to burnout, but here are three to think about. 

1. Loyalty to the company above all
2. Money is the bottom line
3. Time is the important thing

When Loyalty to the Company (or Boss?) Means Denying Your Own Well-Being

The company agenda comes first. On the surface this makes a lot of sense. You have been hired to do a job, and to do it well. 

But there is a subtlety in some organizations where the unwritten core value is company loyalty above personal life. It's here you'll probably find a higher incident of burnout among leaders, executives and the workforce.

The loyalty card comes in all shapes and sizes. It is often a super-subtle guilt producing attitude. And, sometimes, despite the posture, the not-so-subtle expectation is "company first." 

The company may pay lip service to those things which make for balancing work and family life, but in actual fact there's a lot of guilt associated with leaving work on time or asking to leave to attend to other personal matters.

While a pretty good line may be given about avoiding worker burnout, overtime is frequently expected, and obviously the best people are willing to put in the extra hours. If you want to be counted in that number then your behavior should show it.

Because guilt is often subtle, and because some of it can have its origin in our own minds, it can be very binding. It can be all tied up with performance reviews, pay increases and promotions. And, because of that, it can cause considerable work related stress.

Executive Coaching Questions

1. Does your organization have anywhere within it, an unwritten expectation of company loyalty above personal life? 

2. What or who is the source of this expectation? 

3. What can you begin doing to turn this type of culture around?

When Money is the Bottom Line and People Are Expendable

Burnout and expendable employees - you can see the connection right away.

If some organizational actions spoke, they would say: "employees are expendable, money is always of greater value than people" - This may be the most blatantly obvious posture or attitude that many companies take.

Making money, saving money, or the bottom line come first. Because profits need to go up and expenses need to go down, any bump along the road means employees will be gotten rid of first.

It's odd, isn't it? You need the best people to make things work. But the first line item to get jettisoned is often those very same people. It seems little thought is given to maintaining a consistent workforce, and finding other ways to adjust, or innovate, or improve, or shift ... whatever.

I'm not talking about those exceptional situations where there are some type of uncontrollable market forces that dictate hard decisions.  

Employees are expendable. Employees are in the expense column. Employees are not really seen as a strength, but as a necessary element, albeit too expensive, on the path to profit.

If you believe this is true of you, it produces stress and doesn't give much hope for what's ahead. You just never know if you will have a job tomorrow. It's a recipe for burnout.

Executive Coaching Questions

1. How committed is your organization to finding the optimal workforce and maintaining it, through thick and thin? 

2. What sort of creative thinking would it take to achieve that? What could be the benefits of having a consistent high performing, loyal team like this? 

3. Where do you go next in thinking about this, and even taking action on it? 

When "First One In" and "Last One Out" is the Measurement for Success

While excessive overtime is far from the only cause of burnout, it does contribute.

The connection looks like this. Those who put in the overtime hours are productive, engaged and loyal. Those who don't, may not have the interests of the organization first.

Many leaders and professionals feel caught in the "first one in - last one out" trap.

What causes stress? The subtlety in some companies is this: good managers and leaders, those who 'are serious' about work and advancement are measured by the number of hours they are at the office or on the job. Having the right people notice that is important.

Honestly, in some places it seems it doesn't have as much to do with competence or performance, but the amount of time put in. We realize it's a poor measurement but it's out there.

And on the other side of the coin, sometimes the long hours are just needed to complete the job. It isn't about effectiveness. It's about poor project management and multiple project to do lists. The result ... long hours. And if those hours become the rule rather than the exception, the chances of job related stress and burnout are greater.

Executive Coaching Questions

1. What in your company, leads to "needing" regular, and often long, overtime hours? 

2. How well have you examined what might be done to avoid this, thus getting your good people home to their families and regular life? 

3. If time put in is not the best measure of success, what is? How does your company culture and reward system recognize this alternate measurement?

4. What's your next step?

Recapping 3 Unwritten Core Values in a Company that Can Contribute to Burnout

When blind company loyalty, money is everything, and "working the hours," begin to take their toll, it can be a heavy one indeed. 

The leader, their family, the organization, the team, the community, everyone suffers and feels the effect. 

Those organizations that are intentional about pursuing a better and more sustainable pathway will enjoy more engaged, and more productive leaders, managers and staff. 

And these are just 3 unwritten core values in a company that can contribute to burnout. Have you noted others? 

Now the question remains. If you are in a position of decision-making, what will you do to attempt to address this situation?

In doing so you will go some distance to helping your leaders, executives and team members avoid burnout and increase productivity and effectiveness. 

Other Reflections on Coaching in This Series:

• 3 Ways for Improving Employee Engagement While Avoiding Burnout
• 3 Challenges Faced by Leadership Leading to Signs of Burnout
• 3 Ways for Building a Culture that Prevents Leader Burnout