In a report by British software provider Advanced, 85 percent of respondents admitted that employees are working extra hours, leading to symptoms of burnout.
Of those experiencing symptoms of burnout, 38 percent say that is because they have too much work to fit into their allocated hours.
This suggests that one of the biggest challenges for a remote workforce is maintaining boundaries between work and home life, something leaders must tackle if they are to retain their best talent and minimise burnout.
Business growth
Despite burnout, 55 percent of senior UK business executives cite growth as their top priority over the next 12 months, but the tough economic climate and challenges in attracting and retaining key personnel are thwarting that growth.
The findings also showed that businesses are starting to invest more heavily in technology and solutions to aid productivity and profitability, with staff retention, increased security, deployment of new technology and a focus on ESG initiatives among the top reported priorities for this year.
The fact that one in six businesses across the UK are currently under-investing in performance management raises key concerns around their ability to effectively manage their people.
Acknowledging when individuals need to be recognised and rewarded, or when to offer more support and training to improve performance and output has a knock on effect. This effects not only business performance but more importantly employee retention.
“Following the disruptive challenges of the last two years, organisations have had to be agile in finding new ways to survive and thrive. Working from home has evolved into hybrid working that delivers the flexibility employees want, with the productivity employers require. However, this emerging model brings challenges when it comes to creating healthy workplace boundaries that ensure staff are motivated, engaged, and focused whilst measuring both performance and driving growth,” said Gordon Wilson, CEO, Advanced.
Can technology help to reduce burnout?
The report found that technology is crucial in supporting profitability, with 94 percent highlighting it as important or very important.
Also, 62 percent say their tech is ‘very important’ for profit – allowing them to work faster and smarter, and with better compliance and security.
Evidently, speed is of the essence, with more than half (54%) saying technology helps them with faster task completion.
Performance management
Continuous performance management is vital for developing a fully engaged workforce, yet this is reported in just a fifth of organisations. Reportedly, 64 percent are still using some form of annual appraisal and 13 percent say they have no formal approach to performance management.
“With the data showing that 78 percent of respondents are concerned that economic conditions will impact their organisation’s profitability over the next 12 months, I would expect companies to be doubling down on the key strategies to achieve growth and profit, including performance management.”
Gordon added: “Without ongoing performance management, businesses cannot gain a healthy and accurate view of the engagement and productivity of their workforce, vital requirements for organisational growth and success. With the ongoing talent shortages and a reported 1.3 million job vacancies in the UK, effective performance management has never been more important than it is today., The lasting impact of the pandemic combined with inflation, economic uncertainty and a turbulent global political backdrop create an unstable footing for businesses. If growth is indeed a priority, then businesses will need to get to grips with what is happening on the ground.”
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
