The expectations for rapid responses in today’s digital world has created a work culture where both employers and employees feel the pressure to be “switched on” 24/7. In a recent episode of the Business Essentials Daily podcast, Barrington Centre’s Principal Psychologist and Managing Director, Rhonda Andrews, discussed how the cumulative impact of the “slow burn” could blindside top performing teams who could not see a burnout coming.
Rhonda recommends setting boundaries, negotiating for win-win outcomes, and developing positive work habits as strategies of breaking away from the cycle of burnout as the result of being switched on “all the time”.
For CEOs who manage senior executives, Rhonda says that it is important to firstly take note of what your expectations and to “ask yourself whether you’ve made assumptions” regarding your team’s time, working styles, and work hours. The next step is to establish open communication so that those expectations, as well as boundaries, can be discussed and agreed upon between leaders and their team.