Keep your team close but keep your flight risks closer
Distance from the workplace is something we all need, especially with increasingly blurred lines between work and home. That’s why it makes sense that as a response to the overwhelming burnout, we are seeing a trend of employers giving their people additional paid time off (PTO) to support their wellbeing. But what happens when you give people additional time off who already have one foot out the door?
Now two years into the Great Resignation, people are still leaving their current jobs for higher salaries, better work/life balance and opportunities that better align with their values. Providing employees with additional PTO is a great way to boost morale and showcase your organization's stance on work/life harmony. However, if not combined with other burnout prevention strategies, it is the right amount of space that your flight risk employees need to jump ship. Rather than looking at time off as the only solution for employee burnout, leaders need to also focus on tackling the root of the issues.
The counter-response to ensuring your flight risks don’t flee isn’t to force people to be together, rather, it is addressing the reasons why they might be exploring greener pastures in the first place. How do you understand the root cause of burnout? Simple, listen. Once you’ve announced your additional PTO initiative, take the time to listen to the response. A short anonymous pulse survey and a scan of your social channels can give you a temperature check on how people felt. (A couple of great resources for honest real-time feedback are Fishbowl and Glassdoor). By the end of your employee listening exercise, you should get the answer to the question, did this initiative address the current need or was it a band-aid solution to a greater issue?
Regardless of the response, time off cannot be where the solution stops. And the truth of the matter is, that one of the most common questions that comes up when additional PTO is announced is whether it will increase workloads and condense timelines. If people are feeling the pressure of taking additional time off, there’s a greater issue at hand. If taking time off is overwhelming, that means that other very important opportunities are sacrificed at the expense of unmanageable workloads. The first things to go are usually learning and development opportunities and space for meaningful human connections. While your people are enjoying their time off, ensure that you are building up the systems that caused the need to refresh in the first place. That way, when they return they are met with the space to do the things that they are excited about and that will help them grow their career. If that means pushing back timelines or outsourcing work, it will make the investment your organization made in time off worthwhile.
Additional paid time off is never a bad idea. It gives our teams something to look forward to and it allows everyone to take a break and recharge. However, additional time off cannot be where it ends. There’s usually a deeper reason for burnout and time away from the office can potentially push people further away. As a leader, it is your job to listen to your people and understand the root cause of their burnout. When you understand the barriers your people are facing to feeling healthy at work, you can implement strategies that will help break them down so that your team can thrive once they return from their well-deserved time off.