These days, managers often complain about dealing with difficult employees. Common gripes? That workers are short-tempered, disengaged, and unproductive.
But are you really dealing with difficult employees or with the signs of job burnout? Burnout among Americans is at an all-time high, according to a recent survey: around 66% for workers overall, and up to 83% for younger workers. The stressors of the Covid pandemic, return-to-office mandates, and a rise in layoffs in many sectors have left many workers feeling stressed and overworked. Their work performance suffers as a result, and their health does as well. Absenteeism, illness, and fatigue are common outcomes.
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Employers acknowledge that employees benefit from distancing themselves from their jobs during their time off yet nonetheless penalize them for trying to detach, researchers Eva C. Buechel and Elisa Solinas found in a recent study. Their research on this “detachment paradox” offers guidance for employers tempted to dismiss workplace problems as a matter of dealing with difficult employees.
The Benefits of Detachment
Across the internet, mental health and HR experts are encouraging employees to take whatever steps they can to avoid the hazards of burnout, protect their personal time, and prioritize their well-being. Many employees, and especially younger ones, have tried to heed this advice. One way of guarding against burnout is through psychological detachment, which includes both refraining from doing work and not thinking about work during one’s personal time, such as nights, weekends, and vacations, according to Buechel and Solinas.
Psychological detachment has well-documented benefits for both workers and their employees, including improvements in mood, decreased fatigue, and a lower risk of burnout, write Buechel and Solinas. When workers are able to disengage from work during their time off, they are more productive while on the clock, as they feel more engaged in and motivated by their work.
The Detachment Paradox
Are managers aware of the benefits of psychological detachment for workers and organizations? In 16 experiments, Buechel and Solinas found that participants, including experienced managers, recognized that engaging in detachment strategies—such as taking allotted vacation time, leaving work devices at the office, and setting out-of-office replies—would improve employees’ well-being and work performance. Yet these same participants also penalized workers who used detachment strategies when making promotion evaluations and hiring decisions.
In one experiment, for example, actual hiring managers recruited on LinkedIn were asked to imagine they had reached out to a job candidate at 5:30 p.m. on a Friday to schedule an interview for the following week. Some managers were told that they received an out-of-office reply saying that the worker was away from email for the weekend; other managers were simply asked to evaluate the candidate based on their qualifications while waiting on a reply. The managers said they would be less likely to hire the candidate who was away from their email. In this and other experiments, participants viewed workers who attempted to disengage from their work in their free time as less committed to their job or career.
Instituting Disconnect Policies
How can organizations help workers avoid being penalized for engaging in detachment strategies? One approach is to make such strategies company policy. In 2019, for example, global business process outsourcing company TaskUs instituted “no chat weekends,” which discourage employees from sending business-related emails and chat messages to colleagues on the weekend, according to Forbes. The company also encouraged employees, including leaders, to fully disengage from business communications while on vacation.
Australia and several European countries have passed so-called “right to disconnect” laws that recognize workers’ right to enjoy their free time without feeling obligated to check in at work. In France, employers with more than 50 employees are obligated to negotiate a collective agreement stipulating the terms of right-to-disconnect policies.
In their research, Buechel and Solinas found that managers who were reminded that their company had policies in place to help workers disengage no longer penalized workers for being unavailable during their time off. The results suggest that such policies should indeed reduce discrimination against employees who guard their personal time—while potentially improving everyone’s well-being and on-the-job performance.
Moving Beyond Burnout
Buechel’s and Solinas’s research suggests the following lessons for organizational leaders:
- Look out for signs of stress and burnout. Short tempers, conflict, exhaustion, disengagement, and low productivity can all be signs that employees are overworked and unable to fully recharge while away from the office. Pay attention to these signals rather than assuming you’re just dealing with difficult employees.
- Collect data. Survey employees to assess morale, workload, organizational culture, and other factors that are likely to affect their well-being, engagement, and productivity. Taking steps to address organization-wide issues should lead to win-win solutions for employees and the business.
- Put policies in place. Consider setting clear guidelines regarding when employees are expected to be available and when they should be offline. Then enforce such policies and avoid the urge to break them.
What other strategies have you used to help yourself and your colleagues avoid job burnout?
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In our FREE special report from the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School - The New Conflict Management: Effective Conflict Resolution Strategies to Avoid Litigation – renowned negotiation experts uncover unconventional approaches to conflict management that can turn adversaries into partners.
