Caring for HR Professionals
Who takes care of the caregivers? Human resources (HR) professionals are responsible for the wellbeing of employees throughout the company. But is anyone looking out for them?
The last few years have been unusually challenging for everyone. In most companies, the brunt of managing necessary changes, finding talent in a competitive market, and keeping employees engaged has fallen on HR professionals. So perhaps it’s understandable that a recent study by Workvivo found that 98% of HR professionals are experiencing burnout.
Image: Christina @wocintechchat.com
HR’s role has expanded
The role of Human Resources is to attract, assess, and take care of employees, which are the most valuable resources of any organization. HR has always been the place where tricky situations are dealt with, whether they’re related to employee communication, conflicts between colleagues, or discrimination claims. When tough decisions need to be delivered, such as layoffs or cutbacks, it’s often HR that has to break the news. It’s always been a stressful job.
During the pandemic and the Great Resignation that accompanied it, HR professionals have been tasked with even more challenging duties.
Changing work environments
When offices emptied out in early 2020, HR departments scrambled to support employees and management in defining new processes, identifying equipment needs, and providing resources for remote workers.
As the pandemic ebbed, HR departments were asked to help companies make decisions about requiring workers to return to the office or set up hybrid models. It’s typically HR that lets employees know what’s expected of them, communicates new requirements, and manages change fatigue when plans shift again.
We’re still in a period of flux, and companies are leaning on HR to create a new normal for employees, even as we know that anything could change at any moment.
Health and safety protocols
As scientists have learned more about Covid, health and safety protocols have changed, and sometimes they’ve changed multiple times. HR professionals have had to monitor health and safety recommendations, develop new protocols, and communicate those protocols throughout the company.
HR also monitors vaccination and testing requirements, which change depending on the city or state and the type of organization. Those requirements also change over time, and some employees are less willing or able to comply than others.
Recruiting in a tight job market
The Great Resignation made talent retention even more important than it had been, so HR professionals redoubled their efforts to engage employees and promote their wellbeing. Meanwhile, they worked under a lot of pressure to find top talent for open positions before great candidates were snatched up by competitors.
Signs of burnout
When an employee feels overburdened and undervalued, burnout occurs.
The World Health Organization defines burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by
Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion.
Increased mental distance from one’s job or feelings of negativity or cynicism tied to the job.
Reduced professional efficacy.
Employees experiencing burnout may dread going to work, feel overwhelmed by tasks or decisions, and generally feel disengaged from their work. HR professionals take care of everyone else in the company, so when they feel burned out, the entire organization suffers.
Addressing burnout
Since so many HR professionals report experiencing burnout, your HR department is probably suffering, too. Many of the techniques HR uses to re-engage employees who have resorted to quiet quitting or are otherwise unhappy are useful for HR professionals, too. After all, we’re all human, and we all want to be treated with respect, feel appreciated, and do work that we find meaningful.
Create healthy boundaries
HR professionals need to take breaks, too. Just as with other employees, they should be encouraged to clock out and refrain from answering email, checking Slack, or making work calls outside work hours. They should also be encouraged to take the paid time off that is available to them. Vacations are good for mental health and for long term productivity.
Use company benefits
Sometimes the HR department is very good about reminding other employees to use benefits such as free counseling sessions or flexible scheduling, but not so great at taking advantage of those benefits themselves. Encourage HR professionals to do the things they advise other employees to do.
Provide resources
HR professionals are the ones who take care of your employees and solve problems for the rest of the company. Yet 73% said they don’t have the tools and resources they need.
Give the HR department sufficient staff, and pay them commensurate with the important responsibilities they have. Invest in the tools they need to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, as well as the resources to perform their other functions.
Demonstrate that you value them
Give HR professionals a role in leadership teams. Recognize the expertise and working knowledge they have about your employees and how they work. Don’t just call HR representatives in when there’s a pending lawsuit or PR issue; give them a seat at the table with executives routinely to prevent issues in the first place.
Ask them what they need
Every organization is different, and there is no check list that will solve burnout for HR professionals everywhere. But more than most employees, people working in HR are likely to recognize what they need to regain their energy and investment in the work.
Ask them what resources they need. Encourage them to share recommendations for healthy workplace practices for themselves and other employees. Listen to them, let them know that you value them, and give them what they need.