For Schneider Electric, employees’ well-being is a strategic priority and it is one of the drivers impacting people’s engagement based on what they share in our internal engagement survey. It is part of our Inclusion and Care strategy.
Our Well-Being ambition is to create an environment where employees are empowered to manage their unique lives and work by making the most of their energy.
Well-Being is “a subjective state of health, happiness, and satisfaction where individuals thrive and contribute their best for their own benefit, and that of Schneider Electric, the society, and our planet.”
What is burnout?
Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged and excessive stress. It can occur in any aspect of life where stress is prevalent, including caregiving, education, and other demanding roles. It is usually categorised into four types:
- Overload burnout: Results from working harder and harder in the pursuit of success until you have nothing left.
- Under-challenged burnout: Results from feeling underappreciated or bored at work and becoming distanced and cynical towards work.
- Neglect burnout: Linked closely with imposter syndrome and feeling helpless.
- Habitual burnout: When the physical and mental fatigue become chronic.
Recognising Burnout
Common indicators can be grouped into three main categories:
- Physical symptoms: Severe exhaustion, insomnia, headaches, muscle and joint pain, loss of appetite, high blood pressure, and breathing issues.
- Emotional symptoms: Feeling helpless, trapped, or defeated, feeling cut off from others, overwhelmed, and like there is no hope.
- Behavioural symptoms: Lack of productivity and concentration, withdrawing from people or being absent from work entirely, appearing excessively tired or irritable.
Killian’s story
“After leaving a 10-year career in the British Army in 2017, I went to therapy and began unlocking numerous repressed thoughts and emotions within me. Even while walking this journey with professionals, I slipped into depression two years later and, with the help of my GP, started taking medication. Shortly after, the feelings of heaviness, the lack of joy, wanting to be alone, feeling hollow, and being in the passenger seat in my own brain started to return.
At first, I thought the medication effects had worn out; turns out the symptoms of depression and burnout are very similar. I’d been working self-employed for a while, burning the candle at both ends trying to make it work. Ultimately, I started a contract with Schneider, which became a permanent role within nine months, and I’ve seen an improvement. The work-life balance, the recognition systems, and, most importantly, the people within this business have allowed me to come out of my shell and thrive again.”
Impacts of burnout at home and work
Burnout can impact you in many different ways both within a work environment and in your personal life. It’s like a domino effect: when one area of your life is affected, it can create a ripple effect that strains your relationships with family, friends, and colleagues.
From a home perspective, burnout may contribute to:
- Increased irritability and withdrawal
- Lack of effective communication leading to misunderstandings and conflicts
- Emotional and personal detachment
- Lack of work-life balance due to long hours/working in off time
- Difficulty ‘leaving work at work’
These feelings may have been driven by work itself or your home life may have been the cause of your burnout, but either way, your behaviour at work may change if you start:
- Mentally distancing yourself from work
- Negative/cynical feelings towards your work
- Reduced sense of efficiency
- Loss of passion for work
- Decline in work quality
And these impacts may take their toll on your team, particularly if you are a Manager or Leader influencing others:
- Increased absenteeism – calling in sick not from physical illness but from burnout
- Increased presenteeism – turning up to work but being unproductive and/or absent in terms of meaningful contribution
- Higher employee turnover
- Increased negativity in the workplace
Ways to manage burnout
Burnout can often feel insurmountable. But being overwhelmed is a signal, not a long-term sentence. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, but you can:
- Understand the symptoms and causes
- Make some changes based on what you think is contributing
- Focus on situational factors associated with places, such as work and stressors happening within the workplace, and personal factors, emotions, and how you can utilise personal coping mechanisms.
Although it is beneficial to reach out to someone you trust to support, there are some steps to be taken at a personal level to help combat burnout:
- Pause: Take time out from the situation to consider next steps
- Assess: Factors contributing to burnout
- Unwind: Do something restorative and relaxing
- Solutions: Explore options available to you with those around you
- Evaluate: How effective are the solutions you are implementing, and what further changes are required
Burnout can feel all-encompassing, but it is important to remember everyone’s symptoms, triggers, and experiences are different and burnout is not failure. Time to normalise rest, reflection & recovery.
Sam’s story
“A few years ago, I was going through a challenging time whereby a very close friend of mine was terminally ill, and I was navigating how best to support her and her family as well as grieving myself. Around a similar time, I was offered an opportunity for a promotion at work – something I had worked very hard to achieve. Taking this big leap in my career and distracting myself from the sadness surrounding me in my personal life meant I left very little time for me and how to manage everything. I like to call this the “perfect storm”. Whilst there were many positive things happening, others were crumbling around me as this storm came in slowly and before I knew it, I was drowning and couldn’t catch my breath resulting in burnout.
During my 10 months off work, I focused on grieving for my friend, something I should have perhaps allowed myself to do at the time, reflecting on areas of my life that were causing me to feel uneasy and panicked so that I could work on finding a better balance for myself, my family & friends, and team for when I returned to work.
I felt very supported by my manager at the time of the burnout and upon returning. I was listened to with open and honest conversations and a simple “How are you feeling today?”. If I experience a bad day as they definitely still happen, my manager understands and gives me the space and support I feel I need. Trust is key between us.
I know for me personally, putting boundaries in place helps to manage my stress levels and avoid burnout again. Knowing when to say no to unnecessary meetings, too much workload, turning my Teams chat off, having low-key weekends, and being vocal is what has worked best for me.”
Promoting employee well-being: Initiatives to prevent burnout and support mental health
At Schneider Electric, we understand that preventing burnout is a vital aspect of supporting our employees’ mental health. To this end, we have implemented several initiatives.
Our Employee Resource Group (ERG) circles are a fantastic platform where various significant topics are discussed. Recently, we held a session focused on burnout, which sparked some insightful conversations.
To further support mental health and well-being, Schneider Electric provides readily available resources, including trained Mental Health First Aiders and free guidance services that employees can access whenever they need support.
Our policies are designed to help employees manage their unique circumstances. To give a few examples, employees can discuss flexible working arrangements with us if they feel they would benefit from such adjustments.
We recognise that life can be unpredictable, and sometimes emergencies arise. Therefore, we offer our employees the option of care leave, ensuring employees have the time and space to address urgent matters, such as a child’s illness or an elderly relative requiring immediate attention.
We also believe that coming together as a community can positively impact well-being. Our Volunteering Day is a fun event where colleagues from across the company unite to support worthy causes, such as public space clean-ups or playground restoration.
Remember, taking proactive steps today can lead to a healthier, more balanced tomorrow!
Do you need help? Don’t think twice – reach out:
For mental health support, you can visit Mind or NHS Mental Health Services.
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