A recent Work Trend index at Microsoft found that 53% of managers feel burned out at work. Writing for the Harvard Business Review, Dawn Klinghoffer and Katie Kirkpatrick-Husk explain why this is happening, and offer five tips on how to address manager burnout.

Klinghoffer is head of people analytics at Microsoft, and Kirkpatrick-Husk is a manager on Microsoft's employee listening team.

Why managers are burned out

Christina Maslach, one of the pioneers of burnout research, said burnout is the result of continuous stress in the workplace, which results in exhaustion, cynicism, and a perceived lack of professional accomplishment.

According to the authors, the reasons behind these symptoms typically fall into six categories:

1. Having an unsustainable workload
2. A perceived lack of control
3. Insufficient rewards for effort
4. A lack of a supportive community
5.  A lack of fairness
6. Mismatched values and skills

Managers are "exhausted from a combination of high workload and limited resources," the authors write. As managers adjust and help their teams in a post-pandemic workplace, they require feedback and support more than ever before. But the authors' research has found that they're receiving less coaching and development for their people management skills as well as less recognition from their managers.

Microsoft's biannual census — which focuses on Maslach's three dimensions of exhaustion, cynicism, and feelings of accomplishment — found that managers are more likely to experience exhaustion and a lack of professional efficacy than individual contributors.

The census has also found managers of individual contributors are more likely to experience cynicism than those who manage other managers. As managers climb within the organization, they feel more meaning and energy from their work, which has been able to reduce cynicism, the census found.

Burnout has, unsurprisingly, led to negative outcomes for managers and their companies. For example, managers who reported all three burnout dimensions had productivity scores 22 points lower than those who weren't burned out. Microsoft has also found that managers experiencing all three dimensions of burnout are 5.3 times more likely to leave the company than those not experiencing any.

5 tips to address manager burnout

1. Finding meaning

Finding ways to connect managers' work with what matters to them most can help buffer against the negative effects of burnout, the authors write. "Managers should reflect on their roles and have open conversations with their leader about what gives them energy and meaning at work, and what detracts from it."

2. Learning and career development

Managers and leaders should consider new projects that could help provide a burst of energy at work, have open conversations about what's necessary for managers to accomplish their goals, and be transparent about their career paths at the company, the authors write.

A manager's leader should also seek out and integrate a variety of feedback sources in order to get a complete picture of the manager they're trying to help and target where growth is needed.

3. Flexible work

"Continuing to support flexible work can also give managers a sense of empowerment over their schedule and help reduce feelings of exhaustion," the authors write.

One important key is collectively establishing team norms and expectations around work schedules so people can work the way that fits best for them without worrying about how their preferences will affect others.

4. Psychological safety and support

Microsoft's research has found that managers experiencing burnout don't feel comfortable speaking up at work. In fact, managers experiencing true burnout score 34 points lower on the sentiment "I feel safe to speak up at work" than those not experiencing burnout.

And these managers say their managers aren't supporting them in prioritizing projects and tasks that are impactful to them.

The authors recommend managers prepare for one-on-one meetings with their leader and share their prioritization ideas. "Speaking up in a productive way with recommendations and solutions provide space for active dialog and healthy conversations," they write.

Leaders should role model owning up to their mistakes and normalize showing vulnerability, as well as actively inviting input from their team and responding productively to the feedback they receive.

5. Self-care

It's important that managers care for themselves before they focus on their teams, the authors write. When managers focus on themselves, they model the correct behaviors and are more present for their employees.

In order for managers to thrive at an organization, the company must commit to continually listening to them, acting on their feedback, and measuring progress, the authors share. "The more managers feel they can have an open dialogue with their employer, the richer that feedback loop will become as organizations work towards stemming the tide of burnout and creating a work environment where everyone's energy is sustainable." (Klinghoffer/Kirkpatrick-Husk, Harvard Business Review, 5/18)