Burnout and imposter syndrome: double trouble for the workplace

Simon O’Kane at Asana argues that by changing how we work, we can eliminate both burnout and imposter syndrome

Wellbeing in the UK workplace is under threat from two sizable challenges – imposter syndrome and burnout. In Asana’s latest Anatomy of Work Index, we uncovered troubling insights that 62% of UK workers suffered from burnout at least once in the last year, while 57% suffered from imposter syndrome.

To overcome these phenomena, first we need to understand them. Imposter syndrome and burnout are naturally different: the former revolves around self-doubt, the latter around workplace stress. However, the deeper we delve into them, the clearer we see how interconnected they are.

They both tend to result in the same negative outcomes – low morale, compromised mental health, reduced collaboration and more frequent mistakes. The data also shows that many who have suffered from one, have suffered from the other – with almost half of UK workers (45%) experiencing both at some point in the past year. Their affinity may be a major problem, but it can also make overcoming them much easier.

Navigating working from home

Instigated by the mass shift to remote working at the onset of the pandemic, we are still seeing a high prevalence of both burnout and imposter syndrome today – even as workers gradually filter back to the office. Without the natural work boundaries that come with the physical office, 43% of remote workers say their workdays no longer have a clear start or finish time.

Add to the mix the comms overload that comes with working from home – more emails, notifications, and calls – and it’s not difficult to see why employees are struggling.

Meanwhile, the barriers posed by some technologies have undoubtedly siloed individuals away from their colleagues. This means teamwork has taken a hit with office ‘water cooler catch-ups’ and in-person collaboration noticeably absent.

But crucially for imposter syndrome, it has also untethered workers from their teams and reduced both mentoring and reassurance. The result? People working in isolation with reduced confidence, purpose and productivity.

But before managers decide a knee-jerk return to the office is the answer, I urge consideration not to where teams work, but to how they work. 

Bringing clarity to every goal

One thing you can’t afford to lose sight of are goals – on both a company and individual level. Highlighting shared organizational missions and goal-setting helps keep teams motivated by ensuring their work is closely aligned with the wider efforts and achievements of the company.

This, in turn, emphasises how one person’s contribution positively impacts the success of the team and helps to alleviate imposter syndrome.

At Asana, we have found that employees who have clarity on the impact of their work are twice as motivated as those who don’t. And in a motivated team, you have a happy and productive one too – operating effectively and efficiently, without burnout creeping in. 

By employing a single source of truth for setting, tracking, and managing these goals, every member of your team will benefit from added clarity into their and others’ work; clarity that will help them understand not just what they’re doing, but why they’re doing it.

Further, it will help them identify what work is important and what isn’t – enabling them to jettison the latter from daily tasks and more easily see the direct impact their work is having on the business.

Breaking down silos with collaboration

The enemy of collaboration is team silos, and remote work has undoubtedly fortified these. To counter this and encourage new lines of collaboration, businesses should focus on connecting teams by enabling cross-functional work. Admittedly, this is not an easy task when over 40% of workers feel isolated when working from home.

What’s needed is a careful approach to provide teams with the proper tools for the job and avoid inadvertently inflaming their frustration with ‘work about work’ tasks – such as checking for status updates and switching between apps. 

There is also a need to steer away from the oversimplified thinking that more tools inevitably translate to greater connection. This isn’t the case. Instead, think hard about which tools enable worthwhile connections, and let that be your guide in making sure your tech stacks are streamlined and effective. This will help you break down barriers, streamline workflows and reinvigorate a workforce under growing strain from imposter syndrome and burnout.

An environment of trust, respect, and empathy

When it comes to the toll imposter syndrome and burnout have on your workplace, it can severely impact efforts to build an environment based upon trust, respect, and empathy. I

Imposter syndrome is causing more than two-thirds (68%) of workers to worry at work, and stops 60% of them from speaking up about their struggles. This creates a vacuum where concerns aren’t voiced, problems escalate, and potential cracks form in your team.

To counter this, you need an approach where the whole team has visibility across tasks, pressure-points, and deadlines. This visibility breathes life into an empathetic culture and a sense of teamship that swiftly replaces imposter syndrome and burnout with confidence, autonomy, and productivity. 

Over the past two years, imposter syndrome and burnout have become two of the largest threats to workplace culture and productivity. But they don’t have to be. Leaders must focus efforts on addressing both challenges simultaneously through streamlined tech stacks, transparent goals, and empathetic workplaces.

By doing so, we can not only return workplaces and wellbeing to where they were before the pandemic, but somewhere arguably a lot better.

Simon O’Kane is Head of International at Asana

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com