On the heels of the pandemic, with many workers moving to remote work, there's much buzz about the “Great Resignation.” Workers are quitting their jobs and moving to other organizations, to gig work, or simply rethinking and reframing their careers. No sector has been hit worse from the pandemic and the mass resignations as healthcare workers. During and after the pandemic healthcare workers experienced overwork, massive stress, burnout, and lack of support from leaders. At a recent healthcare conference I attended, there was a sense that leaders’ lack of concern for employee well-being might be a large part of the problem, and that leaders can also be a big part of the solution.

What are some of the reasons for this increased employee dissatisfaction and turnover?

• Work overload; expectations that workers should just take on more.
• Workers feel as if their leaders and their organizations don’t care about their well-being. One experienced nurse said that the increased workload and seeming lack of support caused her to “lose her long-standing passion for nursing.”
• Workers experiencing a lack of emotional support from their leaders and colleagues.
• When exhausted, workers are not allowed time to recover and reenergize; there is an expectation to just carry on. Another worker said that increased hours and workload meant that there was no energy left to care for family or complete household chores.
• There is stigmatization of struggling workers; leaders viewing them as underperforming; colleagues feeling resentment for workers whom they believe are “not pulling their weight.” Workers who take time off for their own mental health and recovery are stigmatized, while others simply carry on in order to avoid being blamed and resented by their fellow workers.

These issues are occurring, not only in health care, but in many sectors. After listening to this litany of stress-inducing factors, I realized that these problems can be reduced through leaders’ actions.

What Leaders Can Do About It?

Build In Redundancy so that there is coverage when a member is absent or overloaded. One leader of a tech team who left work for a whirlwind marriage and honeymoon feared that her critical duties would not be picked up by another member and that the team would collapse during her absence.

Allow Employees to Voice Concerns. There should be ongoing discussion between leader and team members about their workload. Research has demonstrated that giving employees some sense of control over their work and working environment helps to reduce stress.

Provide Support Services. This can range from referring employees to counseling or other employee assistance programs, to making accommodations for those who are struggling, to simply being responsive to employees’ needs and concerns. All employees can benefit from stress management training so leaders should ensure that such training resources are available.

Build a Culture of Trust and Psychological Safety. When leaders and team members have mutual trust in one another it reduces the collective stress. Trust builds a climate of safety whereby employees know that if they falter, they will not be stigmatized or punished.

Encourage a Sense of Belonging. Valuing each individual member, and helping them to feel included, is critically important for employee well-being, renewal, and retention.