Employees bring a range of problems to HR’s doorstep, from workplace concerns such as staff conflicts and harassment claims to more personal struggles such as mental-health issues and family emergencies. Helping employees through these difficulties can take a toll on HR practitioners. Without sufficient support, the pressure can quickly become too much to bear.
Claire Roberts, a former HR business partner at Airbus, experienced this challenge in 2016. On top of her day-to-day duties, Roberts was managing two terminally ill employees and was also tasked with overseeing a TUPE and redundancy programme. All the while she was coping with the unexpected death of her mother.
“I’d been working on the cusp of burnout for several years but, despite being a mental-health first-aider and writing the wellbeing strategy for the business, I ignored many of the red flags,” she says.
Roberts eventually experienced a severe case of mental burnout and was signed off work by a GP in 2017. “It feels like having the rug pulled out from underneath you,” she says. “When you have burnout you feel depleted. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
An ongoing issue
Plenty of HR professionals have reported experiencing symptoms of burnout, particularly since the pandemic.
The function’s status was elevated during the Covid crisis and HR leaders were asked to manage a growing list of urgent issues, from hybrid working and return-to-office mandates, to talent acquisition and retention in a challenging labour market.
Burnout is a persistent and growing concern in the field
“HR were at the front line of the pandemic but many of them didn’t have the space to look after themselves,” Roberts says.
Five years on from the start of the pandemic, many of these operational challenges remain and little has been done to relieve the strain on HR. Burnout is still prevalent in the profession. More than half (52%) of HR workers have experienced burnout in the past three years, according to research by Personio, an HR solutions provider.
“Our research confirms what many HR professionals likely sense,” says Maximilian Specht, workplace-trends expert at Personio. “Burnout is a persistent and growing concern in the field.”
What’s driving HR’s burnout problems?
Excessive workloads and growing employee demands are adding to the pressure felt by HR. Four in 10 HR workers say unnecessary administrative tasks cause them to feel overwhelmed in their roles.
According to Andy Holmes, human-capacity lead at Korn Ferry and former global head of wellbeing at Reckitt, there is a “huge disconnect” between the ambitions of HR professionals and the reality of working in the role.
“People join the HR profession to enable and elevate other people, but they end up managing and reporting, which are two very different things,” he explains. “One is emotionally rewarding, while the other feels very transactional. This creates tension in the function.”
Businesses could face a challenging spike in HR turnover at a time when they want their teams performing at their best
Dissatisfaction with work contributes to feelings of burnout just as much as a heavy workload, Holmes adds. “In a lot of organisations, you’ve got a model that is creaking, with people who feel under pressure and undervalued trying to service a business that is already overstretched.”
This is leading to a near-constant state of burnout, according to Specht. “Across the industry, we see a looming whiplash effect, with HR professionals becoming dissatisfied not just with their roles but with the profession itself,” he says. “Employers risk losing valuable institutional knowledge and the people best equipped to address critical business issues, from performance to culture.”
Despite these mounting pressures, Roberts says the mental and emotional toll of HR’s work is often overlooked. “People outside of the profession don’t understand the breadth of issues HR faces – it’s often stuff you’re not taught to deal with,” she says. “There’s no training to teach you how to support a terminally ill employee or how to deal with a member of staff who was caught doing drugs in the toilet.”
Roberts founded a consultancy and coaching company, HR for HR, in 2019 with the aim of providing HR professionals with the support she says they’re often lacking. “I want to provide HR with the same care and support that we in HR provide to others,” she explains.
Businesses face an HR exodus
Few in the profession expect their working conditions to improve. Almost a third (32%) believe HR’s list of responsibilities will grow over the next five years, according to the Personio research. With 34% of HR workers contemplating an exit from the industry, there is the potential for a mass exodus from the profession.
“Businesses could face a challenging spike in HR turnover at a time when they want their teams performing at their best,” says Lenke Taylor, chief people officer at Personio. She believes more investment in the function is needed if HR is to tackle the broader business challenge of creating engaging, productive and rewarding work environments.
But firms must also take a more proactive approach to addressing the causes of burnout, argues Holmes. “There should be absolute clarity around what the HR function is expected to deliver, how they deliver it and the resources and structure they need to do so sustainably,” he says.
If the burnout epidemic in HR is not addressed, companies risk losing experience and expertise from a function that has been growing in importance and influence. By providing HR teams with the support and investment they need, businesses can help the function achieve its strategic potential.
Employees bring a range of problems to HR’s doorstep, from workplace concerns such as staff conflicts and harassment claims to more personal struggles such as mental-health issues and family emergencies. Helping employees through these difficulties can take a toll on HR practitioners. Without sufficient support, the pressure can quickly become too much to bear.
Claire Roberts, a former HR business partner at Airbus, experienced this challenge in 2016. On top of her day-to-day duties, Roberts was managing two terminally ill employees and was also tasked with overseeing a TUPE and redundancy programme. All the while she was coping with the unexpected death of her mother.
“I’d been working on the cusp of burnout for several years but, despite being a mental-health first-aider and writing the wellbeing strategy for the business, I ignored many of the red flags,” she says.
