By Daniel Bobinski
A restaurant manager once told me about a brutal Friday night in which she found herself with two cooks out sick and no backup staff. Rather than push everybody to work harder, she put on an apron herself. Not every manager can step into a work process, but she was determined not to stress out her staff.
As customers arrived that evening, they were informed that the kitchen was short-staffed and their wait for food would likely be a bit longer than usual. The manager’s strategy worked. With that advanced notice, customers didn’t seem to mind. Instead of being upset, they appreciated the honesty and were actually sympathetic.
But the bigger win for the manager was that her team stayed calm, steady and professional.
It’s not uncommon for workplaces to face staffing shortages, and being a manager in any industry during such times can be difficult. The thing to remember is that people can deal with hard work for a while. What wears them down is feeling ignored while carrying those heavy loads.
Many organizations today are still struggling to fill jobs after the nationwide shutdown a few years ago. Healthcare, retail and manufacturing have been particularly affected. Unfortunately, some managers responded by assigning more work to dependable employees and hoping nobody gets burned out.
That strategy usually fails.
Gallup reports that 76% of employees feel burned out at least sometimes, while 28% say they feel burned out “very often” or “always.” Additionally, burned out employees call in sick far more often than the norm.
This is an important issue, because burnout can spread quickly throughout a workplace. All it takes is one exhausted employee to cause a chain reaction, and when several workers hit that point together, an entire culture can begin to crack.
What causes burnout
Too many leaders assume burnout comes only from long hours. Long shifts can absolutely hurt people, but employees can tolerate them much better if they know the pressure is temporary and they have support. Conversely, one of the biggest causes of burnout is employees feeling unsupported while demands on them keep rising.
Gallup’s research has identified five common causes of burnout: poor communication, impossible workloads, unfair treatment, heavy pressure and lack of support. The good news is that most of these problems can be reduced if managers create cohesive environments instead of chaotic ones.
Improve communication
The first step for managers during staffing shortages is deciding what matters most and communicating it clearly. Why? Because in such environments, every task appears urgent. Not every task can be a top priority.
Good communication is key because employees can usually handle bad news better than a supervisor’s silence. When managers say little, rumors rush in to fill the gap. Workers then start assuming the worst because nobody is explaining what is happening.
That means telling employees which goals matter most, which projects can wait and how long temporary changes may last. Sometimes the most relieving thing a manager can say is, “We cannot do everything right now.”
Manage workloads realistically
Impossible workloads eventually damage customer service, morale and retention.
One way that managers can alleviate the burden of extra work is by reducing clutter. That could mean shortening meetings or removing unnecessary approvals. It could also mean pausing low-value projects during difficult seasons. In other words, not every problem requires maximum urgency.
Gallup reports that staffing shortages are linked to poor customer experience. That makes sense because exhausted workers struggle to stay patient, upbeat and focused every hour of the day. Eventually, survival mode replaces service.
Managers do well to adjust workloads and allow employees time to reset, recognizing that people are not machines designed for nonstop strain.
Prevent unfair treatment
One of the fastest ways to burn out good employees is repeatedly leaning on the same dependable people to solve every staffing problem.
Most teams have one or two employees who rarely complain and always step forward during emergencies. Managers trust them, so they keep assigning work to them. But over time, those very human workers will become exhausted.
Good managers spread responsibilities fairly. If possible, they cross-train employees before staffing shortages become severe so workloads can be shared instead of dumped onto one workplace hero.
Recognition matters here too. Employees can tolerate difficult seasons much better when they feel noticed instead of being taken for granted.
Specific praise works best. Saying “great job” feels vague. Saying, “You handled those frustrated customers calmly today,” feels personal and real.
Reduce unnecessary pressure
Pressure becomes dangerous when employees feel like every moment is an emergency. Managers and leaders set the tone here. I’ve said for years that those in charge are the ones who create the weather. If team leaders are buzzing like a hummingbird about everything, they add unnecessary pressure to their teams.
Also, if they talk about having a work-life balance but are regularly sending emails late at night, their actions betray their words.
Think of it this way: workplace culture is shaped more by behavior than policy manuals. Managers set a good tone if they themselves are calm under pressure.
Provide support
Gallup also found that workers are far less likely to burn out when managers hold meaningful conversations with their team members. Those discussions do not require motivational speeches or corporate language. Sometimes a manager only needs to ask, “What part of your job feels hardest right now?”
Employees usually answer honestly when they believe somebody is truly listening.
Managers should also watch for quieter signs of burnout because not every struggling employee speaks up. Some workers simply become quieter, less patient or less engaged. It’s important that supervisors take the initiative to ensure people feel supported.
My restaurant manager friend understood these things. She could have ignored the stress and demanded everyone simply work harder. Instead, she stepped in, communicated honestly with customers and protected her team from unnecessary pressure.
The result? Her team felt valued and even more dedicated to their work.
Bottom line, that’s what’s needed: a manager who truly cares.
Without that, burnout becomes the norm and employees feel abandoned. Such employees rarely stay.
Daniel Bobinski has a doctorate in theology and is a best-selling author and a popular speaker at conferences and retreats. For more than 30 years he’s been working with teams and individuals (1:1 coaching) to help them achieve excellence. He was also teaching Emotional Intelligence since before it was a thing. Reach him by email at DanielBobinski@protonmail.com or 208-649-6400.
