As a leadership and personal development coach I have worked with many businesses who implement people strategies, but some who unfortunately do not.
So, when I hear of friends and business contacts who have suffered from burnout, I find myself asking why?
Often it boils down to a simple lack of communication and empathy or just a one-dimensional approach from a leader that takes the view, 'if I work all the hours God sends, then so must the rest!' - this is an outdated and deeply damaging mindset.
Leaders have a responsibility not to judge performance or commitment by the number of hours a person works! In fact there is the widely supported view that such long hours encourage fatigue and tiredness leading to lower standards of work and poor decision making.
It is people that create successful businesses, and how they are understood, managed and supported will directly impact on productivity, performance and the bottom line!
I'm not saying that employees should be given an easy ride or be mollycoddled. A sensible balance needs to be struck here between the needs of the business and the individual, so that wellbeing becomes an integral part of business strategy.