Navigating the workplace can be challenging during the best of times, especially as a manager responsible for leading successful teams and supporting others through the ups and downs of their own careers. Throw in a pandemic, The Great Resignation, quiet quitting, and talks of a possible recession and it’s no wonder conversations around how to manage a team are getting updated and refined.
The pandemic period has seen record-breaking job openings and quit rates, and in the spring of 2022 alone, nearly 2.5% of all workers—that’s four million people—switched jobs. This means many people are in new roles and some may be managing a team for the first time.
How to manage that team in a time of upheaval can be a tricky balance, especially for those who are newer to people management. Holding them too tight can push them away, yet giving too much autonomy, especially when a workforce may be hybrid or fully remote, has its own set of complications. And with employee burnout at an all-time high—searches for “burnout symptoms” hit an all-time high in May 2022—this dance is even more critical to get right.
Managing in a time of burnout is possible; however, it just takes a thoughtful approach and careful execution.
Encourage your team to pursue their passions—and be open about yours
There is an opportunity for companies to bring the idea of a “side hustle” more fully into the workplace conversation. We all have things we’d do if money weren’t part of the equation, so why are we so afraid to talk about it at work? In fact, encouraging your employees to pursue their passions will only help them to grow as humans and employees.
By encouraging your teammates to engage in what excites them, you’re giving them permission to go after their happiness or joy. Sure, there’s a chance that you’ll eventually lose your employee to whatever their side hustle might be. But in many cases, it could be just the thing they need to reenergize and rebalance their current work and personal lives. My friend Rachel had just this experience when she decided to launch a podcast about career transitions as a passion project alongside her work in HR; now, she says she brings insights from those conversations into her day-to-day role to better support employees that she supports in their own journeys.
One of the best things a manager can do is to lead by example, and this is no exception. Consider showing your employees what makes you happy outside the office first, and be open about how you incorporate this into your daily work-life balance. This can also build trust and a genuine connection between you and your team, and show them they don’t have to hold back on integrating their full self into the workplace.
Trust and don’t hold on too tightly
Trust is absolutely the most important quality to have with your team, especially in a remote or blended work environment. One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a manager is not trusting your employees enough, and not delegating enough work to your team.
Now this kind of trust does not mean just letting things slide, or not paying attention and checking in with your employees on projects they’re running. It means not being afraid to let them take on reach opportunities and potentially fail; it means embracing that priorities can and sometimes should shift.
Especially in a time of burnout, micromanaging or being hyper-focused on specific tasks can push already strapped employees to a breaking point. Be mindful of this, and show your team that you trust them to get the job done but can also be flexible about how you get there. As we all know, it’s the outcomes that really matter.
Develop open, consistent feedback loops around growth and goals
No one is born a good manager; this is a skill that is taught and mastered through time and practice. Leaning on trusted mentors to guide you through the initial stages of becoming a leader can be valuable—and you can learn a lot from their missteps.
Ultimately, it’s the feedback from the people you are managing that will be absolutely critical to your growth as a manager and leader. Be open to feedback from your director reports; ask for it often, and be receptive to what they tell you. Get curious. Ask follow-up questions.
Make sure all of this feedback doesn’t fall into a black hole, either. Document everything, track goals and feedback over time, and check in frequently to see where things are tracking. Many HR software platforms will help you automate this process, but in a pinch, just keep a notebook where you’re writing feedback and goals as your career evolves.
Keep the idea of trying something new on the table
So many leaders are afraid to talk about career paths outside current roles, but it’s better to have this out in the open than to have a team of quiet quitters you are managing ineffectively.
People’s careers go through phases —what worked for a particular time may not be right now. Having an honest conversation about whether an employee is satisfied at their current job can only help, not hinder, their future growth and direction. Be a partner in helping them plan for the long run, even if that means discussing passion projects and internal transfer or building skills that prepare them in the future for a role outside your organization.
It’s okay to allow your employees to change and grow, and they will respect and trust you more as a manager for acknowledging this and supporting them as individuals, not just employees filling a specific role at a specific time.
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