CHICAGO — In SHRM’s Employee Mental Health in 2024 Research Series, 44% of 1,405 surveyed U.S. employees described themselves as “burned out” at work. The same survey determined that 45% were “emotionally drained” from their work and 51% felt “used up” after every workday.
With long hours and high-pressure environments being common in the events industry, it stands to reason that most trade show professionals have approached burnout or know someone who has.
Trade Show Executive connected with Rachel Boehm, NBC-HWC, PhD Candidate, and Sustainable High Performance and Burnout Coach, Consultant and Public Speaker, about how to recognize burnout and what to do about it.
ANDREW: What are some signs that someone is approaching burnout?
RACHEL: It’s not a switch — you don’t just go from good to hitting the wall. It’s a continuum or slow exhaust. Signs that you’re along that track include shifts in thought or behavior, such as changes in sleep or appetite.
For example, you could be less likely to take on new responsibilities or less excited to get a new project. You could be pulling away from hobbies or health activities like exercise or cooking. The joy or excitement could be gone. You could be more negative … or things don’t feel as great.
One thing that isn’t talked about a lot is one of the earliest signs: you’re justifying it all. When you start to notice that you’re justifying working through a family dinner, skipping time with friends or sleeping later … things that you know are not healthy, that’s a sign. Check in with yourself, because those are behaviors that could indicate that you are on the path towards burnout.
ANDREW: What advice would you give to an events professional who is approaching burnout?
RACHEL: People frequently say, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” That’s a flawed analogy for people in the events industry, because in a marathon it’s a steady trudge but with events, you are often operating at a very high intensity on back-to-back assignments.
It’s more helpful to think of it like a Tabata, which is a type of workout where you alternate 20 seconds of high-intensity work with 10 seconds of recovery. Because you recover, you can show up and work for the next period.
It may look like “OK, I have 20 seconds, can I just take a breath?” or “What’s my micro break in this moment?” Be very diligent about carving out these little periods of time between those pushes or in the middle of those pushes. Know exactly what you’re going to do in those moments, so you don’t waste any energy or time.
Try to give yourself at least one day between big pushes where you can go “OK, I’m done sprinting uphill, and I can coast for a second.” Give yourself that full recovery period.
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ANDREW: What else can someone do if they are worried about burnout?
RACHEL: Start getting curious about yourself. Ask yourself “What am I feeling and why?” One, it helps build self-awareness and will help you identify root burnout causes. Also, it’ll take you out of an emotionally-reactive state. You can start calming down and have a healthier, more proactive and balanced response.
Also, ask yourself “What are my core values and what does success look like for me at this moment in life?” Ask yourself that at least twice a year, because it could change. No matter what, this can help you create a decision tree for jobs and opportunities.
Decide what you will or will not tolerate in the workplace or in your personal life. We know that a huge driver for burnout is a mismatch in values between an employee and their job, clients or organization. If we don’t know what our values are, how are we supposed to avoid that?
Also, if you’re starting to feel like you’re spinning, take a step back and ask yourself “what really, truly, do I have to do? And by when?”
ANDREW: If someone sees a colleague or direct report struggling with burnout, what would you recommend they do?
RACHEL: If this type of discussion is not the norm in your organization, I would recommend going to HR, especially if you are a manager and are untrained in any of this, to prevent a potential compliance issue.
Not everything needs to go to HR, but, when in doubt, don’t make it worse. An HR professional can work with a manager to identify burnout signs and work with an employee to let them know about their benefits and options for help, such as taking leave.
If this type of conversation is the norm, I would recommend asking “How are you?” “What’s going on?” and “How can we support you?”
Be curious and be kind. Also, let them know that you’ve been there so they know it’s not an accusatory situation and you are role modeling that it’s OK to talk about work stress and related challenges. It creates a safe space for them to do the same.
Want to learn more about burnout or find support? Click here to learn about Boehm’s resources for professionals. Also, you can reach out to Boehm by emailing her at rachel@rachelboehm.com.
Also, Boehm will speak at Southwest Showcase, a conference for event managers, on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
