40% have witnessed instances of burnout in the last 12 months
More than half indicated they were concerned about volunteer wellbeing
55% have seen a notable change to morale in their organisation…
All figures from our latest State of the Suffolk Voluntary Sector 2025 report. The challenges our staff and volunteers are facing with their wellbeing is very real.
I’ve explored the impact of this in the blog below so grab a cuppa, have a read, and if you can spend a few moments reflecting on your own wellbeing and whether you are really looking after yourself, I’d strongly encourage you to do so…
When Burnout Knocks…
Voluntary sector professionals are driven by purpose, not the commercial return of the business world. They work long hours, are usually under resourced, constantly improvise, often fulfil multiple roles, put others first, and commit to emotional dedication. And that can take a toll, and the price is often an increasing level poor wellbeing and in some cases, burnout.
In mission driven organisations, managers, employees and even volunteers, have often felt stretched too far, but in the current climate of increased financial pressures, falling volunteer numbers, and greater demand from end users, reaching the point of burnout is becoming more common. The specific contributory factors are:
Tasks feeling urgent and very personal, making rest feel selfish or indulgent
Tight budgets leading to taking on too much
Emotional involvement in work, particularly when it concerns responsibility involving trauma or personal care
Lack of effective wellbeing strategies and/or time to put them in to practice
These problems can make individuals feel trapped between the guilt of taking time to reduce stress levels, and the importance of what they do. The signs can sometimes be easy to identify in others, but equally they can be hidden and as for identifying them in ourselves, well… That is why encouraging constant self-assessment is important and asking the right questions is paramount.
Do you feel guilty in saying no to extra responsibility?
Has exhaustion become a permanent fixture of life?
Does hearing about new work developments that do not reflect day-to-day reality create anger?
Does a feeling of going through the motions sometimes take over?
Answering yes to any of these questions is a sign of burnout being either present, or on the horizon, and it can have a range of negative consequences.
Reduction in motivation and purpose
Compassion fatigue
Contagion that spreads across teams – this happens most frequently in smaller organisations
High turnover of employees
The impact of burnout should not be underestimated.
What To Do About Burnout
Almost inevitably, there are limited financial resources and funds available to charities and voluntary groups for tackling burnout, but that does not mean there are no effective preventions, or remedies. The important features of a successful strategy to combat the threat are:
Promote work flexibility
Providing flexible working arrangements can make a big difference. It allows employees to plan work around their lives, and not the other way around. Also, encouraging individuals to take regular breaks can ease mental pressure as well as relieve workload.
Create a wellness culture, not just a program
Wellness should be embedded into how any organisation operates by encouraging breaks, sticking to working hours, and defining boundaries between work and private life (easier said than done, I know!).
Normalise Opting Out
Employees should clearly understand that they can decline extra work activity without being judged. Part of this process is communicating with staff members in private to avoid the pressure of public displays of opting out.
Listen To Feedback
Regularly ask employees what is working, and what is not. It is not only helpful in easing pressure if practices can be changed or modified, but it almost inevitably leads to greater productivity.
Lead by example
Setting an example works. Leaders should explain they take time to properly recharge, and so should employees. This gives permission for more downtime. If emailing out of hours helps your own wellbeing, set the timer for release in work hours!
Scrap the one more thing habit
Dedication to work often leads to the ‘One more thing’ syndrome, in which a new task is taken on just before a break, or home time. Almost inevitably, work overruns and essential personal time is lost. Employees can even end up being late for important tasks such as picking up children. Managers should make it clear it is not to happen.
Down time as the productivity booster
Explain to employees that optimising work productivity only comes from being as mentally and physically fresh as possible. That means individuals not pushing themselves too hard due to it being counterproductive.
Create an open environment
Many people are reticent about talking about feelings, which is why it is important to create an environment in which individuals can be honest about burnout without fear of being seen to be weak, or letting colleagues and end users down. Only a supportive culture enables this.
Ask Employees What They Want
Asking for help is something not everyone will do, and the same applies to flagging problems. Muddling through only causes frustration and inefficient working, but it can also cause resentment. Therefore, it is important to encourage team members to come forward with problems. Once flagged, managers need to address them even if the perfect response is not available. Improving the situation and being seen to improve it is the key factor.
Managers have to do it for themselves
The most senior members of teams are at least as vulnerable to burnout as anyone else, and often more so. The buck stops with them, and this amplifies pressure. They have to take wellbeing responsibility for themselves by questioning themselves about it honestly and being disciplined about work practices. A leader with burnout is not effective.
Moving Forward Realistically
In charities and voluntary groups, commitment runs high, and resources run low, with burnout an ever-present risk. Maintaining wellbeing does not need perfect working conditions, but it does require regular working hours, taking breaks, and a culture in which everyone feels they are secure in saying if something is not right. Establishing such a culture is the most effective way to prevent burnout.
And always remember, the best way to optimise a service for end users, is to look after the people behind it.
