Boss burnout: Is the Great Resignation coming for the C-suite?

Companies shouldn’t just be worried about their employees walking out in droves as part of the Great Resignation. They should be concerned about their executives following them right out the door. 

In addition to over half of employees who are ready to leave their jobs due to burnout, nearly 70% of the C-suite also said they are seriously considering quitting current roles in favor of a job that better supports their well-being, according to new research by software company Deloitte. 

“The number one thing these findings prove is that the C-suite is human too,” says Jen Fisher, Deloitte’s chief well-being officer. “None of us were spared from what has been going on for the past two and a half years.” 

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Sixty-three percent of employees and 73% of the C-suite report that their job doesn’t allow them to take time off from work and disconnect, the data found. This has led to 68% of employees and 81% of the C-suite saying that improving their well-being is more important to them than advancing their career right now. Just about half of employees and two-thirds of the C-suite say they utilize all of their vacation time, take breaks during the day, get enough sleep or even  have enough time for friends and family.

“This isn't new,” Fisher says. “This didn't happen because the pandemic happened. This problem has been brewing under the surface for quite some time. The pandemic just blew the top off of it. And in some ways, it puts everybody on equal footing.”

That equal footing is giving leaders better insight to their employees’ experiences, something they’ve long misinterpreted, according to the research. For example, only 65% of employees rated their physical health as “excellent” or “good,” but 89% of executives believed their workers were thriving, the research found. And just 56% of employees report feeling their company’s executives care about their well-being, but 91% of the C-suite views themselves as caring leaders.

“The C-suite has been struggling with how to manage the resignation of their workforce. It’s increased responsibility for them that they've never really had to deal with before,” Fisher says. “People related issues, historically, have been managed by HR. Now, C-suite executives are saying, ‘I know I'm responsible for this, too.’”

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That all means added pressure for executives. Ninety-five percent of the C-suite agree that they should be responsible for employees’ well-being, but 68% admit that they’re not doing enough to safeguard employee and stakeholder health. Which begs the question: how do executives help support the wellbeing of their workforce without sacrificing their own?

It’s not to do an overhaul of responsibilities or culture, Fisher says. Instead, it’s about engaging with employees in a meaningful way with open and intentional conversations, being vulnerable with employees about their own wellness struggles and being open to criticism from those who are struggling and craving more support from their employer.. 

“This isn't a short term problem to solve, and there's not going to be one single answer that fixes everything,” Fisher says. “It’s small steps towards the larger goal. You’re going to try some things and they're going to  work and we will implement them, but you’re also going to try some things and they won't work. And then you move on to the next idea.”