Recognising and Responding to Burnout: Insights From Social Work Managers and Supervisors in Australia

Abstract

Burnout is a serious issue within social work; however, little is known about how managers and supervisors recognise and respond to it. This study investigated the experiences of fourteen social work managers and supervisors in Australia in identifying and engaging in organisational responses to mitigate burnout. Theoretical Thematic Analysis (TTA) of interview data showed that participants could recognise elements of burnout including exhaustion, a lack of empathy or development of cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy. Participants felt poor organisational responses to burnout led to high rates of attrition. The findings of this study suggest that managers or supervisors perceive a lack of care from executive management in relation to staff wellbeing. A fundamental lesson from this study is the importance of strong organisational responses to burnout in social work to limit staff attrition.IMPLICATIONSSocial work managers and supervisions are adept at recognising signs of burnout within frontline staff.A lack of organisational response to burnout lead to poor outcomes for social work teams, organisations, and ultimately clients seeking vital services.Organisational resources, responses, commitment, and oversight directed to monitoring staff workload and wellbeing may improve rates of attrition.

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