Whew! It's been another whiplash week with a news cycle that has exhausted a lot of us. How are you feeling? How about your people?
This week, we’re diving into practical ways to support your team, prevent burnout, and build a culture of recognition and trust. Let’s make sure your team feels cared for as the world keeps turning.
Keeping Your Team Feeling Cared For
Keeping a team engaged during tough times isn’t about forcing positivity, it’s about creating an environment where people feel supported, valued, and heard. Here are some insights from The Bureau Community on how to build a supportive culture.
Burnout Prevention: Be Proactive, Not Reactive
Burnout doesn’t show up overnight. It creeps in through longer hours, mounting stress, and that slow fade of enthusiasm. By the time someone admits they’re burned out, they’ve likely been struggling for months. To help them:
Monitor workloads with regular check-ins to ensure balance.
Normalize real breaks not just days off, but unplugging from Slack, emails, and weekend work.
Look for early signs like declining engagement, increased irritability, and lack of focus.
Encourage energy management, not just time management. Some tasks drain, others energize, balance is key.
Morale Boosters That Actually Work
If people don’t feel seen, they don’t feel valued. And when people don’t feel valued, they disengage. The fix? Meaningful recognition and connection.
Public appreciation matters, whether through getting kudos (or tacos!), a shoutout in a meeting, or a handwritten thank you note.
Small wins should be celebrated, not just the big milestones.
Encourage peer recognition so it’s not always coming from leadership.
Build in moments of connection, like non-work Slack channels or casual team check-ins, to keep relationships strong.
Creating a Culture of Continuous Growth
Workplaces that thrive in difficult times are the ones built on trust, transparency, and communication. This means checking in with people beyond deadlines, normalizing real conversations about how everyone is doing, and making space for ongoing feedback. Bonus points for sharing how you're doing with the team, especially when you're not at your best.
Develop pathways for growth through mentorship or skill-building projects. Especially when things slow down.
Be transparent about company challenges so employees feel like partners, not just workers.
Foster autonomy by giving people ownership over their work. This increases engagement and job satisfaction.
Reinforce psychological safety so people feel comfortable speaking up when they need help.
Further Reading
No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer offers a great look at what high-performing, flexible cultures do differently.
Tough times, test teams. (Such alliteration!) But they also define them. Clear communication, recognition, and trust lay the foundation for a team that doesn’t just suffer through challenges but actually come out stronger on the other side.
This article was written with insights from The Bureau Community.