Why Joy is the Answer to Burnout

Burnout –– it's a term that we hear frequently to describe US work culture but is especially prevalent in the healthcare world. 

The studies say it all: 

A third of new registered nurses seek another job within a year. Physicians are a high risk population for depression and suicide. Frontline staff are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress in their jobs. Turnover rates are at all-time highs and morale is low. 

We have an obvious responsibility as healthcare organizations to take a look at why this is happening and find ways to change it.

Why Joy? 

As the Institute for Healthcare Improvement writes in its Framework for Improving Joy in Work, when it comes to the healthcare workforce, “joy is not just humane; it’s instrumental.” In order to project an atmosphere of strength and healing, providers themselves must offer feelings of hope, confidence, and safety. 

When we talk about joy in work, it might sound fluffy, amorphous, or tough to measure. But in actuality, it comes down to very simple elements of the human experience. 

Patients are happier when they are listened to. 

Employees are happier when they feel valued. 

Healthcare experiences and outcomes are better when improvements are based in reality. 

Is Finding Joy in Work Actually Possible? 

Workplaces try to empower employees to give opinions in the form of surveys or other similar strategies. However, these efforts may ring hollow without the proper approach. 

True team engagement offers an opportunity for people’s voices to be heard and make change happen. Employees are more willing to put their time and effort towards something real and actionable instead of just another conversation or meeting. 

Such project involvement provides creative space to step back from the minutiae and stress of day to day work and invites people to think creatively about how to contribute their skills toward improvement.

Seeking Joy  

As we have witnessed in past projects and heard from partners and leaders, a promising outcome from this work is its effect not only on the patient experience but on employee experiences as well. 

Healthcare work is healing work. If there were ever and a realm of work where one should be able to elicit joy, it's this one. 

Through a combination of empowerment, agency, and a greater sense of community, employees can find more joy in their work –– with others who value what matters to them above all else. 

Our hope is that with continued, meaningful actionable efforts more employees and staff members of all stripes across the system can experience the personal and psychological benefits that remind them of why they chose a healthcare career in the first place.