Case Study:
Burnout Prevention Training for Municipal Leaders & Managers
Problem
Background
A municipality approached us to provide burnout prevention training for its directors and managers across 12 departments, comprising 30 divisions. They required training for employees across diverse sectors, including paramedics, long-term care, social assistance, water and waste management, human resources, corporate division, and community strategic planning.
Approach
Consultation
We met with the Directors of Human Resources for a free consultation to learn about the challenges the municipality faced amid post-pandemic realities. They wanted to support leaders with burnout-prevention strategies and appropriate resources to prevent employee burnout within their divisions, programs, and teams. We discussed key challenges, objectives and timelines.
Services
Workshop
Consulting
Data Analysis & Reporting
Resources
Burnout Assessment
Survey
Workbook & Resource Manual
Leadership Development Exercises
Proposal
After discussing several training options, they landed on a set of deliverables that the Directors believed would provide the most significant support and resources. Next, we created an electronic proposal for review that explained the process and deliverables.
Agreement
Based on the approved proposal, the Directors received an electronic Agreement designed to make the process simple to use and easy to complete.
Survey
Based on the information gleaned from the consultation, we set out to create a survey for workshop participants to complete six weeks before the training. We crafted 10 questions to gather information on the challenges leaders and their teams faced, grounded in the municipality’s key objectives. Once the Directors approved the questions, we created the survey using sophisticated software, which provides an excellent, straightforward user experience. Each division leader received a link to the survey to complete within the week.
Data Analysis
We intentionally chose to keep the survey anonymous by not requiring leaders to share their names, so they felt 100% safe to answer questions openly and honestly. Upon receiving the completed surveys, we downloaded the entries and analyzed the data.
Data Report
We entered the data into a spreadsheet and colour-coded it based on emerging themes. We reported the findings, noting emergent themes and consequent recommendations. We met with the HR Directors for a short meeting to discuss results, identify gaps, and establish the final direction for the upcoming workshop training. The data gathered, examined and reported saved the municipality thousands in consulting fees.
Final Meeting
We met for a final meeting in which the Directors shared their organizational structure and standard company verbiage to help us better understand the municipality's culture and operations.
Solution
Workshop Promotion
Our goal is to make our clients’ lives easier. To that point, we provided the Directors with a clear title and description of the workshop to send to participating leaders along with all required information.
Burnout Assessment
Each leader also received a direct link to the Burnout Assessment, to be completed before the training. The assessment provided an insider look at leaders’ risk of burnout and introduced them to concepts related to the upcoming workshop.
Workbook
A custom-designed companion workbook and resource manual accompanied the workshop with space for personal reflection, learnings, questions, discussion topics, exercises, and complete resources.
Custom-Designed Workshop
We custom-designed a half-day workshop based on the original objectives, data analysis, and identified gaps to best equip municipal division leaders. Principal targets included:
Understanding burnout by unpacking common myths and exploring the signs and symptoms of burnout.
Leadership strategies to improve productivity, prioritization and effectiveness to reduce workload-related burnout.
Wellness strategies to prevent employee burnout and promote both individual and organizational health.
Workshop Inclusions
High-quality, engaging training,
Breakout sessions designed for processing and concept implementation,
Proprietary leadership resources for greater leader and team effectiveness,
Professional Burnout Assessment, with rights to use among municipal teams,
Participant workbook and resource manual.
Workshop Components
Introduction to burnout.
Stories to illustrate workplace burnout in an emotionally intelligent manner.
An explanation of survey results.
Why stress and burnout have been rampant in recent months among municipalities.
Evidence-based definitions and key dimensions of burnout.
Common myths and misconceptions of burnout.
Three leadership exercises to increase productivity, prioritization, and effectiveness to address workload challenges. The accompanying workbook and resource manual contained exercises that exercise leaders could use within their teams, programs, and divisions for ongoing support.
Wellness strategies for work-life balance.
Process manual to equip leaders to use the Burnout Assessment with their teams, including how to create a psychologically safe environment, ask critical questions, and support stressed-out employees with available resources to prevent and overcome workplace burnout.
Breakout sessions, individual processing time, debriefing, and Q&A periods were included throughout the workshop.
Follow Up
Workshop Feedback Survey
Each participating leader received a link to a short feedback survey to complete immediately after the workshop.
Debrief
We met with the Directors of Human Resources one week following the workshop to debrief the training. We reviewed the results of the feedback survey, and the Directors shared their feedback and observations from participating leaders. They felt the workshop addressed their objectives and filled gaps identified by leaders’ survey results.
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Breakthrough partners with organizations across Canada and the U.S. to deliver practical, evidence-based learning experiences that build resilience, well-being, and a healthier workplace culture.
Confidentiality Disclaimer
To protect client privacy, identifying details such as organization names, locations, and specific circumstances have been removed or altered. The insights shared reflect real experiences, while respecting the confidentiality of our clients and their teams.