Council staff are increasingly overwhelmed and overloaded, research shows.
The findings – gathered by management consultants Dattner Group – reveal local government workers close to burnout. “Councils are facing a quiet crisis: overwhelmed teams, exhausted leaders, and diminishing returns on effort,” Dattner Group CEO Zoe Dattner tells GN.
The cause? “Burnout in local government is being driven by a mix of under-resourcing, unclear or inconsistent expectations coming from leaders, and a culture that often tolerates underperformance,” says Dattner. “This is often linked to a reluctance or avoidance or lack of skill around having the tough conversations.”
In addition, there’s the increasing demands from communities and state government. “Which won’t come as a surprise to anyone, but its impact is significant,” says Dattner.
Staff burnout has a cascading impact. “It leads to higher turnover, slower service delivery, poorer decision-making, and a loss of institutional knowledge, all of which erode community trust and operational effectiveness,” says Dattner. “Ultimately, a lot of blame gets assigned to the GM or CEO, and you get the revolving door problem. And when there’s heightened anxiety and stress – which is what comes with burnout – it literally limits the brain’s capacity to apply thoughtful problem solving, which means collaboration and innovation grind to a halt.”
Among the research findings:
- Only 1 in 5 said they often have their workload under control
- 91 per cent don’t ask for help because they don’t feel safe to
- 88 per cent of participants believe overwhelm is a growing risk
- 82 per cent of leaders said overwhelm is impacting service delivery
- The majority of respondents agreed overwhelm is fuelling team dysfunction.
Blurred work boundaries are also overwhelming staff. Although technology has unchained us from our desks, it’s increasingly difficult to unplug from the grind, says Dattner. “We’re tethered to it 24/7, and despite the right to disconnect, leaders are not modelling that they’re actually disconnecting. We live in a world now where expectations of immediacy have become normalised. Society now believes things can be resolved instantly, so they should be.”
And workloads are growing in complexity. “Yet the response is often to throw more tasks and resources at the system, not create clarity or reduce noise,” says Dattner.
Busyness is leaving workers stressed, disengaged and fatigued. “Especially in a sector that’s deeply purpose-driven, which local government typically is. You’ll get individuals, teams, workforces turning up with attitudes of just do the job and go home to manage their own wellbeing. This is unsustainable and results in folks leaving.”
Dattner tells GN that such an environment creates low levels of psychological safety. “Workers are less likely to speak up, share ideas, or admit mistakes – mostly out of fear of being judged or blamed.”
Expectations of immediacy have become normalised.
There are a number of ways managers can help prevent team burnout. “Firstly, they need to listen to their people. It is the number one factor that comes out when we ask local government organisations what leaders need to do or do better in order to get the best out of people,” says Dattner.
But councils need to more than just conduct employee engagement surveys. “It means deep, qualitative research that tells you not just how people feel, but why they feel that way. Then you get to the crux of the causal factors behind why the burnout is happening.”
Other strategies leaders can utilise to manage team burnout include resetting internal boundaries. “Look at your own behaviour and habits, understand your own gaps and capabilities, prioritise development for yourself – not just for teams.”
A shift in expectations is also needed, says Dattner. “This is a community issue, not just an organisational one. Councillors, workers, executive teams, community – everyone needs to be having this conversation, and leaders can lead those conversations.”
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