Why Purpose isn’t the Magic Pill to Burnout!

By Gry Tømte

I want to talk about something that’s been coming up quite a bit lately - and that’s burnout. Burnout has been a real issue in the business world, especially after dealing with the challenges thrown at us by the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, instead of the Great Resignation, we’re now talking about the Great Burnout.

In our line of work, where passion and dedication drive us, it’s important to separate fact from fiction when it comes to burnout.

Interesting fact: people who work in professions where they directly help others (i.e., physicians, nurses, teachers, non-profit employees - and Skin and Beauty Therapists!) have been found to be at highest risk for burnout among professionals.

These employees engage in more self-sacrifice and less self-care because they feel so strongly about their work.

They often commit more time and energy to work at the expense of their own well-being.

Hello also to most beauty business owners I know!

In Australia currently, 65% of the workforce are considering quitting their job. 40% cite burnout as the cause…

And, at the same time, owners are facing more and more pressure themselves;

→ inflation rates are the highest since our last recession which means all our operating expenses have increased exponentially

→ wages increase to keep up with increased living expenses for our team and to be able to hire in the most competitive job market and staff shortage the industry has seen

→ revenue numbers decline as clients face their own financial challenges - along with the 174957394th round of covid. Which means not only do clients spend less or push their appointments out - we also see an increase in sick leave amongst the team.

All of this means many business owners inadvertently (or even sometimes purposely) apply a lot more pressure on the team to perform better and sell more.

And then, for a purpose driven therapist who really wants to make an impact and really feels for their clients’ diminishing budgets and constraints, whilst wanting them to get results and meet targets - can lead to burnout faster than you can say boo!

In fact, a study of over 3,700 professionals by Plasticity Labs found that employees driven by purpose are significantly more stressed compared to those who aren’t. The purpose-driven employees had lower well-being, resilience, and self-efficacy scores.

So why do we bang on about the importance of being purpose driven??? Is it REALLY such a good thing?

The answer is YES! It’s just not the whole picture. You can’t just build a business based on purpose and think it will be the magic pill for your team to perform and be happy and calm - and neglect the rest.

So, first, let’s dive in and debunk some common misconceptions about burnout in the beauty industry post-COVID, with solid facts and evidence to back it all up. Then I’ll give you my top 10 tips to help you minimise the risk of burnout in your business.

Myth #1: Beauty therapists and owners in purpose driven organisations are immune to burnout.

Fact: Sorry to burst the bubble, but purpose-driven organisations don’t make us invincible to burnout. In fact, we might be even more susceptible to it. We’re all passionate people who are committed to our craft, and that’s amazing. But sometimes, our passion can make us overwork ourselves and forget about self-care.

Studies conducted by Maslach et al. (2001) have shown that professionals in high-achieving and purposedriven organisations, like ours, can experience higher levels of burnout due to our intense dedication and emotional investment. And let’s not forget about the added challenges brought by COVID-19. Financial constraints, staff reductions, increased workloads, and emotional demands from clients have hit us hard. All these factors put us at a higher risk of burning out.

Myth #2: Burnout is only caused by working long hours.

Fact: Burnout isn’t as simple as clocking in long hours. It’s a complex beast with various contributing factors. Sure, working long hours can contribute to burnout, but there’s more to the story. Burnout is influenced by multiple factors, including our work environment, lack of control, insufficient resources, and a mismatch between our personal values and the organisational culture.

Research by Schaufeli et al. (2009) has shown that job demands, like dealing with emotional labour, customer interactions, and organisational expectations, play a significant role in burnout. And let’s be real—our job often involves putting on a smile, even when we’re dealing with challenging situations. That emotional labour, coupled with the pressure to meet client expectations, can drain us mentally and physically, leading to burnout.

Myth #3: Self-care is a luxury we can’t afford in the beauty industry.

Fact: Hold up, ladies and gents! Self-care isn’t a luxury—it’s an absolute necessity for us beauty therapists to prevent burnout. Contrary to what some people might think, taking care of ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally is crucial to keep burnout at bay.

Research by Oosterholt et al. (2014) shows that self-care practices, like regular exercise, getting enough sleep, trying relaxation techniques, and indulging in hobbies, can effectively reduce burnout and promote our overall well-being. We need to make self-care a priority and set boundaries to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Myth #4: Passion alone is enough to prevent burnout.

Fact: Passion is fantastic, but it can’t singlehandedly save us from burnout. We’re passionate beings, and that’s what makes us have such amazing beauty therapy careers. However, relying solely on passion can lead us to neglect our own well-being and boundaries, eventually resulting in burnout.

Research by Dyrbye et al. (2017) tells us that having a sense of purpose, engagement, and satisfaction in our work can reduce burnout. But here’s the deal: we need to complement our passion with self-care, stress management techniques, and effective coping strategies to truly prevent burnout.

So how can purpose-driven businesses combat burnout among their therapists?

Here’s 10 tips for how you can do exactly that:

1. Build a Kickass Team Environment: Make your clinic, spa or salon a supportive and awesome place to work. Encourage everyone to speak their mind, give and receive feedback as a way to care for each other and help each other grow. Make sure everyone on the team feels like they’re part of a tight-knit team and are just as valuable, regardless of seniority, performance or personality (unless of course they’re a negative Nelly - in which case you may have to let them be negative somewhere else…)

2. Flex It Up: Let’s be real, therapists have lives outside of work. Offer flexible schedules that give them a better work-life balance. Make sure you factor in holidays as a part of your staff expense and your forecasting. No one wants to work for a company where asking for leave is more stressful than fun!

3. Keep the Skills Flowing: Keep your therapists engaged and growing by investing in their training and development. Bring in cool training sessions, workshops, or online courses to help them learn new treatments, techniques, or even self-care practices and personal growth.

4. Self-Care Rules: Self-care is the name of the game. Encourage your therapists to take regular breaks, practice relaxation techniques, and do things that recharge their batteries. Hook them up with resources like meditation or yoga classes, wellness programs, or a simple thing like daily gratitude practice as a team.

5. Draw the Line: Set clear boundaries between work and personal life. Encourage your therapists to disconnect from work stuff after hours. NEVER message your team outside of their working hours/ days - unless it’s absolutely time critical (and I mean, it JUST can’t wait, or else the place burns down or the client goes to hospital….) Help them set realistic expectations for performance, avoid overbooking them and overload the day (I know it seems like a good idea to squeeze in that extra client during a lunch break when things are slow - but it’s just not a worthwhile payoff once your team feels that their health and wellbeing is worth less than the client.

6. Mental Health Matters: Show your therapists you care about their mental health. Provide resources like counseling services or workshops on stress management, resilience, and mindfulness. Let them know it’s okay to take time off and create a safe space for seeking help. If your team knows it’s safe to ask for a mental health day, they’ll be much more open and honest about what’s going on for them, and what they need in order to make it through a challenging period.

7. Squad Goals: Get the team together and have some fun! Organise team-building activities and outings that bring everyone closer. Maybe plan a yoga class together or just have regular team meetings to share stories, challenges, and victories. Research shows that common goals as a team is a lot more motivating and brings about greater change across the business than individual goals. Going after a goal as a team is contagious energy! My own team set 5 goals at the beginning of the yearone of them the High Performance + Purpose Academy, which they are about to launch as we speak…

8. Lean on Each Other: Encourage your therapists to support one another. Foster a culture where they can genuinely connect, share experiences, and offer guidance. Pair them up with mentors or buddies, or just create an environment where they can lean on each other. At HÜD we have team KPI’s as well as individual so that it’s really clear that team work really makes the dream work. Our motto is: “If your teammate wins, you win”.

9. Show Some Love: Regularly give shoutouts and props to your hardworking therapists. Set up recognition programs, celebrate milestones, and create opportunities for them to show off their skills and achievements. Let them know they’re valued.

10. Check-In: Stay in the loop with your therapists. Schedule regular check-ins to see how they’re doing both mentally, physically, and professionally. Check in on what’s getting in their way, what they’ve achieved that they’re proud of - and if the workload is manageable. Listen to their concerns, provide support when needed, and make adjustments if necessary. It’s all about making sure they’re able to be the best version of them. I’ve met many owners who seem to think a once a month 1-1 is sufficient - but I strongly recommend (read: implore you!) that you do them once a week. If they’re done monthly, it’s too hard to course correct and too much time goes by without highlighting and reflecting on wins.

With these strategies, your purpose-driven clinic or spa can create an environment that kicks burnout to the curb and lets your therapist’s shine. Remember, when your therapists are happy and thriving, it shows in the awesome service they provide to your clients - which shows in their numbers.

Which means your business AND your team stay resilient during this wild time - and can re-invest back into your team and your business.

Being purpose driven is magical!

It’s just not a magic pill or excuse for a poor culture or leadership, excess pressures or unrealistic targets and expectations.

There’s plenty of workplaces that hide a bunch of burnt-out employees under the guise of a ping pong table, fancy team retreats or a cool purpose statement.

Don’t be that place. Build a purpose driven environment that also has boundaries, care and accountability, regular check ins and common goals.

And remember to check in on your most invested, purpose driven empaths on the team. They often slip by the radar because we’re just used to them being so invested and fabulous. But they are the ones at risk the most.

Gry Tømte is the Norwegian founder behind the multi award winning skin clinic HÜD, and most recently, The Profit + Purpose Concept - a unique mentoring initiative to help the beauty industry become more purpose driven and people focused whilst still - or rather therefore - optimising profit. HÜD is today one of the top clinics in Australia, famous for its purpose driven business model, incredible results, a leading team culture and multiple accolades.

They’ve taken home ABIA Australian Team of the Year, Australian Clinic of the Year, Victorian Clinic of the Year and DMK Clinic of the Year several years in a row. Gry now shares her secrets to her people first, multi 7 figure business success with both international and Australian audiences via 1-1 mentoring and coaching, in the pursuit of making the beauty industry one of the most fulfilling industries to both work in and own a business. Gry also writes regular magazine features for both business journals and beauty industry magazines.