Servant Leadership: Strategies That Build 24 24-Hour Economy Without Causing Burnout

1.     Empathy: Seeing Problems Through Their Eyes

At the heart of servant leadership is empathy. Leaders must understand the personal challenges that come with night shifts, split shifts, or continuous availability.

Now, for example, a logistics company implementing 24/7 delivery might invest in nap pods or transportation allowances for night shift workers. This shows the company values not just output, but the well-being of its team.

2.     Listening: Let Them Know You Are Here to Help

Active listening helps everyone grow. When leaders really pay attention to complaints, ideas, or observations, they encourage their teams to take responsibility and find problems early on.

For example, using anonymous digital feedback forms can help leaders find out and address current issues, like uneven workloads at night.

3.     Flexibility Is the Future

A 24/7 business doesn’t mean employees should be exhausted and stretched thin. It means the structure of work must evolve. This means that for your workers, you can implement the following things:

Flexible Shifts: Flexible shift models can give team members more control over their schedules, allowing them to balance work with personal life.

Remote work: Post-COVID, we have seen how convenient it is for people to work from home. It not only lets them work in their comfort space but also allows them to efficiently balance their homes, spouse, and parental roles as well. As a leader, remote work opens the door to a more diverse and geographically distributed workforce.

Keep in mind that servant leadership is built on the idea that work should enhance people’s lives rather than detract from them. It should provide a sense of purpose and contribute to the improvement of their overall well-being.

4.     Mental Health is Not a Joke

Let me just start with a fact: in a 2023 survey called Work in America, it was found that 92% of people think it’s very (52%) or somewhat (40%) important to work for a company that supports mental health for employees.

Surprised?

Mental health has become an international narrative where even the UN and the WHO also address mental health challenges globally. They work on initiatives to promote awareness and encourage action. As a leader, it’s quite easy to say “our people are our greatest asset,” but actions reveal the truth.

When building a 24-hour economy, you need to keep in mind that your employees will be working odd hours or long nights. It can take a toll on their health. This is why it is important that you offer them:

• Counseling
• Mindfulness apps
• Regular check-ins to know how they are doing
• Talk about any grief, problems, or isolation they are experiencing.

A great tip is to keep rotating night shifts or offer “reset days” after long hours to prevent burnout.

5.     Inclusivity

Every now and then, we hear about different people, based on ethnicities and racial communities, who are being targeted. In a world where people often create divisions by targeting, attacking, or insulting others based on race, it’s important to take actions that promote inclusion and bring everyone together.

You know what the Bible says in Genesis 1:26-28: “It is a sin to violate—in thought, word, or deed—the divine truth that all human beings possess equal dignity and worth, having been created in the image of God.”

This foundational truth affirms that all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, or background, possess equal dignity, worth, and value. To treat someone as inferior, to speak to them with contempt, or to act with prejudice is not just a social injustice; it is a spiritual offense.

Therefore, as a leader, if you truly want to build a people-first economy, you need to make sure your team is inclusive. This means that every employee should be involved, well-taken care of, heard, and respected irrespective of their race, caste, religion, or ethnicity. Create a space where diversity isn’t just tolerated but celebrated.

6.     Learning Never Stops

The main job of any leader is to help the business succeed, but a servant leader also focuses on helping their employees grow. They make sure that their team members learn new skills, adapt to changes, and have the same chances to advance in their careers.

Even a fast-paced, 24-hour world demands people who are always growing. This is why what you can do is to provide:

Training programs: Classes, courses, and workshops that are accessible to all shifts.

Mentorship Programs: As quoted in Hebrews 13:16: “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” – The concept of mentorship is an act that is loved by Jesus, too it’s about one person helping another rise.

Always remember that if your employee’s growth stops, your leadership will also end. Growth isn’t just about skill,  it’s about purpose. People want more than a paycheck. They want to feel they’re becoming better at what they do and who they are.

7.     Community and Responsibility

Being open 24/7 shouldn’t mean being isolated from the community. In fact, businesses that operate around the clock often have more visibility and more responsibility. Servant leadership embraces this by building genuine partnerships with local organizations, supporting community goals, and practicing environmental sustainability.

For example, a grocery chain that donates surplus food from night operations to shelters models servant leadership at a societal level.

8.     Use Technology

Nowadays, many leaders are using technology to replace workers. However, in servant leadership, we should use technology to help people, not create new obstacles. It should make things easier for employees and support them in their work.

Automation and AI should lift burdens, not dehumanize. Servant leaders ensure tech serves humans, not the other way around. Servant leadership also uses the data to uplift people and show how well they are doing, so they know that they are getting better at their work.

The goal of technology is to make work more efficient, easier, and less robotic. It should amplify human care, not erase it.

9.     Trust and Transparency

A successful business is based on trust. When communication is open, employees feel safe sharing their thoughts. Being transparent helps everyone feel secure during changes. When a company acts ethically, it builds a loyal culture that shares similar values.

This doesn’t happen by chance. Servant leaders work to build trust by consistently doing the right things, not just talking a lot.