A unique form of work-related stress called job burnout is a state of physical or emotional tiredness that also includes a sense of diminished accomplishment and a loss of one’s sense of self.ย
According to Gallup research, 23% of workers suffer burnout frequently or constantly, and another 44% experience it occasionally. This indicates that about two-thirds of workers are undergoing burnout in the organisation.
According to research, burnout can change the neuronal circuits in your brain, setting off a domino effect that leads to long-term neurological impairment. This means that after a burnout, your brain physically changes, leaving you to frequently operate from an entirely different mind that may be less perceptive, concentrated, or creative in the future.
Ask yourself if you’re alright with exchanging your sharp mind for a foggy one when you’re up late at night, pushing through. It should go without saying that employee burnout must be treated seriously and that preventing it is essential for long-term health.There are certain causes and cures for employee burnout.
Herbert Freudenberger introduced the phrase “burnout” in his book Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement in 1974. When one’s passion for a cause or relationship doesn’t yield the intended outcomes, Freudenberger described burnout as “the extinction of motivation or incentive.”
The World Health Agency (WHO) has formally acknowledged “burnout,” and the organisation is now handling it instead of the individual. Following the WHO’s inclusion of burnout in the ICD-11 classification of diseases in May, the general public anticipated that burnout would now be regarded as a medical illness.
Burn-out is classified in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition, and is one of the urgent reasons people seek medical attention for, but it is not classified as an illness or as a health condition.
Since it was specifically excluded from the definition of a medical condition, the case is less about employer liability and more about the effect on employee well-being and the enormous costs entailed.
Symptoms
1. Physical Signs of Burnout
The body frequently manifests symptoms of burnout. According to research, some of the most typical signs of burnout are:
- Issues with the digestive system
- Elevated blood pressure
- A weak immune system (getting sick more often)
- Persistent headaches
- Sleep problems
Chronic stress significantly contributes to burnout, so it’s essential to understand how it impacts the body. Physical symptoms of chronic stress can include increased aches and pains, decreased energy, and changes in appetite.
These physical indicators all point to the possibility that you are burnt out.
2. Signs of Mental Burnout
You are also affected intellectually and emotionally by burnout. Some of the most typical signs of mental burnout are listed below:
- Attentional difficulties
- Feeling down
- Feeling unworthy
- Loss of enjoyment or interest
- Suicidal thoughts
Burnout Vs. Stress
Burnout may come from constant stress, but excessive stress isn’t the same. Generally speaking, stress involves too much: too many demands on your bodily and mental well-being. Stressed-out individuals, however, can continue to believe that if they can get things under control, they will feel better.
On the other hand, burnout is about not doing enough. Being burnt out entails experiencing a sense of emptiness, mental exhaustion, and a lack of drive and compassion. People who are undergoing burnout in the organisation frequently don’t believe their circumstances will improve.
Burnout is the feeling of being completely depleted, whereas excessive stress is the sensation of being drowned in obligations. And while being under a lot of stress generally makes you aware of it, burnout sometimes sneaks up on you.
Stress | Burnout |
---|---|
Marked by excessive engagement | Marked by excessive engagement |
Over Emotional Reactivity | Blunted feelings |
Produces hyperactivity and impatience | Results in Hopelessness and Helplessness |
Lack of Physical Energy | Diminished Motivation and Interest |
Leads to Anxiety | Leads to Depression |
Physical Damage is Prime | Emotional Damage is Prime |
More than half of the 1,500 American workers surveyed in 2021 reported employee burnout due to the pressures of their professions. In December, a staggering 4.3 million Americans left their jobs in what is known as the “great resignation.”
Burnout vs. Depression
Some mental health problems, such as depression and burnout, have similar signs and symptoms. Along with thoughts of suicide, other depression symptoms include a loss of interest in things, a sense of helplessness, and cognitive and physical problems. How can you distinguish between depression and burnout?
People who are depressed have terrible emotions and thoughts about every part of life, not simply their jobs. If you feel this way, a mental health professional can assist you. People who are burnt out may be more likely to experience depression; therefore, getting help is crucial.
Potential Causes of Employee Burnoutย
High-stress employment only sometimes results in burnout. You might not encounter negative consequences if your stress is effectively handled. However, some people are more likely than others to have burnout symptoms.
According to the 2019 National Physician Burnout, Depression, and Suicide Report, 44% of doctors report feeling burned out. Of course, burnout affects more than just doctors. Every level of employee in every industry faces potential risk.
Employee burnout can be caused by five job characteristics, according to a 2018 Gallup report:
1. Unfavourable time constraints: Employees who claim to have enough time to complete their work are 70% less likely to have significant burnout in the organisation, but those who cannot get more time are more likely to experience burnout.
2. Lacking managerial support and communication: Support from the manager acts as a psychological defence against stress. Employees are 70% less likely to regularly experience signs of burnout if they feel warmly supported by their manager.
3. Unclear definition of roles: Only 60% of employees know their expectations. Employees may become worn out just trying to figure out what they should do when expectations are like moving targets.
4. Excessive Workload: Even the most upbeat employees will experience hopelessness when the burden appears insurmountable. Overwhelming feelings might easily result in burnout symptoms.
5. Inequality: A high level of burnout is 2.3 times more likely to occur among workers who feel their treatment at work is unjust. Favouritism, unequal pay, and coworker abuse are some examples of unfair treatment.
Although pressures from other aspects of your life might also raise these levels, the stress that leads to burnout can primarily come from your employment. Perfectionism and pessimism, for example, are cognitive patterns and personality qualities that can increase stress. Following are examples of personal factors that may contribute to employee burnout.
Lifestyle Factors
- Working too much: we are so engrossed in deadlines and commitments that it gets difficult to socialise and to take out me time. It contributes to both physical as well as mental exhaustion.
- Lack of Support at Home: experiencing emotional unavailability from partners can contribute greatly to burnout.
- Burdening Yourself with Responsibilities: taking up too many things at a time can puncture your mental health and result in fatigue.
- Disturbed Sleep: Not Getting enough sleep will contribute to experiencing lethargy and monotony, which will promote burnout.
Personality factors
- Perfectionist: some people have an innate need to pursue the very thing with perfection, which results in them being unsatisfied with their work most of the time. This self-criticism can result in burnout.
- Negative Outlook: having a pessimistic outlook towards self and others is a threat to self-esteem and a proponent of untrustworthy relationships.
- Need to Take Charge: some people cannot give responsibilities to their subordinates and end up taking too many things at a time, which will contribute greatly towards burnout.
- Need for Achievement: constantly thinking about more significant achievements, even if you have only a sword; the seed creates anxiety and can disrupt mental health.
Mahesh has been a finance manager in a company for the past two years and has faced various challenges since then. He reported that during his work-from-home tenure, he was given extra work than promised and the shift increased by 2 hours more than the expected time. The pay is less, and sometimes he has to work overnight, for which there are no incentives. He tried contacting HR, but no substantial response was received, upon which he consulted a psychologist and was given insight into possible “Workplace Burnout” he might be having.
How to prevent employee burnout
Trying to push through the tiredness and carry on as you have been can only result in more emotional and physical harm, whether you are aware of the warning signs of imminent burnout or you’ve already reached your breaking point. It’s time to take a break and change course by learning to support yourself in overcoming burnout and regaining a sense of well-being and optimism.
Burnout management calls for the “Three R” strategy:
1. Recognize. Watch out for burnout’s warning signals.
2. Reverse. By getting help and controlling your stress, you can undo the harm.
3. Resilience. By looking after your physical and emotional health, you can increase your ability to cope with stress.
You may manage symptoms to regain energy, focus, and a sense of well-being by using the following advice for preventing or managing burnout.
Tip #1 for overcoming burnout: Reach out to others
Burnout makes it impossible to care, let alone take steps to improve oneself when problems seem overwhelming and the future appears dark. But contrary to popular belief, you have much more control over stress. You can take proactive measures to manage extreme stress and restore balance to your life. Reaching out to people is one of the most efficient.
Social interaction is nature’s remedy for stress, and speaking face-to-face with a patient listener is one of the quickest methods to relax and de-stress. Your conversation partner only needs to be a good listenerโsomeone who will pay close attention without getting sidetracked or passing judgementโnot someone who can “cure” your worries.
- Reach out to your partner, friends, family, and anyone else who is dear to you: You won’t become a burden to others if you open out. It will only solidify your friendship because most friends and family members will be touched that you trust them enough to confide in them. Make the time you spend with loved ones positive and joyful by trying not to focus on the things exhausting you.
- Get along with your coworkers more:ย Making friends with coworkers can protect you from experiencing job burnout. For instance, when you take a break, consider interacting with your coworkers rather than staring at your smartphone. or arrange social outings after work.
- Attempt to keep negative people at a minimum: Spending time with folks who complain and are negative will make you feel down. Try to spend as little time as possible with someone negative if you have to work with them.
- Join an organisation or cause that has personal meaning for you: You can find a place to chat with like-minded individuals about how to cope with daily stressโand to meet new friendsโby joining a religious, social, or support organisation. If there is a professional group for your industry, you can go to meetings and meet people dealing with the same responsibilities at work.
Tip 2: Change the way you perceive your job.
The best approach to prevent job burnout is to set clear expectations and boundaries. If this is impossible, quit your job and look for one you love instead, whether your job keeps you on your toes all day or is tedious and unfulfilling. Of course, for many of us, changing jobs or careers is not a realistic option; instead, we are thankful to have a profession that allows us to support our families. But no matter what the circumstance, there are still things you may do to raise your mood.
- Consider adding some worth to your job: You can frequently concentrate on how your role benefits others, for instance, or provide a much-needed good or service, even in some monotonous tasks. Even if it’s only chatting with your coworkers at lunch, concentrate on the parts of your job that you find enjoyable. You may reclaim a sense of control and purpose by changing the way you view your work.
- Obtain calm in your life: If your job makes you unhappy, look for fulfilment and significance in other areas, such as your friends, family, hobbies, or volunteer work. Pay attention to the aspects of your life that make you happy.
- Take a break: Take a complete break from work if burnout appears unavoidable. Take a trip, use your sick days, request a leave of absence, or do everything else to get away from the situation. Take advantage of the time away to rest up and look into other rehabilitation strategies.
Tip 3: Reconsider your priorities
Unmistakable signs that something important in your life is not working include burnout. Spend some time reflecting on your aspirations and dreams. Are you skipping out on something that matters to you truly? This may be an opportunity to slow down, give yourself some space to ponder, and rediscover what truly makes you happy.
- Set parameters: Be careful not to overcommit. Practice saying “no” to requests that take up your time. If you have trouble doing this, remember that saying “no” frees you up to say “yes” to the commitments you want to make.
- Take time off from electronics every day: Decide on a time each day when you will entirely unplug. Put your laptop away, turn off your phone, and refrain from checking social media or email.
- Develop your artistic side: Burnout can be successfully treated with creativity. Take up a fun project, try something new, or pick up your old interest again. Select hobbies unrelated to your job or whatever makes you stressed.
- Schedule some leisure time: The antithesis of the stress response, the relaxation response is triggered by relaxation techniques, including yoga, meditation, and deep breathing.
- Get lots of rest: Being exhausted makes it easier to become burned out since it impairs your judgement. Getting a good night’s sleep will help you stay calm in tense circumstances.
Tip 4: Prioritise physical activity.
- Exercise is a potent stress reliever, even if it might be the last thing you feel like doing when you’re exhausted. You can also do it right now to improve your mood.
- Aim to work out for at least 30 minutes each day or split that time up into 10-minute segments. A ten-minute stroll can lift your spirits for two hours.
- It is incredibly beneficial to improve mood, boost energy, increase attention, and calm the body and mind by engaging in rhythmic exercise that involves both your arms and legs. Try dancing, weightlifting, swimming, martial arts, walking, running, or weight training.
- Instead of focusing on your thoughts, switch your attention to your body and how it feels as you move, such as the feel of the breeze on your skin or the sound of your feet striking the ground, to reduce tension as much as possible.
Tip 5: Maintain a balanced diet to help your mood and energy levels.
Your mood and energy levels can be significantly affected by what you put into your body.
- Eat less sugar and processed carbohydrates: Although you might yearn for comfort foods like pasta, fries, or sugary snacks, these high-carbohydrate items will rapidly make you feel low on energy and mood.
- Reduce your high intake of foods like caffeine, bad fats, and items containing hormones or artificial preservatives that can negatively impact your mood.
- Increase your intake of Omega-3 fatty acids to improve your mood: The finest sources include seaweed, flaxseed, walnuts, and fatty fish, including salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, and sardines.
- Eliminate nicotine: Smoking when you’re anxious could seem comforting, but nicotine is a potent stimulant that makes anxiety levels rise rather than fall.
- Consume alcohol sparingly: Alcohol temporarily eases anxiety, but when consumed in excess, it can exacerbate it.
Mahesh was advised of the above-mentioned tips and was asked to report after two weeks. He was asked to maintain a record of everything he was recommended to track the progress. After two weeks, the report suggested a gradual improvement in his symptoms.
In conclusion, dealing with employee burnout is possible if you identify the signs, take actions to prevent burnout in the organisation and seek appropriate help to understand the employee burnout causes and cures.
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