How to Avoid Burnout At Work: Signs and Symptoms of Burnout
By now, we’ve all become familiar with the Great Resignation. Employees are leaving their jobs and switching careers at an unprecedented rate. But did you know that 40% of these…
By now, we’ve all become familiar with the Great Resignation. Employees are leaving their jobs and switching careers at an unprecedented rate. But did you know that 40% of these employees have reported burnout as their number one reason for quitting?
Burnout is a very real condition affecting millions of people around the country and around the world. But what is it, exactly?
Occupational burnout is defined as a response to prolonged exposure to emotional, physical, and interpersonal stressors. Burnout shows up as chronic exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy. It is more than just feeling “stressed out” and it has a very real impact on your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
According to the World Health Organization’s definition of occupational burnout mentioned above, there are 3 major dimensions of burnout.
While it’s important to know the symptoms and be able to recognize them, it is just as important to know the causes of burnout, how to prevent it, and how to recover from it. Job burnout doesn’t happen all at once; it is a gradual, chronic process.
If you think you might be burnt out, know that you are not alone, nor are you a failure or a bad employee. In fact, according to Limeade’s research, the employees most likely to burn out are the employees most connected, most engaged, and most invested in their work.
Everyone wants to feel appreciated, valued, and cared for at work. You want to know your work matters and have the ability to maintain and pursue personal well-being, even at work. One of the most important ways to ensure employees don’t get burnt out is by cultivating a healthy manager-employee relationship.
Managers, you are such an important member of your team and you have such an important role to play in creating a work culture that proactively works against employee burnout (and your own sense of burnout too!). You will not always be able to completely prevent burnout, but if you focus on improving four key areas you can greatly mitigate the risk.
If you are already at the point of burnout, know that there is hope for recovery. Sometimes it may take drastic action or professional help, but the strategies below can also help you to begin to recover and feel ready to continue on with your work. To do this, you will have to Refresh Your Resources. When you’re in burnout, it feels like you have nothing to give and that all of your mental, emotional, physical, and psychological resources have been depleted. When you recover from burnout, you need to rebuild those resources. The ideas below can help you start to do that!
Burnout is neither a sign of personal failure nor an anomaly. Burnout can happen to anyone, and if you are struggling with this, you are not alone. As both employees and managers, we can work together to create a new future of work that will allow for greater well-being for all workers.
If you’re ready to make changes for you or your team, but aren’t sure where to start, we can help! We have tools such as assessments, coaching, aids, and resources to help you evaluate your work culture and learn how to practically implement strategies to increase your employee engagement and satisfaction. Our “Own it. Love it. Make it Work” guide is perfect for employers who want their employees to understand their own skills, dreams, and value. It’s a great tool for reestablishing purpose and meaning at work.
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