One thing that would be hard to dispute, is the fact that the global pandemic allowed for the lines between our work and home life to become increasingly blurred. During lockdown, life has seen many of us working longer hours, worrying about job security, looking after children during the working day, or experiencing significant changes in our means of social interaction.
Before 2019, words like “burnout” and “mental toughness” were associated with periods of time that would challenge us. Now, we experience extended periods of time that challenge our very understanding of those words, as they become the norm and not just a passing phase.
In Australia, a recent study by Gartner (2021) revealed that only 9% of workplace employees are currently considered engaged. Furthermore, the Australian Human Resources Institute (2021) found that only 15% of workers are consistently thriving, and 43% are “really struggling” or “not feeling bad, but “just getting by”. Asana’s (2021) research found that 77% of employees experienced burnout last year. Given that I work as closely with New Zealand clients as I do with Australian and African clients, I would imagine that those statistics would not be far off from market-to-market.
An article published by the Life Coach Institute of Australia (April 2022), explains that as prevalent as burnout is, it is often misunderstood, stigmatised, and costly to an employee’s wellbeing and productivity. Workplace burnout is defined as a special type of chronic, job-related stress — a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that evokes a sense of job dissatisfaction, reduced accomplishment, and loss of personal happiness. Burnout usually creeps in subtly over time, impacting workers in a way that they almost do not notice. Symptoms include: feeling tired, drained, helpless, defeated, detached, alone, or overwhelmed. Burnt-out workers might procrastinate, have headaches, stomach aches, high blood pressure, insomnia, or chronic fatigue. They might display negative outlooks, cynicism, or self-doubt. (Mayo Clinic, 2021).
Not surprisingly, these symptoms usually result in reduced professional efficacy. Employee wellbeing is a key factor in determining an organisation’s long-term effectiveness. Many studies show a direct link between productivity levels and the general health and wellbeing of the workforce (International Labour Organisation, 2022).
Having left the corporate world after 28 years of holding Senior Leadership & Management positions, I became increasingly concerned with the fact that the conditions and factors that lead to burnout were often worn as a badge of pride. In my opinion, there is nothing to be proud of if your work takes you away from the people and things you love most in life. We work to live, we do not live to work…so why do we allow ourselves to reach the point of burnout?
What causes burnout in the workplace?
There is no quick or easy answer to this question, however, today’s workers experience burnout resulting from both work and personality factors, including:
- Working from home – Disruptive or unsuitable conditions, difficultly in switching off (longer hours), failing technology, insufficient support, lack of collaboration, feelings of loneliness or isolation and poor leadership.
- Dysfunctional workplace dynamics – For example, a single dominant/alpha team member undermining colleagues, a lack of MOJO in the team, a leader that likes to micromanage, or general incongruence within the office culture or values.
- Unfairness at work – Building the team’s TRUST FUND is essential to creating cohesive relationships whilst working remotely and whilst returning to an office environment. Without trust, there is no healthy culture.
- Lack of control – Inability to influence decisions that affect one’s job, such as schedule, assignments, or access to required resources. Clear, watertight processes and structures are vital for reducing stress.
- Unclear job expectations – Clear parameters in which team members can operate and make decisions are important in reducing uncertainty about one’s degree of authority in a role.
- Absence of rewards – Acknowledging an employee for going that extra mile, or giving positive feedback and recognition is more often than not, more motivating than a financial reward. Burnout is avoided if effort is adequately rewarded, and the right circuit-breakers are in place, linked to those milestones.
- Work-life imbalance – Know where the OFF SWITCH is! An excessive workload and unrealistic time pressures are the first signs of creating unhealthy work flows. Spending too much time at work at the expense of relationships, rest, healthy eating, or recreational activities can lead to job resentment.
- Poor physical health – I am a huge advocate for “guilt-free down time” – especially if your workplace and home are one and the same. Physical and mental health are closely connected and rely on each other to function optimally.
- Sleep problems – Starting well and finishing well, means going to sleep well. The intention of starting well, can be realised more easily off the back of solid, quality sleep. A lack of sleep prohibits the body and mind from functioning properly. As well as impacting concentration and mood, lack of sleep has been linked to a range of conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. It can also lead to problems with productivity and safety in the workplace (Health Direct 2020).
- Job insecurity and money worries – Poor workplace communication and leadership flows through to low organisational commitment to an employee. According to Mental Health UK, 2021) 81% of survey responders in a workplace study agreed that money worries contribute to burnout (Mental Health UK, 2021).
- Lack of meaningful relationships – Social connections and healthy relationships, both at work and in personal life, can act as buffers against anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, lack of empathy, and even weak immune system function (Better Health Victoria, 2017).
- Caring for others – This point has impacted more of us that first thought. The human side of working through a pandemic is not yet fully realised. Many workers carry extra responsibilities, such as looking after elderly parents or children with special needs, in addition to their jobs. The fear of not supporting those most reliant on us, vs not wanting to let the team down, plays heavily on us, and at times, drives us to push ourselves to the limit.
- Home-schooling children – Although most children in New Zealand have now returned to school, home-schooling was a pressure felt by many during the lockdowns.
Handling job burnout
In my experience, burnout isn’t something which goes away on its own. Rather, it is a sign of deeply entrenched issues in the workplace, and burnout will likely worsen if the underlying causes and risk factors are not addressed properly.
As the saying goes: “different strokes for different folks”. I feel the best way to deal with burnout is to prevent it from happening in the first place. However, this is not always possible. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for employee wellbeing, and what suits one individual, team, or industry, may not suit another. The solution is also not necessarily a single person approach, so ideally, every risk factor needs to be addressed, and a sustainable, supportive and protective system needs to be put in place for burnout to be effectively addressed.
Before exploring ways to handle job burnout, it is worthwhile to consider the employee-wellbeing myths that recent research has debunked:
If a workplace is exhausting staff to the point that they are using their time off to recover, it is likely that a burnout culture exists. To begin, Sonder (2022) has found that paid time off does not necessary cure burnout. Paid time off can set the tone for a more balanced and healthier workplace, but it seems to be a band-aid soloution for burnout, not a cure. Burnout is a multifaceted, multidimensional issue that can rarely be solved with short bursts of time off work. A healthy organisation does not leave people drained in the first place. Deloitte (in 2021) reported that today’s workers were reluctant to take time off because of the inability to travel, difficulty justifying time off in a work-from-home environment, fear of taking time off in an unstable job market, and a prevailing “work martyr” culture.
Lastly, after years of studying burnout, I have mapped out 7 effective ways to keep your MOJO levels high. Following these guidelines will place you in a strong position to steer yourself away from burnout, whilst enabling you to operate at your optimum best, even when the conditions around you are continually challenging.
- Be kind to yourself: Quite simply, if we are not listening to our bodies, and treating our ourselves with care and respect, then how can we expect to avoid the inevitable that will lead to?
- “WE” is always stronger than “ME”: That applies to small business owner/operators through to large organisations. We all work better with a pit crew, so ask for help. Be open to accepting support and be a part of that flow, not a blockage in that regard
- Circuit breakers are vital: The “guilt-free down time” that I referred to earlier is super-important in terms of allowing our bodies and minds to recharge
- Remind yourself of the pecking order: Family first! And if you live alone, your friendship circle is your family. If work has become more important than family and friends, then that needs to be re-assessed, perhaps with the help of a trained and qualified professional if need be
- Be clear on your goals: Be clear on your goals, objectives and desired outcomes when it comes to health, wealth and happiness. Make them visible as they will remind you of the “pecking order” when it comes to work and “everything else”.
- Exercise: Today, more than ever before, I am convinced that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. The chemicals our brains produce when we laugh, exercise and rest, are vital components to avoiding burnout. When we exercise, our bodies produce endorphins and serotonin, which help improve how we feel about life and about ourselves in general.
- Sleep: We already touched on this, but it’s one of the most important components of maintaining balance and avoiding exhaustion. It also allows the “reset” button to be pressed. An early start and a healthy morning routine can be powerful in creating habits that lead to stress-busting outcomes.
Lastly, I feel it is important to set healthy boundaries when it comes to people, work and our own limiting beliefs. We have all heard of social distancing; well, I feel that practicing emotional distancing from people who encourage the very things that lead to burnout is important too. Negative and toxic people will always be a part of life, but how we limit the impact of their behaviours on us, is important.
Workplace burnout is increasingly common for many employees, but it does not have to be. Even in these challenging times, employees can take actions to prevent or treat workplace burnout and have a career that they find manageable and fulfilling.
References:
- 7 Ways to boost Mojo (On The Mark Coaching: website)
- Asana (2021, January 14). Anatomy of Work Index 2021: Australia and New Zealand Findings. From: website.
- Australian Human Resources Institute (2021, May). The Wellbeing Lab Workplace Report. From: website.
- Better Health Victoria (2017, October 2). Strong relationships, strong health. From: website.
- Deloitte (2021, January 22). The disconnect disconnect. From: website.
- Forbes, D., Creamer, M., Phelps, A., Bryant, R., McFarlane, A., Devilly, G.J., Matthews, L., Raphael, B., Doran, C., Merlin, T., & Newton, S. (2007, August). Australian guidelines for the treatment of adults with acute stress disorder and post traumatic stress disorder. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 41(8), 637-48. From: website.
- Gartner (2021, April 29). Gartner HR Survey Shows a Quarter of Australian Employees Are Seeking a New Job. From: website.
- Health Direct (2020, August). Sleep. From: website.
- Health Direct (2020, November). Exercise and mental health. From: website.
- International Labour Organisation (2022). Workplace well-being. From: website.
- Mayo Clinic (2021, June 5). Job burnout: How to spot it and take action. From: website.
- Mental Health UK (2021). Burnout. From: website.
- Rosenberg McKay, D. (2019, June 4) Job Burnout: The causes, symptoms, and ways to prevent it. The Balance Careers. From: website.
- Sonder (2022). 5 Myths of employee wellbeing. Insights. Issue 01. From: website.