Burnout is Real
Employers should be educated about the signs of burnout and place wellness at the top of their priority list. An article entitled “The Rise of the Whole Employee” in MetLife’s 20th Annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study 2022, the statistics state that the percentage of employers who are concerned about stress or burnout in their organization is 72%. Employees need to be able to function effectively to help organizations achieve success, and the only way to do that is to stay mentally and physically well.
In an article entitled “How to Prevent Burnout in the Workplace: 20 Strategies,” in PositvePsychology.com in April of 2021, author, Jeremy Sutton, Ph.D. defines burnout from the source, Olson et al., 2019; Kolomitro, Kenny, & Sheffield, 2019, as “a break between what people are and what they have to do, and it is typically experienced as emotional exhaustion or depersonalization,” and he states that the impact is considerable.
Burnout in the workplace occurs as a result of stress that has not been managed well. That stress could be brought on by a number of things including lack of resources, working too many hours, or carrying an unrealistic workload.
According to the Mayo Clinic’s article entitled “Job Burnout: How to spot it and take action,” you may be suffering from burnout if you answer yes to the questions below:
Have you become cynical or critical at work?
Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started?
Have you become irritable or impatient with co-workers, customers or clients?
Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive?
Do you find it hard to concentrate?
Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements?
Do you feel disillusioned about your job?
Are you using food, drugs or alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel?
Have your sleep habits changed?
Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other physical complaints?
While it is difficult for some to even think through the above list when on autopilot working hard all day every day, it is essential that employers understand the signs so that they are able to identify possible solutions to help employees find a balance. If an employee is not physically and mentally well, it could result in lack of sleep, absenteeism, low productivity, and illness.
If you are interested in training in the areas of stress, burnout, and creating a work-life balance, contact IntegriStar for more information!
