“I feel burnt out” — Demystifying burnout and what to do about it
Written by Arief Kartolo & Chrisine Yip, edited by Lillie Sun
Imagine sprinting your way through a 10 mile marathon, there’s no way you’ll make it out on top.
The stress of a workday is like a weight on your shoulders. Without giving yourself the appropriate time to rest and recover, the weight will continue to get heavier until finally, you realize you’re burnt out.
Our world has been transformed into a globalized and technologically-advanced environment, where time zones and workspaces no longer act as boundaries to getting things done. We have an almost infinite access to resources and can effortlessly work anywhere at any given time. While this, in theory, should provide us with the tools to better manage our individual working styles, (“I’ll be online over the weekend,” “just one more email”), research has shown that this puts us in an even higher risk for burnout.
We have an almost infinite access to resources and can effortlessly work anywhere at any given time … research has shown that this puts us in an even higher risk for burnout.
Imagine stress like running a sprint, where there is an end goal in sight. You are able to recover with just a couple of breaths or a glass of cold water. However, burnout is more similar to running a marathon — the distance is much longer and the end point is nowhere to be seen. If you sprint continuously during a marathon you are almost guaranteed to feel burnout. The distance becomes daunting, and oftentimes, you are just going through the motions without really knowing why. The water that you drink during the race doesn’t help you recover much; rather, it takes days and even weeks to recover from the exhaustion.
What does Burnout Feel Like?
Burnout is defined as a psychological syndrome resulting from prolonged exposure to chronic emotional and cognitive related stressors. It is characterized and defined with three key dimensions.
Overwhelming exhaustion: The depletion of emotional or cognitive resources in response to work related stressors (e.g., “I have nothing left to give”);
Cynicism and detachment: The lack of emotional and cognitive engagement at work (e.g., “I really don’t care anymore”);
Sense of reduced personal accomplishment: The negative perception and evaluation towards oneself in work related contexts (e.g., “I don’t think I add value here”).
Burnout is Expensive
Burnout has been linked to a wide array of negative outcomes that impact an organization’s bottom line. The Conference Board of Canada reported a loss of $16.6 billion in productivity due to stress and mental health related concerns. A more recent report by the Conference Board of Canada found depression — a mental health concern that is closely related to burnout — cost at least $32.3 billion a year for the Canadian economy. Burnt out employees are also less motivated. They put less effort in their craft and are less engaged in their jobs in comparison to healthy employees. While others take pride in their work, burnt out employees are more likely to undermine their accomplishments. Simply put, those who are burnt out just don’t care anymore.
The Conference Board of Canada reported a loss of $16.6 billion in productivity due to stress and mental health related concerns.
Burnout is Bad for the Mind and Body
Burnout leads to chronic fatigue, and it requires a long period of time — much longer than a vacation — to recover from its effects. Studies have found burnout to have serious health implications, with cases of burnout linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal complications, respiratory issues, cholesterol problems, and diabetes. In extreme cases, burnout has been found to increase the likelihood of mortality under the age of 45. For psychological health, research found burnout leading to insomnia and depression, as well as increasing the risk of drug and alcohol abuse.
While others take pride in their work, burnt out employees are more likely to undermine their accomplishments.
We Need a Culture Shift — And Everyone Has a Role to Play
Burnout is as much an organizational cultural issue, as it is an individual and managerial one. Many individuals are under extreme amounts of stress at work without the resources, supports or tools to effectively manage it, and in many cases without an awareness that they are even on a path to burnout. In addition, managers often do not have the appropriate resources and skills to effectively mitigate the risk of burnout in their teams. Managers themselves are also at a higher risk of burnout — given the demands coming both from below and above them. Furthermore, organizations lack the insights and strategies to effectively track and manage the scale of the problem across their workforce — causing a reinforcing cycle that prevents any positive change from occurring.
What can individual employees do? Employees need to be better able to identify their own signs and signals of over-stress or burnout. At the same time, making sure they are taking and advocating for the time they need to restore from mental and physical exhaustion.
What can managers do? Managers need to build the skills that are necessary to recognize the ‘red flags’ of burnout within their teams effectively. They need to proactively engage with their employees to ensure workloads are manageable, and foster a work environment where individuals feel safe to speak up and ask for help.
What can organizations do? Organizations need to better balance efforts that increase productivity with those that foster employee well-being. They need to implement policies that protect employees’ mental and physical health, and set up accountability mechanisms that track and incentivize psychologically safe work behaviours. They need to provide resources and support mechanisms that enable employees to better balance their workloads. For instance, allowing for more flexibility in their working schedule or time to safely disconnect outside of standard work hours.
The Key Takeaway
While certain levels of stress are helpful to us at work, we have to remember that work is a marathon not a sprint — And we can’t run a marathon without properly pacing ourselves. In order to make a change, we need to redefine what “good work” looks like; it isn’t solely about the hours you put in, it’s about your ability to deliver quality work while taking care of your needs in the process. This requires a culture shift from the bottom right to the top of the organization. A shift where employees can feel safe to communicate their needs and boundaries, where managers are able to support their teams and distribute (and redistribute) work effectively, and where organizations can provide the tools and resources to foster a safe and productive environment for everyone.
Looking to address burnout in your organization? Contact us at https://www.orgsforimpact.com/contact!
About the Authors:
Arief Kartolo is a PhD candidate in the Applied Social Psychology program, with a specialization in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University of Windsor. His research focuses on intergroup conflicts and resolutions in the workplace; specifically, with conflicts stemming from cultural and demographic diversity, such as stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. He is a research member at the Centre for Culture and Organizational Research, and has experience providing consultation services for both non-profit and private sector organizations.
Christine Yip is the Founder and Managing Director of Organizations for Impact. She has spent her career helping leaders across sectors build more inclusive, safe, empowering, and productive workplaces. Her clients have ranged from grassroots not for profits to Fortune 500 multinational businesses, and international NGOs. She holds a masters degree in Organizational Psychology from the University of Guelph and in Social Policy & Planning from the London School of Economics. She currently teaches Change Management at Schulich School of Business. Her education and work experiences have fuelled her passion for making work better — better for individuals, managers and for society.
References
Dankwa, K. (2017). Infographic: Work-related Stress. Statistics Canada. Retrieved from: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/contest/finalists-finalistes_2-eng.htm
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal Of Organizational Behavior, 2(2), 99–113.
Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W., & Leiter, M. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review Psychology, 52(1), 397–422.
Salvagioni, D. A. J., Melanda, F. N., Mesas, A. E., González, A. D., Gabani, F. L., & Andrade, S. M. de. (2017). Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies. PLOS ONE, 12(10), e0185781. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0185781
Stewart, N. (2013). Mission in action: Absenteeism trends in Canadian organizations. The Conference Board of Canada.
The Conference Board of Canada (2016). Unmet mental health care needs costing Canadian economy billions. Retrieved from: https://www.conferenceboard.ca/press/newsrelease/16-09-01/Unmet_Mental_Health_Care_Needs_Costing_Canadian_Economy_Billions.aspx
