How to Combat Burnout in the Workplace

A consensus among health-care professionals indicates that the type of stress known as “workplace burnout” is a common problem. Companies that are educated about the signs can better provide solutions for workers before it becomes too serious. Here are some ideas for employers and employees alike.

What is Burnout in the Workplace?

Burnout is a condition where the unsuccessful management of work stress contributes to a variety of mental and physical symptoms. The American Psychological Association describes the symptoms as “ongoing emotional exhaustion, psychological distance or negativity, and feelings of inefficacy.”  

More than just casual irritation or frustration that may be common aspects of work, burnout is not easily managed with daily stress relievers like exercise, leisure activities, or talking things through with friends and family. It can manifest itself in symptoms like:

• Depression
• Insomnia
• Exhaustion
• Distress
• Lack of interest in life
• Headaches
• Pain

Burnout itself is not a medical diagnosis, say doctors at the Mayo Clinic, but it can be a significant cause of medical problems.

Causes of Workplace Burnout

Most jobs come with some amount of stress. That may come in the form of difficult customers, fast-paced work demands, deadlines, challenging co-workers, conflicts with leadership, frustrated ambitions, being underpaid, or feeling undervalued. Normal rest breaks like weekends, days off, vacations, and relaxing life activities may be enough for coping with some stressors. Burnout comes when little can relieve the pressure.

University of Central Florida professor of psychology Mindy Shoss, PhD, describes conditions in the modern workplace that cause burnout: “excessive workloads, low levels of support, having little say or control over workplace matters, lack of recognition or rewards for one’s efforts, and interpersonally toxic and unfair work environments.”

How Employees Can Identify Burnout

Staff at the Mayo Clinic suggest an honest and thoughtful self-analysis to determine if you’re suffering from burnout. Consider asking yourself questions such as:

• Do you have a hard time getting out of bed on work days?
• Is it difficult to get yourself to work? Are you often late?
• Do you lack patience with customers, co-workers, or managers?
• Do you feel unsatisfied with the work you do?
• Do you lack energy or focus at work?
• Have you lost confidence in your skills or abilities?
• Have your sleeping habits changed?
• Are you using alcohol, food, or drugs to numb your feelings?
• Have you been sick more frequently than usual?
• Do you have medical symptoms like headaches, digestive problems, or pain with no known cause?

If employees answer yes to these questions, they may be experiencing job burnout.

How Employers Can Identify Burnout

Observant managers or colleagues may notice changes in employee behavior or demeanor that may indicate burnout. You can look for signs such as:

• Frequent tardiness
• Disinterest in work
• Irritability with colleagues
• Decrease in productivity
• Increased negativity or cynicism
• Outward tiredness or exhaustion
• Increased absences bc of illness
• Outward sadness or depression

How to Combat Burnout

The burden of overcoming burnout is not just on employees. Christina Maslach, PhD suggests that solutions come when analyzing the worker, the workplace, and how they fit together. “We need to reframe the basic question from who is burning out to why they are burning out,” she says. This involves considering the job conditions that may be a source of the problem. Worker-workplace compatibility is a vital part of addressing burnout.

Employers can:

• Use surveys and employee feedback to evaluate whether burnout is happening within the organization. This shows your company will take burnout seriously and is willing to help address concerns.
• Regularly evaluate workload, team compatibility, and working conditions to ensure employees aren’t being over- or underworked and have a reasonably supportive working relationship with their colleagues.
• Provide training to managers to more easily identify early signs of burnout, along with general leadership skills.
• Create a mentorship program that encourages camaraderie, discussion, and problem-solving within the company.
• Foster a company culture that prioritizes workers’ mental health and work-life balance, encourages the use of vacation time and PTO.
• Promote an open-door policy with managers to discuss early signs of burnout before they get too serious. Encourage managers to approach these meetings with a spirit of compromise and concern to work with employees’ suggestions or boundaries.
• Discourage working after hours by limiting emails, texts, or calls during the employee’s off time. If a deadline requires after-hours work, make it a request, not a demand.

Employees can:

• Discuss work problems or concerns early before they become too serious or distressing.
• Identify and propose solutions about things like workload, assignments, work hours, and be open to compromises.
• Take advantage of any mental health support offered by the company.
• Seek support from outside work sources like friends, family, clergy, doctors, or therapists.
• Set boundaries about personal hours outside of work by not checking email or keeping work phones off or on silent.
• Use all available vacation and paid time off, even if you’re not planning on traveling. Take days off especially after a stressful project or a long period of work without a break.
• Make time for enjoyable activities, hobbies, sports, or exercise.
• Foster an identity beyond what you do for work.
• Prioritize getting enough sleep. Practice good sleep hygiene like mindfulness techniques before sleep, avoiding stimulating devices in bed, or creating a relaxing sleep ritual like a warm shower, herbal tea, or gentle stretching.

Protect Your Workplace from the Effects of Burnout

Addressing workplace burnout demonstrates your company cares for employees’ physical and mental well-being. All efforts towards combating burnout contribute to a more positive and productive workplace.

With the right tools in place, employers can simplify the process of managing the workforce in a supportive way. Employees should be able to use their paid time off benefits, with a tool that allows them to view balances and submit requests. WorkforceHub streamlines accruals and the management of PTO. It also has tools that support employee engagement and allow managers to get a pulse on morale and other factors in the workplace. Give it a try—it’s free!