Employee burnout has become such a serious issue that it is now recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). It can lead to mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion. In the United States, it would be easy to think it is a problem primarily impacting those in big cities, but it is actually a national problem.
Is Burnout the Result of Lifestyle Choices?
It would be easy to blame the burnout on long commutes, too many hours in the office, and simply not enough “free time,” but leadership consultant Roger A. Gerard told ClearanceJobs that another factor could be lifestyle choices.
“When we spend all of our money on things we do not need, we do not have the money we need for the essentials, like rent, food, etc. Likewise, when we spend all of our emotional energy on the needs and goals of others, we do not have what we need to take care of ourselves. Burnout is often a product of putting the needs of others before our own,” warned Gerard.
“Some seem to want to blame others for their burnout, their bosses, their families, or the world at large,” Gerard added. “It is not their fault. It is up to each of us to make our own good decisions about our boundaries, and our limits. No one else can do this for us.”
Ways to Combat Burnout
Knowing your limits, setting boundaries, and disconnecting are now among the recommended ways that workers can help confront burnout head-on. A lot of it can come down to avoiding unnecessary levels of stress that lead to emotional and physical exhaustion.
“Stress is part of life; there’s no way to avoid it nor would you want to. It’s part of what keeps us motivated. But too much stress or being stressed too often isn’t healthy,” explained Alan Deibel, a licensed clinical professional counselor at Grow Therapy.
“Everyone handles stress differently and it’s important to know how much you can handle and what your breaking point is. Do a self-inventory and ask yourself: what pushes me over the edge? What levels of anxiety am I comfortable with? Understanding yourself and your limits will help with your burnout recovery,” Deibel told ClearanceJobs.
Setting those boundaries will protect one’s time, space, and sanity. That can include a schedule for exercise and other non-work activities while having hobbies can also provide a sense of control.
“Make a strict rule to not take work calls or read emails on the weekend,” Deibel added. “You could even consider taking a mental health day to recover when you feel burnout creeping in. Making sure to have these boundaries in place for yourself and your family will help you recover from any burnout you might be dealing with.”
Employers Can Help
It may not just be the workers who need to think about burnout, but employers. Worker burnout can make it hard to hire and retain staff, while it could impact morale and in turn productivity. It starts by ensuring that workers aren’t burning the midnight oil.
“We’re seeing more employers focus on employee well-being,” said Jake Canull, regional director at the Top Employers Institute.
Canull told ClearanceJobs that employers may want to actively discourage overtime, provide explicit responsibility for managers to encourage the use of vacation time by their team members, and even discourage the use of email outside of office hours.
And it may also come down to simply ensuring employees aren’t worked to death.
“The critical thing is to cultivate a workplace environment where employees can be honest about their day-to-day experience—and where they’re empowered to say no when they need to,” added Zoë Morris, president at Tenth Revolution Group, which recruits and trains talent for the tech sector. “Unrealistic workloads are a major component in burnout arising, so ensuring your employees can push back and have a say in structuring a manageable workload is essential.”
