According to the Mayo Clinic, a prestigious American academic centre, job burnout is a special type of work-related stress: a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and a loss of personal identity.
According to many studies, almost everyone who works for someone else suffers from job burnout from time to time throughout their respective careers.
Some experts believe that job burnout is not a medical diagnosis. There are several other conditions, such as depression and mental fatigue, that are also causing job burnout. They point out that personality traits, individual behaviour, and family life stress also influence this condition.
Regardless of the cause, job burnout can be harmful to both physical and mental health and heavily affect individual performance both at work and at home.
Most often, employees spend one-third or more of a working day at work. Hence, when they are not happy at work, other areas of their life suffer. For a number of reasons, the vast majority of employees do not feel satisfied with their career choices yet are compelled to persist.
However, even if an employee hates the job and wants to leave, it is not a simple task. The responsibility to one’s family is without a doubt the most important reason. Everyone is compelled to fulfill family obligations. Also, even when a worker wants to resign, finding new employment can be challenging and risky. Also, even if they find a placement, they fear that the work environment of the new job could be worse than the existing one. There are other reasons, such as losing seniority, fearing that the decision to leave might go wrong, and going into unknown territory can also result in losing seniority.
There are various different factors that cause work-related stress. According to my long experience in the private sector in Sri Lanka, monotony is one of the most common reasons for job stress.
A long period of engagement in performing the same task causes mental fatigue for a worker. Every working day for such workers is unenthusiastic and tiring.
However, successful companies devise various methods to break this dullness experienced by their staff.
Lack of control over the worker’s own job can also cause stress. In such situations, the employees are not given the authority to make decisions or they are not allowed to influence others’ decisions that affect the job. In some situations, workers feel that they are not provided adequate resources to perform their respective tasks, resulting in boredom.
Undefined or unclear job expectations from superiors can make an employee uncomfortable. When the feeling continues over a period, the employee may not willingly make any extra attempt to perform better. Uncertain expectations, therefore, can have a more negative impact on a business than simply causing stress in employees.
Poorly defined or conflicting job roles in a job cause unclear clarity in job goals and responsibilities and create confusion. A worker can feel threatened when he or she does not understand what the management is expecting from them because such workers cannot know the performance parameters.
Dysfunctional workplace dynamics are another source of stress for workers.
How members of a team interact with each other, how their responsibilities are delegated, and how committed the workers are as a group to a common goal are important elements for a business to be successful.
Good workplace dynamics not only inspire workers to perform better but also have significant effects on their mental and physical wellbeing. Research reveals that flexibility, autonomy, and a sense of ownership drive employee enthusiasm and reduce job-related burnout.
Extremes of activity or overwork affect the mental and physical conditions of workers and create work fatigue. Various research has revealed that overworking is a high-risk factor for occupational burnout.
When an unwilling employee is forced to work extra, the repercussions on performance can be negative in addition to the stress created on the employee. Some workers refuse or show resentment even when incentives are offered for extra work.
Hence, supervisors must be amply aware of the limits an individual can safely achieve at work.
Work-life balance is also one of the key ingredients that creates stress in the job and the whole work environment of an employee. Hence, employees must maintain a healthy work-life balance in the workplace not only to perform but also to be mentally inspired. It is a proven fact that employees that have a healthy work-life balance are more productive, efficient, and motivated.
In the absence of work-life balance, workers are either forced to neglect or disregard other factors such as quality family time, social interactions, rest, and other similar important aspects of life.
They may even become depressed and nervous both at work and at home. Therefore, if consciously not maintained, the work-life imbalance can be detrimental or lethal to both personal lives and workplace performance.
Most often, individual employees either avoid discussing work-life issues with their bosses for fear of misunderstanding. Even if they do, if the superior officer is not an empathetic leader, such sentiments may not be taken into consideration. However, research reveals that leaders with passion and understanding provide the best solution to employee stress.
Companies adopt various methods, such as paid time off, social events, inter-staff competitions, staff picnics, and get-togethers, to reduce job burnout. Some organisations even provide gymnasiums and recreational opportunities, after-hours meditation sessions, club memberships, and other similar entertainment facilities.
To prevent job burnout, modern organisations introduce methods to increase employee engagement targeting individual well-being in addition to the usual employment goals.
Burnout takes place when an employee is demotivated for one or more of the reasons discussed above. Hence, companies resort to efficient employee management to motivate, encourage, and inspire workers. Efficient employee management also enhances employee dedication. Most often, burnout happens when employees lose the drive they need to keep working. Forbes stated that 61% of employees reported burnout on the job, while 31% more reported high levels of workplace stress.
Good organisations train employees at every level of the staff to ensure constant improvement. Managers are given training on how to identify job burnout in the early stages. These trained seniors of the organisation communicate regularly with the identified individuals on a separate platform apart from the standard motivational drives of the organisation. Proper communication creates a work environment that fosters collaboration and effective feedback.
Employees are less likely to become burned out if they feel valued and appreciated for their work. Therefore, communication is one of the most effective tools to reduce burnout. Constant and emphatic appreciation works like a miracle for a burned-out employee. Also, reminding the workers about the benefits of the job is another way to settle down a stressed employee.
As discussed, there are a large number of reasons why employees feel disengaged with their work or employers. The right job for a person creates a state of mind that transforms life as workers engage in work for the majority of their time during the day. Hence, organisations must be conscious of the happiness of employees at work.
To achieve a pleasing workplace culture that promotes the positive mental states of employees, leaders should understand the importance of work-life balance. The work-life balance should also be modelled from the top down. If business owners or senior management take breaks without offering them to the workforce, the employees feel neglected, which leads to burnout.
Therefore, creating a culture of happiness in workplaces will give employees the motivation to continue without giving up. Such a culture also leads to higher levels of performance.