What Is Employee Burnout (and How to Prevent It)?
Employee burnout has become a common concern in the corporate world. It has led to lower productivity, higher absenteeism, and an overall decline in team performance. Many people feel overwhelmed and buckle up under the pressure of highly stressful jobs. The constant need to stay productive often causes these individuals to crash and burn.
Lack of support for mental health in the workplace and rigid routines are leading causes of job burnout.
According to Deloitte, 50% of millennials quit jobs because of work stress. The survey revealed that being passionate about projects and career isn’t enough. You need healthier routines to cope with the pressure of this fast-paced and competitive world.
You can only do that when you recognize the problem and have sufficient resources to deal with it.
What are some common signs of job burnout?
When you max out, work anxiety and stress take over as you fail to complete the easiest task. Alternatively, mental health issues might be why you can’t perform well at work. Procrastination, lack of concentration, sleep deprivation, and depression are other symptoms of burnout.
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance can help you get your mojo back.
This article explores the causes of employee burnout and ways to prevent it.
The Basics: What Is Employee Burnout?
Experts from Mayo Clinic define burnout as “physical or emotional” fatigue caused by chronic work stress. Due to this, you might be unable to work as well as you used to. It can create a sense of self-doubt and worthlessness if the situation doesn’t change.
Job burnout can become a persistent problem when employees don’t have autonomy or opportunities to grow. Work-life imbalance, toxic culture, and monotonous routines are interrelated causes of burnout.
The reasons for frequent this feeling vary, but they all stem from the outdated mindset that professionalism means “putting work first.” You may adopt this strategy to please supervisors or your inner perfectionist.
Luckily, many companies are working towards a corporate culture shift to prevent the rise of employee burnout. Recognizing the main workday stressors helps them create a counter strategy to reduce risks.
Here are the top reasons employees feel overwhelmed at work:
A Lack of Autonomy
Employee autonomy promotes independence, accountability, and interest in work. The lack of control over work schedules and projects can cause disengagement.
For instance, rigid schedules can force you to overwork on days you aren’t feeling well. Alternatively, you might lose motivation when you have no say in the type of projects and teams you’re assigned. Pending deadlines, unclear objectives, and miscoordination add to the pressure.
Delays might also arise when micromanagers create unnecessary hurdles. They might ask you to send regular updates and wait for approvals. Their overly critical remarks can leave seeds of self-doubt and feeling of worthlessness in your mind.
An overwhelming workload and nit-picky supervisor can tire you out quickly.
A Toxic Workplace Environment
Workplace dynamics impact professional performance. It’s why a dysfunctional corporate culture can become one of the leading causes of employee burnout.
The term dysfunctional here covers multiple aspects of organizational operations.
It can include corporate policies, social behavior, and non-inclusivity.
An article on CNBC surveyed toxic work culture traits by reviewing employee reviews on Glassdoor. Understanding why people quit made identifying what triggered their job burnout easier.
Here’s what ex-employees said made their workplace not so great:
Systematic racism is experienced in the way managers reward and treat employees from marginalized backgrounds
Gender inequality is visible through pay scale and promotions of women vs. men working at the same designation
Workplace harassment in the form of gaslighting, bullying, emotional abuse, and narcissistic behavior by team leads/supervisors
Disrespect and intolerance of cultural/religious differences in diverse teams
Unethical corporate policies that go against Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard
Overall, these are factors that affect your mental and emotional well-being. Working in a company that doesn’t reward your efforts or potential can be taxing, resulting in job burnout sooner rather than later.
A Monotonous Routine
Do you feel like your life’s caught in a loop?
Many 9 to 5 employees begin to disengage from work when every day starts feeling the same. Working on a high volume of projects mindlessly can create that disconnect. It happens when the tasks assigned do not challenge your intellectual and creative competency.
If you repeatedly perform the same duty for different projects, your work can become robotic. Over time, you lose the motivation to complete the assigned tasks. You also see your skill growth and potential diminish.
Managers focus on churning work out instead of challenging employees to push their team into autopilot mode. In these cases, employees start delivering substandard work after losing interest in their job.
A Work-Life Imbalance
When you work around the clock, you leave no time and energy for self-care or socialization. The Deloitte survey cited above states that 1 in 4 employees do not take sick leaves or vacation days.
The work culture conditions them into prioritizing work before wellbeing. Some may think they don’t need a day off and consider the title of being a workaholic a badge of honor.
Unknowingly the lack of personal time causes burnout.
That’s because busy schedules can mean:
Skipped meals
Sleep deprivation
Isolation from loved ones
Sedentary lifestyle and poor physical health
An increase in stress-induced chronic health problems (like high blood pressure, weight gain, gastrointestinal issues)
The lack of social support and a healthy routine leads to long-term health issues. Due to this, you don’t have the stamina or mental capacity to take on more workload. Consequently, causing job burnout to accelerate.
Quitting seems the easiest solution to counter the effects of this one-sided work-life dynamic.
That said, employees and employers that catch onto the problem can take preventive measures to evade risks.
Mental Health at Work: How to Beat Employee Burnout?
Thoughtful leadership and self-awareness can reduce employee burnout. Companies must promote an open dialogue about mental health issues, and provide counseling, and wellness benefits. Inclusive workplace policies and championing individual effort are other ways to beat burnout.
VeryWell Mind encourages businesses to create team models that support a healthier work-life balance. Offering one on one support to struggling employees can prove effective. Flexible schedules, wellness benefit programs, and better appraisals can make this change more holistic.
Here are some ideas workplaces can adopt to counter job burnout:
Talk about Mental Health at Work
More than ever, teams are experiencing employee burnout because of the traumatic effects of the pandemic. People are dealing with grieving families, financial instability, health issues, and a looming economic crisis.
Personal life and professional life are interconnected. One impacts the other during a crisis which is why we need better work-life balance. Yet, most employees try to power through because they feel uncomfortable about taking a mental health break.
Working when distressed impact professional performance and making them vulnerable to a nervous breakdown.
Addressing the elephant in the room, aka the importance of mental health, can minimize risks. One can do this by extending support to struggling employees. Creating flexible schedules, offering counseling services, and providing mental health breaks can help.
In addition, you can call in guest speakers and have group discussions about these issues to alleviate the stigma. It gives individuals the confidence to ask for help when necessary.
More importantly, changing corporate policies to penalize hostile behavior, discrimination, and bullying can also cultivate a healthier workplace environment.
Make Employees Feel Valued
Employers are quick to award top performers, forgetting the remaining team. Those that perform equally well may feel dejected when only leaders receive praise. Acknowledging individual success can help employees feel appreciated.
One can do this by:
Sending positive feedback based on project performance
Scheduling annual or bi-annual appraisals based on individual performance
Hosting award shows to recognize talent and inspire others to strive for the same
Thanking employees with monthly corporate dinners and recreational activities
In short, pat on the back, team applause, and compliments go a long way in boosting team morale and self-confidence.
Adopt a Growth Mindset
Awards and wellness programs are only part of the equation. The other part requires organizations to recognize a need for change. Empower employees with leadership development training, skill-based workshops, and educational opportunities.
Investing in their personal and professional development makes work more meaningful. Employees will feel excited about learning something new and expanding their expertise. Business opportunities like participating in conferences and trade shows can prove equally beneficial.
Final Words: Don’t Let Your Team Burnout
Job burnout can be a touchy subject, but it’s crucial to address it before your high-performing workers quit. Identify leading causes of employee burnout to plan an actionable intervention. Move beyond wellness programs and adopt a holistic approach to deal with these issues.
A positive workplace environment, constructive feedback, and skill-based training programs can promote job satisfaction. However, it’s only one part of the “happy employee equation.” Intuitive managers must support healthier work-life balance by giving employees more control. Flexible schedules, project autonomy, and personal benefits are some ways to get started.
Feeling frustrated and maxed out? Read our stress management guides and mindfulness tips