Notice the signs
Burnout is defined by the World Health Organisation as a syndrome specifically relating to the organisational context and ‘resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed’. People experiencing burnout may feel depleted of energy or exhausted, feel increasingly pessimistic, cynical, or mentally distant from their job, and notice a reduced ability to tackle the challenges of their role effectively. This can result in a downward spiral in which the demands of the role become increasingly overwhelming. Burnout is also a term commonly used in everyday language to describe a broader sense of exhaustion. It may be essential to separate and respond to our tiredness and
Workplace burnout can often impact the most engaged employees and those in caring roles. They reach a tipping point where the resources they have given to their work, such as time, energy, and passion, are outweighed by the resulting tiredness and feelings of ineffectiveness. A found the top five reasons for burnout are:
- Unfair treatment at work
- Unmanageable workload
- Lack of role clarity
- Lack of communication and support from their manager
- Unreasonable time pressure
It is vital to recognise signs of burnout early and intervene in the downward spiral before the causes become even harder to address. Suppose you are experiencing symptoms of tiredness, increasing cynicism or struggling to maintain productivity, or noticing it in your colleagues or team members. In that case, it can help to start asking curious, open questions to learn more about people’s experiences. The page Managing Workplace Stress is designed to help individuals and managers explore and discuss workplace pressure. If you believe you are experiencing unfair treatment, you may wish to look into support for harassment or bullying or seek support from the People Function.
You may also be interested in additional resources on Resilience and Stress Management.