JOB BURNOUT

Are you able to work well under extreme pressure? This is a question you will almost certainly be asked during an interview for a job you applied for. Workplace pressure varies depending on the job, but most workplace pressure can lead to stress and negatively impact workers’ health. However, in some cases, the source of the stress may not be within the organization where you work.

I once worked for years in a financial institution, primarily in the front office, and as customer service representatives, we were always reminded to leave any worries we were carrying from home at the office door before entering and then pick them up again on our way home.

I recall watching a documentary about a medical doctor who was summoned from his home to attend to an emergency involving a small child in desperate need of a major operation to save his life. The father of the sick child was enraged with the doctor because he was a few minutes late. Although the Doctor was eventually able to save the child’s life, the father of the sick child was unaware that the Doctor was at the burial ceremony of his own child when he was summoned. The Doctor later explained this to him, and he was amazed at the Doctor’s kindness, as well as his ability to perform his duty despite his loss.

The examples above demonstrate that everyone experiences stress at some point in their lives, whether it is external and unrelated to work or internal and related to work, but the combination of both is common.

Although employees face a variety of stressors, a good employer will be able to identify when an employee’s stress is internal (job-related). Workers should also be able to identify what the stressor is and where it is coming from in order to nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand.

Job burnout refers to job-related stress that has gone unaddressed for an extended period of time and has negatively impacted the worker’s physical and emotional state.

Because there will be a derailment in the worker’s behavior, the signs of job burnout are always visible for all to see. These signs are as follows:

– Feeling fatigued frequently at work, even with the smallest effort or task.

– Feeling tired may not always indicate burnout, but when a worker is constantly exhausted, it is time to investigate the source of the exhaustion

– Becoming irritated and snapping at others at will. Being touchy and distancing yourself from tasks, looking for a shortcut to completing tasks at work, bending and breaking set rules and procedures at work, always results in costly mistakes

– Difficulty concentrating.

– Dissatisfied with your professional accomplishments.

– Having trouble staying motivated at work.

– Abusing food or drugs to alleviate exhaustion.

– Constant headaches or other physical ailments at work, but feeling better when not at work.

– Been preoccupied and worried about a task to the point where your sleep has been disrupted.

– Feeling inadequate, having low morale, low self-esteem, and feeling inefficient and incapable of performing a task that was previously a piece of cake.

who is experiencing job burnout will exhibit two or more of the signs listed above, and if not addressed, the situation may deteriorate into a mental health problem.

Why do people get tired of their jobs? Some of the reasons are as follows:

You are not given the opportunity to have a say in job-related decisions, which means you are only to be seen and not heard. You are only to do as you are told, regardless of the circumstances.
Uncomfortable at work due to a lack of understanding of what your superiors expect of you.
Feeling isolated at work due to a lack of social support. Feeling out of place, unnoticed, and isolated.
Having bullies as superiors or coworkers and being the victim of bullying.
When you are expected to perform multiple tasks at the same time, or when you are required to report to more superiors than necessary in order to complete your task, and these superiors have conflicting expectations.
You struggle to balance your work and family life; you lack a social life because you are constantly working and never have time for anything or anyone else.

If you notice any of the signs of job burnout, it is best to address it as soon as possible because it can be very serious; the measures to consider are as follows:

The first step is to identify the burnout symptoms; this will allow you to give the problem a proper name. It’s like having a headache with malaria as the underlying cause, and the headache is just a sign that something is wrong with your system. Stress is a significant symptom.

Once you’ve identified the symptom, develop a plan for dealing with it. Begin by speaking with a colleague or your superior; unfortunately, most employers don’t recognize the signs of burnout and may dismiss the victims as lazy. In this case, you might want to talk to some of your coworkers who are going through the same thing so you can all come up with a plan or solution together. You may eventually need to speak with your employer so that this is handled together, as the issue will eventually affect the organization’s turnover.

If you work alone and do not report to anyone, you can easily evaluate the situation and come up with solutions. These solutions may not be instant, but they may be small changes over time that show that you are making progress.

“Burnout is nature’s way of telling you you’ve been going through the motions your soul has departed.” — Sam Keen

Sources

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-prevent-and-cope-with-job-burnout-11611696061

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642