Here's what burnout looks like at work

Managing longer workdays and more responsibilities are causing burnout in many employees.

Burnout has many consequences, but stress can manifest itself through illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, coronary heart disease, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory problems, depression and insomnia. (Photo: Krakenimages.com/Adobe Stock)

The last several years have offered a college-level course in adapting and ingenuity regarding our work and personal lives. As businesses, families, teachers, healthcare workers and others adjusted to the ever-evolving world of the pandemic, we developed new skills and shouldered a variety of responsibilities as our home and work environments changed or melded together and other events affected our quality of life. This reality has created a greater risk of stress and burnout to the point that the World Health Organization has recognized them as hazards.

In her presentation at the IASA Xchange Conference in Baltimore, Md., Cathy Ellwood, founder of Ellwood Enterprises, shared why it was critical to start thinking about burnout in our teams before it’s too late. “It’s a bigger problem than we realize,” she said.

Employees are working longer days while balancing their personal lives. The number of virtual meetings has grown exponentially and “zoom” fatigue is setting in for many. The great resignation is also forcing companies to do more with far fewer personnel resources. This, in turn, places more stress on the remaining workers.

Ellwood highlighted three reasons why employees leave a job:

  1. A toxic work culture — this is the personality of an organization and how they get things done.
  2. Low salary — it’s not so much about being paid the highest as it is about being paid fairly.
  3. Bad management — this can include people being promoted who don’t deserve it, not letting people work remotely because a manager doesn’t trust them or not having flexible remote work options.

Burnout has many consequences, but stress can manifest itself through illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, coronary heart disease, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory problems, depression and insomnia. Ellwood said that people who work over 55 hours per week increase their risk of having a stroke by 35% and there is a 17% chance of dying from a heart attack.

 Recognizing burnout

Individuals suffering from burnout are often more cynical or negative, may have an increased sensitivity to feedback, may be more negative about their job and more prone to alcohol or drug use, have difficulty concentrating and show a lack of interest in others.

“The impact of burnout on organizations are increased costs, increased turnover, decreased productivity, increased mistakes, poor customer service, reduced revenue and disengaged employees,” she observed.

If a manager or team leader experiences burnout, it can be difficult to help others, so it is critical to recognize the signs and address them. Ellwood highlighted several elements of burned-out teams:

She also offered three tools for helping to assess burnout in employees:

Preventing burnout

The good news is that leaders can develop skills to help them avoid burnout. These include:

Ellwood also focused on 10 competencies individuals can utilize to avoid personal burnout.

  1. Self-awareness — Do we know if we’re burned out? How do we come across?
  2. Problem-solving — What is required to solve a problem? What do I need to do to identify and fix it?
  3. Communicating — Consider the message, mindset and medium. You must develop the ability to communicate effectively.
    1. Message — What is the message I want my boss to get?
    2. Mindset — What do I want my boss to perceive? What do I want him or her to do? E.g., reduce the workload, change deliverables. Have options and choices for them to consider.
    3. Medium — The medium you use is critical. A text or email will not convey information as effectively as personal communications.
  4. Managerial Courage — Find opportunities to test your managerial courage. Speak up for the team. Share good news and bad news. As your managerial courage grows, you’ll feel more comfortable speaking up.
  5. Influencing Others — Build a relationship with them and build trust. People are willing to work with you because they trust you. It’s about doing things for others without any expectation of someone doing something for you.
  6. Priority Setting — Effectively set priorities. Too often, when you have too many priorities, they aren’t aligned with what the company needs.
  7. Planning – Plan the work, work the plan — How much time will it really take for a project? Consider interruptions and the number of days it will take. Track the actual vs. the estimated number of hours to complete a project.
  8. Manage yourself — If you can’t manage your own time, you will get burned out.
  9. Expect the unexpected – 20% of your time is spent on things you don’t think about, and every time we get interrupted, it takes 20 minutes to get back into the ‘zone’.
  10. Work-life balance — This is your responsibility. No one cares about your efforts as much as you should.

“Burnout can affect anyone, of any age, any gender or any position within a company,” cautioned Ellwood. “It is stressful for everyone.”

Ellwood offered several strategies to help prevent burnout in teams and individuals.

  1. Know the stages of burnout and figure out where you are on the spectrum.
  2. Watch the basics — Make sure to eat, sleep & exercise. You need at least seven hours of sleep a night.
  3. Understand your triggers.
  4. Manage expectations.
  5. Set and communicate boundaries — Establish and stick to boundaries for work schedules and respect others’ boundaries.
  6. Improve your communication skills. Communicate more with bosses and peers.
  7. Manage expectations — Yesterday’s standards may no longer work in today’s environment.
  8. Avoid texting and calling after hours. Only do this in an emergency.
  9. Reduce unneeded meetings, have an agenda and ask others if the meeting is necessary.
  10. Use Zoom filters to protect your privacy during meetings.
  11. Start and end meetings on time because it shows respect for the individual(s) you’re meeting with.
  12. Prioritize self-care — Don’t be afraid to get help. Let your boss know if you’re going through something difficult and don’t be afraid to invest in mental health care.

The pandemic changed many aspects of daily life. It allows people into our homes through remote work. Workdays have become longer and blended into our personal lives, explained Ellwood. “Burnout is a disease, and sooner or later, it will have a physiological impact on you.”

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