Burnout

Overdeveloped work habits and underdeveloped emotional support
systems can cause stress, which leads to burnout.

What is burnout?

Burnout is a familiar term these days: it's the physical or emotional exhaustion that results from long-term stress or frustration. Chronic fatigue is a major symptom of burnout: one feels physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted. Behaviourally, the burnout worker becomes cynical, indifferent and increasingly ineffective in the job.

According to Herbert J. Freudenberger, the New York psychologist who coined the term in 1972, burnout describes a specific condition. It is an emotional state characterized by an overwhelming and enduring feeling of exhaustion or aggravation. Burnout is a condition that develops gradually as the person's creativity and effectiveness erode into fatigue, scepticism and an inability to function productively.

Who is at blame for burnout?

Traditionally, the worker is the one who gets the blame but research shows that the cause of burnout lies mainly in current economic trends, the use of technology and management philosophy within organizations. Driven by global competition and the demands of bottom-line profits, corporations are cashing in their human assets for short-term stock performance.

Is your management using:

• tighter controls to achieve short-term gains?
• deadlines that are overwhelming?
• intensive workloads?
• work demands taking more time with more complexity?

Burnout is costly to both the individual and the organization!

For the individual, burnout can lead to poor decision-making and a drop in work quality, productivity and morale. Studies show that the individuals most likely to develop burnout are well educated, self-motivated and attracted to demanding jobs where the risks and rewards are high. This person is also the type who enjoys fostering change and adds value to a business.

For the organization, costs include higher medical costs, increased employee turnover and higher absenteeism. (It is estimated that in the United States more than half of the 550 million working days lost each year to absenteeism are stress-related.)

"I recently retained Lynne as my success coach and after only 4 sessions, I’m already seeing and feeling a positive difference. One of my challenges we are focusing on is TIME MANAGEMENT. I am already more consciously aware of how I am using my time, especially in my evenings and weekends. I was feeling like I’m spinning my wheels, getting a whole lot of nothing done, then left feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. Lynne makes ME accountable to ME, and in return, I’m seeing and feeling the results and being so much more productive while balancing ME time! I look forward to every Monday morning now, because I know I will be having my coaching session with Lynne, and what better way to tackle my upcoming week!" Lisa Kingston, Ontario — March 14, 2005

And if the organization is entrepreneurial, all the risks, burdens and intense focus cause stress, which afflicts most business owners. Entrepreneurs seem to be recognizing their problems by connecting with personal coaches, psychiatrists and therapists who specialize in counselling business leaders. Interest in entrepreneurial angst is growing among scholars, academics and foundations who are beginning to consider the personal toll of running a company.

What can be done about burnout?

Workers and management must collaborate to attack the problem. Management should focus on preventive measures, improve overall human resource management, communicate clearly and provide support. Rather than suffering from exhaustion, cynicism and ineffectiveness, workers in a healthy workplace experience energy, involvement and increased productivity.