What’s Burnout?
33% of Canadian workers report burnout
Burnout is the negative affect an employee experiences following continuous stress. Often expressed as frustration, fatigue, or apathy, burnout can lead to the need for long absences from work and can have significant consequences on family, relationships, and mental health due to psychological and physiological problems, such as:
- Illness or sleep disturbances
- Alcohol and/or drug use
- Irritability
- Reduced productivity
- Temporary or permanent absence from work
- Disdain toward an employer or job responsibilities
How to Recognize Burnout
Be aware of employees who are showing at least one of the following symptoms:
- Depleted energy or exhaustion
- Cynicism or negativity about their job or employer
- Ineffective personal or professional functioning
Workplace stress costs Canadian employers $22 Billion per year
How to Prevent Burnout
Once you are familiar with how to identify burnout, you can suggest that an employee use one or more of the following techniques before it occurs:
- Practice mindfulness, e.g. deep breathing exercises
- Anchoring, e.g. focus on a physical sensation like pressing two fingers together
- Engage in fun and meaningful activities to enhance their personal life, e.g. volunteering
- Incorporate stress management solutions, e.g. talk with friends and family
- Take a break, e.g. listen to music
Additionally, it’s important to be self-aware to monitor how you’re doing day-to-day. A good way to maintain this is to regularly perform a mental health check by noticing changes in:
- Mood
- Thinking & Attitude
- Behaviour & Performance
- Physical functioning
- Substance use, e.g. alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other substances
As your employees fine-tune their ability to acknowledge their thoughts, feelings, and actions, they will be in an opportune position to pinpoint and correct any behaviours that may contribute to burnout.
Following these tips, you will be better able to provide your organization and its staff with the knowledge they need to be not only productive but also content in their roles. After all, when employees are healthy and stay at work, both their and your jobs are made easier.
