Are you on the brink of burnout? Take action before it takes over

First of all, what is burnout? The World Health Organization defines burnout as a syndrome that results from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. While it’s not classified as a medical condition, it’s characterised by three dimensions:

extreme fatigue that does not go away with rest;
lack of motivation; feelings of cynicism around one’s job;
reduced professional efficacy.

In a workplace burnout survey carried out by Deloitte, a staggering 77% of respondents said that they had experienced burnout at their current job. Left unaddressed, burnout can have serious consequences, not only on your career, but on your overall quality of life.

What causes burnout?

The condition is thought to be a result of accumulated mental and physical pressure caused by too many demands on one’s time and energy. There is no common threshold over which every person will become burnt out; it is a rather individual issue, as everyone perceives and reacts to life’s happenings differently.

The following have been identified as precursors to burnout:

Lack of control over one’s workload. Heavy workloads are an obvious condition for burnout. However, it is not simply ‘too much work’ that leads us to breaking point; it’s the feeling of helplessness that accompanies the realisation that we aren’t equipped to deal with the load, for reasons that are out of our control. This is the case with organisations that perpetuate an ‘always in crisis’ mentality, or those that have consciously downsized and expect workers to take on more and more tasks.

No sense of reward. The sentiment ‘do what you love, and it won’t feel like work’ is true. We work for many reasons beyond the monthly paycheck, but too much work for too little pay is a surefire recipe for burnout. The same goes for lack of any other acknowledgement or appreciation of one’s contribution to an organisation, which leads to feelings of resentment.

Toxic work environment. Toxicity is a broad term, but it is most frequently associated with interpersonal relationships. Work takes up a significant part of our time and is closely connected to our sense of personal identity. Therefore, spending one third of the day with people and situations that stir negative emotions will take a toll on our mental health, affecting also our ability to deal with the day-to-day difficulties of the job.

No time to burn

So, how do you avoid hitting the wall?

Recognising the red flags is the first step. Once you have done so, here’s a list of action points:

Be decisive in managing your workload. Recognise and work on your own shortcomings (procrastination? lack of planning?), and say no when you need to.
Take regular breaks: short ones throughout the working day, and longer ones in the form of an off-the-grid holiday where you completely disconnect from work.
Have a life outside of the office: keep up that hobby, play that sport, enjoy just ‘being’ instead of always ‘doing’.
Finally, rest assured that it’s not a personal failure if you find that you aren’t feeling good in a particular work situation. Brush up your skills if you need to and go after that opportunity that will tick all the boxes for you, both professionally and personally.

Feeling overwhelmed by constant overlaps in your personal and professional life? Read our tips in the article Striking the right balance between work and personal time.

EU-OSHA: E-guide to managing stress and psychosocial risks

EU-OSHA: Understanding and preventing worker burnout

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