TL;DR: The Signs and Impact of Burnout

Recognising the signs early is key to avoiding burnout.

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TL;DR Details:

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Link to Post:

Understanding and Avoiding Burnout

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The Signs and Impact of Burnout

Photo by Tara Winstead - source

Two statements that I think are forgotten by some businesses:

1. Burnout is avoidable.

2. Rest and recuperation are critical to continued levels of high performance.

That concept is nowhere near revolutionary. We see this with professional athletes: they train hard, perform to their maximum, then they recover. They know that recovery is as important to top performance as hard work. We need to stop fetishising “hustling” in business, and pretending that “exhaustion” is the measure of a job well done.

So what is burnout? Burnout is defined by the World Health Organisation as [1]:

Burnout as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO)

Burnout is a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterised by three dimensions:

• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;

• increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and

• reduced professional efficacy.

Burnout refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.

Mental Health UK [2] state that the signs of Burnout are:

The signs of burnout - Mental Health UK

• Feeling tired or drained most of the time

• Feeling helpless, trapped and/or defeated

• Feeling detached/alone in the world

• Having a cynical/negative outlook

• Self-doubt

• Procrastinating and taking longer to get things done

• Feeling overwhelmed

When we experience burnout it can often be the start of greater problems, burnout is an escalating situation rather than the end of the matter.

The main issue that I have with the term “burnout” is it makes it seem like such a passive thing; a candle “burns out”, a fire “burns out”, and that’s the end of it. No more issues, the problem has gone away. Right? Wrong.

When you or members of your team burn out, it is pervasive. It’s not a singular explosion – one bang then it’s done – it’s like setting landmines. A single misstep can lead to both an explosion and shrapnel, and the shrapnel can be even more devastating.

So what happens if we leave burnout untreated, and learn to live with the new normal? Short version, it slowly erodes away at who we are and replaces us with someone we probably wouldn’t like if we met.

As an individual we need to be on the look out for the signs of burnout in ourselves, identify when we are starting down the path through the stages, and most importantly ask for help. Whether that help comes from family, friends, or people within the business; we should never be afraid to ask for help.

As a business or team leader you have a duty of care towards your team and their wellbeing – much like a coach has towards their athletes – you need to make sure that you are both minimising the risks of burnout and when your team experience burnout take appropriate actions to help them.

The main article has more details on the signs and stages of burnout as well ways to manage and minimise the risks for yourself and your teams.

GTFYT

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