Burnout is something we’ve all either experienced before or will experience one day. It’s in the bone-deep exhaustion at the thought of work; and the Sunday night dread leading to Monday morning blues. But it really shouldn’t be that way.
If you or your employees are repeatedly getting burned out, it’s time to pay attention. Because burnout acts as a signal to employees and employers: It highlights that something needs to change. Pronto.
It could be about fundamental work process flaws, weak feedback or communication loops, unrealistic expectations being set… Or it could simply be that individuals don’t know when to—or whether they can—slow down and stop.
By recognizing the signs and causes of burnout, you’ll be better able to spot it in yourself, your colleagues, or your teams. And, most importantly, you’ll be able to take preventive action.
What is burnout and why is it a concern?
Burnout is a psychological response to chronic work stress, and it’s characterized by feelings of exhaustion. Burnout isn’t high-intensity like stress; it’s closer to feeling depleted—having the joy sucked out of work and personal time.
According to the World Health Organization, there are three dimensions to burnout:
Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
Increased mental distance from, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to, one's job
A sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment
Essentially, burnout reduces your ability—and, notably, your desire—to do your job. People experiencing burnout are less productive, less creative, more disengaged, and more likely to fall into absenteeism.
Burnout is not just depression by another name. Studies find that there’s a clear distinction between the two, though they’re not mutually exclusive. Burnout is work-focused and results in feelings of resentment directed outward towards the workplace or job, rather than inwards towards the self.
But individuals suffering from burnout may show signs of depression, feeling as though their perceived work struggles reflect on their personal capabilities and success. The result: they lose interest in things that they’d otherwise enjoy.
Causes of burnout
Lots of things can lead to burnout. Some of the more common paths to burnout are:
Unclear job expectations or moving targets
A conveyor belt of work with no sense of achievement
Unhealthy workplace dynamics—such as perceived unfairness, bullying, discrimination, or a lack of opportunity
Lack of support or recognition
Work-life imbalances
Monotonous work
Lack of mental wellness practices: insufficient sleep, breaks, diet, exercise, etc.
You might be experiencing burnout if you :
become increasingly cynical or critical about your workplace or job.
feel listless or unmotivated in your work.
no longer put effort into your work and just go through the motions.
constantly long for the weekend, even early in the week.
feel overwhelmingly tired deep down, for no obvious reason.
fail to get any satisfaction from achievements.
find yourself leaning on unhealthy coping mechanisms to ‘fill the gap’, such as compulsive eating or drinking.
Chasing away (and preventing) burnout
There are several schools of thought about how to reverse and prevent burnout. But they all agree that you’ll know you’re heading in the right direction when you experience more energy, greater engagement, and improved performance at work.
So, how can you get yourself or your team to this point?
On a personal level :
Try to regain perspective. Big responsibilities and a heavy workload can lead to you feeling crushed down. If you feel yourself becoming listless at the thought of tackling a seemingly insurmountable mountain, take a time-out to mentally step back.
This will let you take stock of what needs to be done and split things into manageable, less intimidating tasks.
Learn to say ‘no’ constructively. Your boss or colleagues won’t know you’re approaching breaking point if you don’t say so. It’s not a bad thing to say no to work that you can’t fit into your schedule—and by saying no early, you can manage expectations and keep yourself from drowning.
These don’t have to be difficult conversations. The goal is constructive assertiveness rather than negative aggression.
Remember to take breaks. This can’t be emphasized enough. Even with a deadline bearing down on you, take regular breaks to reset yourself, have a stretch, get a coffee, or do a meditation or breathing session. (We have some great meditation sessions in the Calm app—check them out!)
It may seem counterintuitive, but these little lulls act like commas in your day, and they help to dispel any tensions that might be building up.
Manage your expectations for yourself. Expecting the same output from yourself every day regardless of external factors or disruptions is unreasonable and a recipe for burnout.
Be gentle with yourself, and allow for slower days. Nobody can be all go all the time. Not every day will be perfect—and that’s fine.
Reconnect with the purpose and satisfaction in what you do. It’s easy to get burned out if you can’t see the bigger picture—if you lose sight of how your work makes an impact. Get back in touch with why you do what you do. Find reasons to be excited again.
If you’re having trouble finding that in your current work, try working on something a bit different; the change of pace might be exactly what you need.
Re-establish your social connections. People need people—but, when working from home, a lot of your usual go-to socializing opportunities may have disappeared. Put socialization back into your diary by setting virtual coffee dates with friends and colleagues, and calling your family and friends.
Talk to someone. If you’re experiencing or approaching burnout, don’t stay silent. Reach out to someone. Burnout can be a very lonely place, but you don’t need to go it alone.
At an organizational level :
Guide employees to self-check tools. Diagnosing whether or not there is (or might soon be) an issue is the first step. This could be something as simple as a questionnaire designed to help people assess whether they might be suffering from burnout.
The Maslach Burnout Inventory is the current gold-standard of burnout measures. MindTools also offers a handy free burnout self-test.
Regularly check in with your people. Make sure there are ways for employees to speak up if they feel overwhelmed or unhappy at work, and be sure to do something if individuals bring something up.
Early detection and intervention means less risk of burnout spreading through the team.
Give recognition, but for the right reasons. Be sure to acknowledge work well done—but don’t do it in a way that encourages unhealthy habits (such as by rewarding people who consistently work late or similar).
Offer mental wellness tools to support well-being. Mental wellness platforms like Calm are designed to help individuals regulate their mental well-being through meditation, relaxation, and learning.
By offering these resources to your employees, you equip them with the tools they need to find their own peace and improve their mental resilience (which will make them less susceptible to burnout and stress).
If burnout is a concern, we particularly recommend listening to our masterclass on The Power of Rest, which explores how to balance work and rest effectively to avoid burnout.
Give space for people to take the breaks they need. Sometimes people get burned out because they simply aren’t getting out from behind the computer enough.
Nobody wins when employees aren’t allowed to take fifteen minutes when they need to. By allowing for flexibility, your employees will be able to find a work pattern that works well for them and that will keep them at their best.
Keep employees engaged and excited about their work. Try to show the ways their work is contributing to a bigger, more amazing outcome. Or talk about how exciting the client base is, and how you’re all coming together to do something special.
If your employees remember that they’re doing something worth being enthused about, they’re less likely to succumb to burnout.
Burnout is something that we all go through at some point, but it’s not unmanageable. By understanding how it happens and recognizing the signs, you can flag problem situations early and take steps to prevent burnout from setting in.
Work burnout is definitely a common thing and can lead to depression.