What Is Employee Burnout And How To Prevent It?
A series of harmful physiological, psychological and behavioral reactions, in which the demands of the job are not by the abilities, possibilities, and needs of the individual, can cause employee burnout. Stressed employees who feel pressure and undervalued become anxious. That can lead to a drop in performance and retention rates.
How To Recognize That Employee Burnout Has Occurred?
The symptoms that characterize burnout syndrome can be divided into three categories:
Emotional symptoms: the lack of motivation, fragile self-esteem, self-depreciation, apathy, feeling of isolation, feeling of sadness, and helplessness.
Behavioral symptoms: pessimistic and cynical attitudes, isolation from others, defense mechanism, drop in concentration, family or relationship problems, etc.
Physical symptoms: frequent tiredness and headache, decreased immunity, back or muscle pain, toughness sleeping, eating disorders, etc.
How Can Employers Prevent Burnout At Work?
In ideal conditions, the employer should participate in the prevention of burnout, and not just the employee. Employers should recognize the risks and symptoms of employee burnout and react to organizational changes. This will include a better focus on improving interpersonal relationships and creating a supportive environment.
Helpful also can be a fair distribution of work, the existence of a communication network, the flow of information, reward systems, employee education, the involvement of employees in the decision-making process, etc.
Such changes are not always easy to make, especially in large collectives. So it is necessary to know what each of us can do to prevent or eliminate the symptoms of burnout.
What Can Employees Do To Prevent Burnout At Work?
Handling job burnout is not easy to do and requires a certain period. During this process, you can do the following:
– Slow down and give yourself a time to rest.
– Start the day with relaxing rituals (slowly drink tea or fresh juices, read something you like, listen to music, exercise, go for a walk, etc.
– Develop healthy eating habits, engage in physical activities, and take care of sleep schedule.
– Spend more time with the people you love.
– Set boundaries, learn to say no when you feel overwhelmed.
– Make a selection of obligations and a list of priorities.
– Take a break from technology.
– Take time for yourself and engage in activities that please you.
– Learn and apply stress management techniques.
The above can serve as a tool to prevent the development of this syndrome.
If all this does not lead to improvement, it is necessary to seek the help of a psychotherapist.