Understanding and Addressing Burnout in High-Stress Professions
Burnout has become a growing concern in high-stress professions as it affects employees’ mental and physical health and wellbeing. Productivity at work suffers as a result of burnout, too. Unfortunately, workplace burnout is still poorly understood. This article aims to change that. In this post, you’ll learn more about burnout in high-stress professions, how to recognize it, and what to do about the symptoms you experience.
Table of Contents
What is burnout?
Burnout is a type of work-related stress that hasn’t been successfully managed. World Health Organization (WHO) explains that the term burnout refers primarily to phenomena in an occupational context and shouldn’t be used to describe stressful experiences in other aspects of life.
The American Psychological Association reports that employees who experience workplace burnout have a 57% increased risk of workplace absence greater than two weeks. They also have a 180% elevated risk of depression, 84% higher risk of type 2 diabetes, and are 40% more likely to develop high blood pressure.
Burnout in high-stress professions may impair short-term memory, attention, and other cognitive abilities necessary for daily work activities. Consequences of workplace burnout affect the organization or company, not just the person who’s experiencing the symptoms.
Examples of high-stress professions include education, first responders, law and law enforcement, social work, medicine, military, and finances. People who work in these professions are exposed to high levels of stress every day. When all that stress is not managed properly, they risk experiencing burnout.
Symptoms of burnout
Burnout is characterized by a wide range of symptoms that negatively affect a person’s job satisfaction and overall quality of life. Signs of burnout in high-stress professions include:
Feeling insecure about the value of your work
Procrastinating and difficulty concentrating
Energy depletion and exhaustion
Lack of motivation and reduced decision-making abilities
Feeling detached from job and colleagues
Reduced productivity
Increased irritability or losing patience with coworkers, clients, or customers
Reduced job satisfaction
Feeling let down by your job
Doubting own skills and abilities
Using food, drugs, or alcohol to cope
Change in sleep habits
Increased absenteeism
Physical effects such as headaches, stomach and bowel problems, and weakened immune system
Causes of burnout in high-stress professions
A single cause of workplace burnout doesn’t exist, multiple factors play a role. In most cases, a combination of different factors causes burnout in high-stress professions. The most common causes of workplace burnout are listed below:
Lack of control: evidence shows that burnout may result from long-term uncontrolled work stressors. People may experience burnout due to having no say in workload and schedule.
Heavy workload: overwork is one of the biggest causes of burnout because it leads to chronic stress, weight changes, exhaustion, pain, and sleep deprivation.
Unrealistic expectations: sometimes, the lack of clarity about what’s expected from you can lead to burnout. The same happens when people in high-stress professions have unrealistic expectations regarding their jobs or roles in the company, regardless of the size.
Conflicts with other people: a toxic environment is a major contributor to burnout. Dealing with bullies can be particularly stressful, especially when you feel like other coworkers offer no support. Sometimes conflicts with the supervisor or manager can cause burnout too.
Impaired work-life balance: professionals in high-stress jobs may experience burnout due to the inability to balance work-related commitments and life. This goes hand in hand with heavy workload and lack of flexibility.
Lack of recognition: everyone likes to be appreciated for the work they do. The absence of reward or recognition for hard work may pave the way to burnout in high-stress professions. That happens because people lose their sense of value and don’t feel good about themselves.
Unfairness: experiencing injustice at work can take its toll on a person’s mental health and contribute to burnout. Some examples include favoritism, bias, unfair compensation or corporate policies, and mistreatment by supervisors or managers.
Addressing burnout in high-stress professions
Burnout may wreak havoc on a person’s health and well-being but also takes its toll on a company’s productivity and efficiency. While the consequences of workplace burnout are serious, the problem is treatable. Employers and employees alike can address burnout successfully in many ways.
For example, employers can periodically measure through systematic surveys whether burnout is affecting employees or team members. They can also keep track of workload and encourage people to take time off. It’s also important for employers to make sure that team members have access to mental health resources and to evaluate their policies and practices to offer more support and flexibility.
People who work in high-stress professions may want to prioritize self-care in order to improve both physical and mental well-being. They also have the freedom to set boundaries and speak up when they feel that the workload is too heavy or deadlines are unfairly tight. Moreover, it’s useful to establish healthy relationships with friends, family, and coworkers in order to reduce stress.
In order to address burnout successfully, it’s essential to learn as much as possible about this problem and its consequences. This is necessary for advocating with employers to recognize burnout as a serious issue. Doing so can help foster a culture of well-being based on trust and open discussions.
Professional development opportunities may improve job satisfaction and thereby reduce burnout. In other words, successful management of burnout in high-stress professions calls for simple, but powerful changes that employers and employees can make.
Conclusion
Workplace burnout is not uncommon, affecting millions of people around the globe. People who work in high-stress professions are particularly susceptible to burnout, which is why it’s important to learn all the causes and signs of this problem. The good news is that burnout is treatable with simple tweaks and adjustments that employers and employees can make. The key to managing burnout is to get educated on its root causes and consequences. Setting boundaries, creating a positive atmosphere, and setting reasonable workloads and work hours can be of huge help in managing burnout.
References
https://www.apa.org/topics/healthy-workplaces/workplace-burnout
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642