OUTSMARTING BURNOUT

Fatigue is real. Burnout is real. Lethargy is real. The bed calls. The sofa calls. There are yawning and teary eyes all day long.  One goes to bed tired and without an iota of energy left from doing nothing the whole day and one wakes up feeling more tired than ever. However one may call this unexplained feeling of physical and mental exhaustion (at least to the person experiencing burnout), the fact is that many employees do undergo this phase. Employees experience burnout due to a number of reasons, and most of these reasons need to be looked into in detail. 

The company should be aware when their employees fall victim to this predictable but unavoidable conditionand are on the offensive. Nip burnout in the bud! 

THE WARNING SIGNS OF A BURNOUT 

Spaced-out moments. An employee may be in his workstation but is so spaced out that he does nothing and is unproductive. He is dazed and just sits there like a zombie for several minutes. Most of the time, nothing goes on in the minds of a spaced-out employee. The world has momentarily stopped for him. A colleague can snap him out of this stupor but the employee needs to check how often he gets into this state.

Yawning. This is an involuntary action that increases the intake of fresh air and is the body’s response to a lack of oxygen. Yawning causes the heart to pump more oxygen so toxins are flushed out of the blood and there is renewed strength. This is however fleeting and yawning starts again. One study mentioned a long time ago that yawning is contagious and causes a social reaction such that everyone within a safe distance is yawning. So be careful and be aware of who yawns the most. It may be a sign of something else, aside from sleepiness.

Reduced enthusiasm. One young editor writes: “I haven’t been this slow before. Except maybe for my ‘down times’ as a student. I meant delaying some work. I meant slowing down. But what I didn’t mean to do was to not care. To lose interest. To lose passion.” Ignoring the first three signs will unexpectedly lead to reduced interest at work and will surely spill over into other areas. 

Absences or tardiness. Forget about the traffic element. An enthusiastic employee always considers the time factor when preparing for the office. Prolonged absences or habitual tardiness are warning signs that there is something off in an employee’s well-being. He may be aware of the office guidelines but he still chooses to go on leave. Getting out of bed is difficult for him because he felt “empty” or “purposeless” or simply exhausted.

WHERE DOES THIS NEGATIVITY COME FROM?

The reasons for burnout may provide clues on what to do. Outsmarting burnout is possible when one is informed and is aware of the possible sources.

Poor health or diet. We all know about the Go, Grow, and Glow foods from our elementary days, yet we forget about them when we started working. We dismiss our supplements and vegetables because we tell ourselves that we are old enough to NOT take our vitamins and our greens. We skip the most important meal of the day and survive on coffee and cigarettes. This is a big no-no. How can one function well without proper nutrition?  Improper diet greatly contributes to burnout but a physically healthy body will get an employee through the dark days.

Excessive work. One song goes: “Too much love will kill you…” So will work. Karōshi deaths in Japan are a scary phenomenon and it is on the rise. These deaths are caused by stress from work coupled with starvation. Note that work-related suicides are also considered karōshi. Fortunately, this is not common in the Philippines, but the absence of statistics on karōshi does not mean we do not have such incidences locally. 

To counter overwork, consider these tips (Inquirer, 30 September 2018):

• Take short breaks every 90 minutes.
• Combine work and exercise. 
• Leave work in the office.
• Look for a hobby.
• Meditate. 
• Take short naps.
• Sleep early. 

A disconnect between effort and recognition. Employees have the innate desire to impress their colleagues and management through good performances. A disconnect between the effort they put in and the response of management in recognizing these efforts affects the intensity of stress that employees may experience. Affirmation is a human need, it declares the value of someone for something that he did or gave. A constant disregard of employees’ efforts will eventually lead to negative feelings and negative reactions. 

Put these factors all together and employees may experience burnout. It is not a response to one circumstance; it is a play of all factors coming together at the most unfortunate time for employees.

RESPONDING TO BURNOUT

What should employees do? How should the company react? Go back, read the signs, and address them at the earliest time. Intervention at the onset of the signs will do many wonders to the employees and the company. Be aggressive in looking out for those telltale signs that an employee may be on the threshold of getting burnout. 

Once these signs are identified, the company should be prepared to provide venues where the employees can discuss what really affects them. Engage the employees in intimate conversations. Both employees and the company should be able to find ways to specifically tackle the causes.  Excessive work, for example, can be resolved by assigning a work buddy or by reverting the work to a more equipped superior. Company solutions may vary.

The most constructive assistance though would come from trained counselors who can empower the employees, and lead them back to being productive and functional versions.

Disregarding burnout is a costly mistake for both the employees and the company. Always be on the lookout. 

Note: This article was previously released in our The Corporate Magazine’s printed Issue No. 17.