Burnout: a manifestation of chronic stress
“We view burnout as an individual’s issue, but the real problem is that something is out of balance in the workplace,” explains Paula Davis, founder of the Stress and Resilience Institute. “It boils down to too many job demands and too few job resources.”
Burnout is a systemic issue that is based on a variety of factors, including how leaders conduct themselves and how people interact within a team, she said. “Of course, organizations are also under stress from a variety of sources, which include regulations, financial and market conditions. So, the goal is to have a holistic approach to viewing an organization and its interactions and then alleviating burnout.
Davis’ research has found three main causes of burnout …
- High Workload: This is the most common problem; people have too many responsibilities and not enough resources. And they are told that there are no resources to hire more people. While this is a complicated issue, an organization has to understand and address this in a manner that provides some relief.
- Lack of Recognition: While each generation desires different levels of recognition all need some form of recognition.
- Lack of Support: Psychological safety is often the foundation of both resilience and high performance. “The essence of this concept is that a level of trust must be established in a team so that employees feel that they can share information and innovative ideas, in a space where respect is the cornerstone,” she said.
Source: EHS Today
