Suffering from Work Burnout? How to Get Back on Track

Work burnout is a state of being physically or emotionally exhausted, and it could negatively affect your self-esteem and productivity at your workplace. Although burnout isn’t a medical diagnosis, it can affect your mental and physical health. Unfortunately, burnout is widespread and it can affect the best employees. However, some people learn how to avoid burnout and control it in time.

Of course, working hard to achieve the goals you set is good. But it can affect your well-being. Did you know that working for many hours doesn’t mean you’ll be more productive? Avoiding burnout means maximising the set working hours you have and giving yourself enough time to relax.

Reasons for burnout at work

Here are some of the most common reasons why people suffer from work burnout:

• Unclear work expectations.
• 
  
• Lack of social support.
• Dysfunctional workplace dynamics.
• Work and life imbalance.
• Lack of control-for instance, being unable to influence decisions affecting your job, such as assignments, schedule, and workload.

What are the symptoms of burnout?

It’s possible to suffer from work burnout without knowing. Therefore, it’s essential to understand the symptoms so you can take the right measures to control it before it’s too late. Here are some of the top signs associated with work burnout:

• Lack of enough energy.
• Constant fatigue.
• Memory and concentration problems.
• 
  
• Inability to make decisions.

You may experience any of the above symptoms or even all of them, depending on your level of burnout.

The Consequences of Burnout

Burnout can affect an individual or even a whole organization. On a personal level, you will experience a lot of fatigue and exhaustion. Extreme tiredness will make it harder to be productive at work. One of the sad results that comes from this type of workload and fatigue is depression.

Work comes with a lot of pressure. The pressure can increase when employers want specific duties completed at a specified time. Some working environments are also very toxic and make it hard for you to balance your time and work. Studies show that burnout can lead to depression. Suffering from anxiety and depression can cause you to make weird decisions that can have far-reaching implications in your life. On the other hand, you can easily lose your job since you can’t deliver when you’re fatigued or depressed.

Organizations are also at risk of experiencing the consequences of employee burnout in the following ways:

• Unproductivity—Burned-out employees are less productive, and that means the company will likely not meet its targets at the end of the day. No employee can deliver when fatigued or exhausted.
• Low-quality service delivery—As an employer, you expect your employees to serve your customers diligently and professionally. However, when your employees are suffering from work burnout, they are likely to make professional errors that could affect your service delivery or your company’s reputation. These human errors can also lead to losses.

How to Deal with Burnout—Practical Tips

Now that you understand how dangerous work burnout is, how can you deal with it? There are different ways that you can use to overcome work burnout, but are the most practical ones that you should try out, they include:

1. Look for solutions within your organization

In many cases, work burnout is not only limited to an individual. You might be shocked to realize that the majority of your colleagues at work are also going through the same problem. Talk to your fellow employees to find out if they are experiencing the same burnout as you. If yes, then you have to figure out as a team how you can control the problem.

In case the workload is the cause of burnout, you could all draft a proposal and present it to the management. You may suggest positive solutions that can help in reducing the workload. You can also agree to work as a team so that no one is overwhelmed by the workload. You may even suggest to your boss to hire more employees to boost productivity.

2. Find the meaning in your work

Find the most fulfilling elements of your work and put more effort into that and avoid other parts that you’re not comfortable with. Talk to your supervisor about assigning you duties aligned to your interests and strengths. Undertaking duties that you like prevents you from burnout since you’re enjoying your work.

3. Change your career path

If you’re not enjoying your work, then it’s maybe time to consider your professional life. There’s no need to strain too much trying to deliver, knowing very well you’ve no interest in the work. Look for a job that is self-fulfilling and that you’re passionate about doing. That way, you’ll forget about work burnout.

4. Take breaks at work

Working non-stop is one of the major causes of burnout. Plan your working schedule to include breaks that allow you to relax. Some light refreshments can even boost your morale before getting back to work. Walk around the office and have some little chat with colleagues. By the time you get back to your work, you will be feeling fresh and even motivated to continue working.

Work burnout is very dangerous for your health, and you should always avoid it. Don’t push yourself too hard trying to impress your bosses. Try to work within your limit and enjoy a healthy, happy life.