Every organisation deals with employee burnout. Burnout is a state of mental and physical exhaustion that can zap the joy out of your career, friendships, and family interactions. Burnout isn’t always easy to spot. Here are some tips from The Recruitment Alternative on how to avoid burnout at work.
What Is Burnout?
There are several types of burnout that can happen to employees. Two interesting definitions of burnout are quoted below:
“A state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by long term involvement in emotionally demanding situations.” – Ayala Pines and Elliot Aronson.
“A state of fatigue or frustration brought about by devotion to a cause, way of life, or relationship that failed to produce the expected reward.” – Herbert J. Freudenberger.
Anyone can become exhausted. What is so important about burnout, is that it mainly strikes people who are highly committed to their work.
The Warning Signs
Some warning signs to look out for in yourself and even those around you are:
- Having a negative and critical attitude at work and dread going
- Having trouble sleeping and having feelings of emptiness
- Experiencing physical complaints such as headaches or illness
- Being easily irritated by team members or clients
- Feeling that your work and contribution goes unrecognized
- Having low energy, and little interest at work
- Blaming others for your mistakes
- You’re thinking of quitting or changing roles
How to Avoid Burnout
When feelings of burnout start to occur, it is important not to ignore them. Many people focus on short-term solutions such as taking a holiday or a long weekend. While this can help, the relief is often only temporary. Here are some ideas on how to change strategies to avoid burnout where possible:
- Work with purpose – Do you feel that your career has a purpose, other than just earning a paycheck? Rediscover your purpose and refocus your priorities
- Job analysis – Stop or delegate unnecessary work
- Take control – Actively manage your time and use technology such as Asana to help keep you on track
- Recognise the signs – Learn how to manage your own stress. We all respond to stress differently. When you start to feel this coming on you could, take a short walk, practise deep breathing, ask for help from a supervisor, speak with a counsellor, re-organise, etc.
- Create realistic goals – Goal setting is important it can help you grow in your career as well as manage burnout
- Get enough sleep – It may feel worth it to watch one more episode on Netflix but a restful night’s sleep can make the world of difference in preventing burnout
For more tips and advice check out our ’job seeker help centre’ or ‘Employer Information’ section on our website. The Recruitment Alternative operates Australia and New Zealand wide. Across Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, etc. If you would like to find out more about our services, contact us today on 1300 548 546.
