Burnout, a term quite used lately in our country, is not a new phenomenon, but with the onset of the pandemic it has intensified. Known as burnout syndrome, this can be described as a state of both physical and mental exhaustion that overwhelms the employee, usually after he or she has been exposed to severe stress for a long time.

Usually, the most exposed to burnout are high-performing employees, whose productivity may decrease even by over 80% as a result of exhaustion, which will cost the employer extremely expensive.

What is actually burnout

Burnout means exhaustion, both physical and mental, of the employee. This condition usually sets in after a long period of stress, in which the employee felt overwhelmed and lacking in any motivation.

If an employee lacks energy and satisfaction, he’s no longer productive, he finds it difficult to concentrate and he’s disappointed in what he has to do, then it is clear that he’s going through a period of exhaustion.

The good news is that an employee can overcome this period if he makes a few changes in his life. In some cases, it may be necessary for him to discharge certain tasks or to change his position within the company, but there are also cases when only a new job can put an end to this condition.

According to a study conducted by Human Performance Development International, which was achieved just before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, 8% of romanian employees were facing burnout syndrome at that time and 25% of employees were on the verge of burnout. Therefore, this phenomenon is a problem that is becoming more and more pronounced, and company leaders need to take this as seriously as possible.

Factors that contribute to employee burnout

1. Unclear requirements

When the job description is not clearly presented to the employee and his tasks are constantly changing and difficult to understand, meaning that the expectations from him are unclear, the stress factor occurs. Thus, only 60% of employees know exactly what is expected of them, and the remaining 40% become exhausted when they simply try to figure out what they should do.

2. Impossible requirements

The responsibilities of an employee must be consistent with the time required to fulfill them as well as with the employee’s performance. In order to complete a list of tasks, a realistic deadline must be estimated from the beginning. When a task becomes difficult to manage, even the most optimistic employees will feel overwhelmed and will no longer be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, which quickly leads to exhaustion.

3. Persistence of extremely busy periods

In many jobs, employees face periods when the workload is extremely high. If these episodes alternate with periods when tasks can be completed without extra effort, it is not a major risk, but when overloading becomes normal and it is present throughout the year, employees do not have time to recover, which can lead to a state of exhaustion.

4. Lack of recognition

For most employees, gaining recognition for their work and effort is extremely important. Both verbal appreciation and bonuses or other things that indicate the recognition of an achievement clearly contribute to maintaining a high morale. Lack of recognition demotivates the employee, who accumulates frustrations over time.

5. Lack of communication

Internal communication has a very important role for any employee. Even if it seems hard to believe, all the problems exposed above can be exacerbated by poor communication.

6. Lack of support

The support of the direct manager has a major influence on the employees’ state of mind. Employees who feel supported by their manager are much less likely to feel stressed at work and to suffer from burnout.

7. Unfair treatment

Also, the unfair treatment felt by some employees at work represent a stress factor, so those who feel treated unfairly at work are three times more likely to experience a high level of exhaustion. In this sense, managers should avoid having favorite employees because that leads to a clear destabilization of the mental health of other employees.

8. Unhealthy work-life balance

For some employees, the job takes up so much time and effort that they don’t have the energy to spend their free time with family or friends, which sooner or later leads to exhaustion.

Employee burnout signs

• Alienation/Distancing himself from his work. All employees who experience physical exhaustion consider their jobs to be increasingly stressful and they will distance themselves emotionally from their jobs, which will result in a loss of interest in the work.
• Physical symptoms. Chronic stress at work can lead to symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches and even intestinal problems.
• Emotional exhaustion. Burnout makes people feel powerless, tired, so they can’t carry out the tasks they have.
• Low performance. People who feel exhausted no longer look at anything with good eyes, not even the most simple tasks. Negativism attracts concentration difficulties and low creativity, factors that automatically lead to poor performance at work.

How companies can prevent employee burnout

There are several measures that can be taken by companies to avoid employees burnout, such as:

1. ​Efficient communication

Communication is the key to a healthy relationship between employee and employer. Therefore, organizing regular meetings with all team members helps each voice to be heard. Thus, companies can find out from employees if the number of tasks or projects is too large, if the deadlines are feasible or not, if the people have been treated incorrectly by the organization or if the complaints made by them have been ignored.

2. ​Set realistic goals and expectations

Each team manager must set clear and quantifiable expectations, eliminate barriers, facilitate collaboration and ensure that employees feel fully supported in terms of the day-to-day running of the business. This requires a well-developed plan and setting goals that employees can achieve.

3. Offer rewards

As an additional benefit, employees appreciate rewards of various kinds such as offering breaks or a day off when appropriate. For example, after a particularly stressful day, employees may be encouraged to go home an hour earlier or may be encouraged to take a well-deserved break.

4. Work-life balance

The clear delimitation of free time from working hours is very important for maintaining a balance between professional life and private life of employees. In this sense, setting clear limits and expectations regarding the employee’s availability simultaneously with discouragement of doing extra work repeatedly can lead to a healthy integration of professional life in a person’s daily life.

5. Remove any obstacles which doesn’t let the employee do his job

Even if it may seem something unimportant, tools and equipment that do not work properly can be a stress factor in the employee’s daily life. The same can be said about the company’s policy, which sometimes can be a reason why employees can’t complete their tasks. Eliminating all these obstacles will increase efficiency and performance.

6. Teamwork and shared responsibility

When people work together and support each other, the challenges seem smaller and the workload decreases considerably.

7. Daily relaxation / meditation exercise

Companies can implement various meditation exercises for their employees, which can be done right from the office, in a short break of 10-15 minutes.

Work is the main trigger for this state of exhaustion, but there are other elements that contribute to burnout, such as lifestyle and personality. Therefore, it should be noted that employees must make a considerable effort on their part if they do not want to end up in this situation.

In conclusion, things such as proper prioritization of tasks, regular breaks, a healthy diet, engaging in healthy sleep habits, and a timely vacation can help reduce the risk of burnout.