Workplace Burnout: Building Awareness and Prevention

Do you feel stressed at work? You’re not alone. A study from the American Institute of Stress says:

• 83% of American workers suffer from work-related stress.
• About one million Americans miss work each day due to stress.
• 76% of American workers say work stress affects their personal relationships

High levels of stress in the workplace can lead to burnout that affects everyone.

What is job burnout?

Workplace burnout is an increase in bad mood and apathy toward what a person does. Underlying depression and anxiety increase a person’s chances of experiencing burnout, but a person does not necessarily have to have both to become burned out.

A burned individual is:

• Less committed and less effective
• Experiencing less enjoyment or job satisfaction.
• Taking longer to do things at work
• You may feel less tolerant of the workplace.

The person who is exhausted may feel guilty. The focus is often on helping the person behave differently when a variety of factors cause burnout.

Burnout is a state of being or feeling exhausted. People have difficulty accessing innovative thinking and often become isolated. They may feel fatigue. There is a greater sense of hopelessness, helplessness and sadness. They lack the ability to be so empathetic and caring. They spend a lot of time and energy thinking about negative or stressful events of the day. They don’t find joy in their work.

People use the term “exhausted” in different ways. Someone might say, “I feel incredibly exhausted today.” That’s not to minimize your experience. They probably had a challenging day and feel exhausted. What we are talking about is more durable. It is when someone repeatedly feels exhausted at work and does not attend to their own needs. They are focused on getting through the day and putting one foot in front of the other.

What causes burnout in the workplace?

Various factors in the workplace cause burnout, specifically the feeling of not having control. An employee is given expectations that are unrealistic, that cannot be met, and the result is that he or she feels overwhelmed. There is often a process that makes it difficult for the worker to do the job in a way that does not cause stress, anxiety, and burnout. Work has become too difficult or even unhealthy.

Additionally, people may feel disconnected from their “why,” that is, why they engaged in their work. That can start the process of feeling burned out. It is a gradual process of becoming more and more disconnected. The result is losing sight of the possibility of living your why and your values. “Moral injury” contributes to burnout. It is when people have to make decisions or do things that go against their personal ethics or morals. An example is when doctors have to make decisions based on insurance reimbursement rates, or are told they must see patients every 15 minutes. It goes against why they went out on the field.

Another contributing factor is oppression and microaggressions. If you work in an environment that is unsupportive, or worse, hostile toward a component of your identity, that will increase feelings of fatigue and burnout. If I am already carrying the stressors related to working in a helping profession, I have colleagues who are also burned out and patients with high rates of trauma, and my opinion is not valued, I am frequently talked about, my name is not If I pronounce correctly and my pronouns are not respected, I will most likely reach a state of exhaustion even faster.

Are some jobs more prone to burnout?

Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals are at higher risk of burnout. It affects the care they provide to patients and their entire team.

People who work in helping professions frequently empty their cups to help other people. There has been great progress toward trauma-informed care, which recognizes the presence and role of trauma in a person’s life. When we are informed about trauma, we must be aware of how we care for ourselves. Otherwise, we can be open to all the difficult things that someone brings with them. We can experience and internalize certain levels of trauma. Holding trauma in your body affects your sense of well-being and leads to a higher rate of burnout.

Why is burnout important in the workplace?

Burnout affects the way people do their jobs. It also affects them outside of work. People who feel burned out are less effective and less happy with everything they do. Burnout can lead to depression and even suicidal ideation. If people have underlying depression and anxiety, workplace burnout can really aggravate it and make it harder to treat and make people feel better. We can do therapy and medication, but if the work environment remains toxic and unhelpful, that makes it difficult for treatments to be effective. If something happens at work or at home, it’s important for us to be able to identify it and help the patient fix it because it’s a really important aspect of life.

Medical professionals are more susceptible to that.

Burned out staff can lead to more complaints and incidents within the workplace. They are sold out. They are not as attentive to other people’s needs or as observant. They are much more likely to respond in ways that are not as warm and affectionate as they should be. They are also much more likely to leave the workplace.

If your colleagues are experiencing burnout or compassion fatigue, it’s a challenge. It’s hard to stay in a place of balance and compassion and resilience. We can all empathize with that. When you are surrounded by colleagues who are very exhausted, everyone’s morale suffers.

Even if exhausted employees don’t leave, they will be less productive. They are less likely to meet company metrics. They are less likely to contribute creatively to initiatives.

How to Address Burnout in the Workplace

There are several steps you can take if you feel burned out:

1. Identify what you are feeling. Someone who feels exhausted is often the last to recognize it. If you have underlying depression or anxiety and it is getting worse, be sure to seek additional treatment.
2. Pay attention to comments friends and family make.
3. Identify what contributes to feelings of fatigue or exhaustion.
4. Take some time away from work if you can. Take a vacation, a long weekend, or a day off.
5. Create time for enjoyable activities. Take the dog outside on a nice day for a longer period of time. Read a book for a while. Allow yourself a couple more hours to sleep at night. Pleasurable activities, even small things, help us recharge and replenish.
6. Experiment with fun activities. Try doing what other people think is fun.
7. Think about what helps you feel resilient. What can you do to minimize what causes your fatigue? Or what things can you do more to develop your resilience?
8. Think about what is within your lotus of control. How can you minimize the amount of time and energy you spend on things you don’t control? A change of perspective can be powerful and helpful.
9. Find allies at work. Consider looking for people within your team or in other departments. Share your concerns.
10. Consider changing jobs. Maybe you need something to be different. While not everything that causes feelings of exhaustion can be changed, some things can. A supervisor can identify ways to eliminate or minimize those things that contribute to your burnout. If you don’t see things changing at your current place of employment, it may be best to look for something new.