Workplace Burnout

Workplace burnout | Noun: A type of work-related stress — a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity. ¹

In a world where the demand on everyone’s time far exceeds what we actually have to give in a day, it’s no wonder more and more people are feeling the effects of workplace burnout. Finding that delicate balance between personal and professional life plagues many and tends to be more heavily weighted on one side versus the other.

Medically, there is no diagnosis for "burnout" although it is thought that conditions such as anxiety and depression may surface as a result of it.

In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized workplace burnout as a legitimate “occupational phenomenon”, defining it as a syndrome “resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

There are three main areas of symptoms that are considered to be signs of burnout:

Exhaustion: Feeling drained and emotionally exhausted, unable to cope, tired and down and do not have enough energy. Physical symptoms include things like pain and stomach or bowel problems. 

Alienation from (work-related) activities: People who have burnout find their jobs increasingly stressful and frustrating. They may start being cynical about their working conditions and their colleagues. They may also increasingly distance themselves emotionally, and start feeling numb about their work. 

Reduced performance: Burnout mainly affects everyday tasks at work, at home or when caring for family members. People with burnout are very negative about their tasks, find it hard to concentrate, are listless and lack creativity.² According to Statistics Canada, 27% of Canadian workers claim to experience extreme levels of stress daily and an additional 46% felt “a bit” of stress on a daily basis, with 62% citing their jobs as the primary cause³. Each week, about half a million Canadians miss work due to a psychological health issue.⁴

Possible causes of workplace burnout:

Lack of control: An inability to influence decisions that affect your job - such as your schedule, assignments or workload could lead to workplace burnout. In addition, lacking the resources you need to do your work could also contribute as well.

Unclear job expectations: If you're unclear about the degree of authority you have or what your supervisor or others expect from you, you're not likely to feel comfortable at work.Dysfunctional workplace dynamics: Perhaps you work with an office bully or you feel undermined by colleagues or your boss micromanages your work. This can contribute to job stress.

Extremes of activity: When a job is monotonous or chaotic, you need constant energy to remain focused, which can lead to fatigue and workplace burnout.

Lack of social support: Feeling isolated at work and in your personal life, you might feel more stressed.¹

As employers, being tuned into the well-being of your workers is so important; not only for their own health but also for the health of the company. One of the biggest indicators an employee may be struggling is changes in their behaviour. Things like increased absenteeism or lateness, disengagement in a usually energized employee or decreased productivity and quality or work might warrant a quick ‘check in’ with them to see how they’re doing and to find out if there are ways you can offer support.

Ways you might be able to help:

• If there are concerns about workload, consider working with the employee to find solutions, change expectations or reach compromises.

• Help the employee set goals, identify priorities and determine which tasks can wait.

• Give consistent feedback, appreciation and recognition.

• Empower employees to propose their suggestions around ways to improve processes and procedures that may be contributing to their frustrations at work.

• Nurture work-life balance. Encourage employees to use their vacation time.

• Inspire employees to engage with each other rather than withdraw.  Support and collaboration with others might help someone cope.

• Guide employees to your employee assistance program (EAP).

• Help connect employees to other community resources.

These and others tools can offer significant improvements for an employee who is struggling and can be low-cost or no-cost solutions. Reducing workplace stress overall benefits everyone and is much less expensive than the cost of losing and replacing valuable employees⁵.

¹ Mayo Clinic – Healthy Lifestyle, Adult Health article: Job burnout: How to spot it and take action (2018)

² Informed Health https://www.informedhealth.org/ - what is burnout?

³ Statistics Canada https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/contest/finalists-finalistes_2-eng.htm

⁴ Mental Health Commission of Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/health-safety/reports/psychological-health.html

⁵ Insperity – Employee burnout: 15 ways to fight employee stress https://www.insperity.com/blog/help-fight-employee-stress-15-burnout-busters/

Julie Bullen

Account Manager, DriverCheck

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Julie is an Account Manager for DriverCheck whose core values encompass honesty and transparency in building trust-built partnerships with every point of contact. She works with each client using a strategic and customized approach and is well versed in workflow and resource management.