Burnout at work: causes and prevention

Burnout is a state linked to chronic stress at work that can come with exhaustion, a negative attitude to professional activity and lower effectiveness. Its development is influenced by workload, working conditions and the resources available to a person.

Work takes up a significant part of a person’s life and often affects their self-esteem and well-being.

Under favorable conditions, professional activity can bring satisfaction. However, excessive load and prolonged stress can negatively affect employees’ condition.

Stages of burnout

The article treats burnout as a process made up of several stages.

Prolonged exposure to work stressors can lead to physical and emotional exhaustion, followed by detachment and a cynical attitude to work.

Stage 1. High load and stress

At the initial stage a person faces increased demands and expectations from professional activity.

Typical features:

• Job demands exceed the available resources.
• The work does not match expectations.
• The level of work stress rises.

Stage 2. Physical and emotional exhaustion

At this stage signs of chronic fatigue may appear.

Possible manifestations:

• A constant feeling of exhaustion.
• A need to spend more energy on familiar tasks.
• Sleep disorders.
• Headaches and other unpleasant physical sensations.
• Emotional fatigue even at the thought of work.

Stage 3. Detachment and indifference

At this stage changes in attitude to professional activity may appear.

The article lists the following manifestations:

• Apathy, low mood and boredom.
• A negative attitude to work, colleagues and clients.
• A wish to distance yourself from work duties.
• Lower involvement in performing tasks.

Stage 4. Despair and helplessness

In the model described, the final stage comes with pronounced negative experiences.

Possible manifestations include:

• A negative attitude to yourself and others.
• A sense of guilt.
• A feeling of your own inadequacy.
• Helplessness and despair.

Main causes of burnout

Some features of work organization can contribute to the development of burnout.

Among them:

• Excessive workload.
• A lack of time to complete tasks.
• Role conflicts.
• Unclear responsibilities.
• A lack of resources.
• A lack of social support.
• Limited autonomy at work.

An additional factor can be a situation in which management places high demands on employees but does not provide them with the necessary resources.

A long-term mismatch between work demands and a person’s capabilities raises the risk of exhaustion.

Individual risk factors for burnout

In research, burnout is seen not only as an individual problem but also as a phenomenon linked to the social and organizational environment.

The article stresses that working conditions may play a more significant role than individual personality traits.

However, individual characteristics can also affect susceptibility to professional stress.

In particular, the original material mentions studies according to which young employees and people with higher education report burnout more often.

Some studies also note a higher level of exhaustion among women.

At the same time, the influence of these factors may be relatively small, given individual differences.

Ways of responding to stressful situations also matter.

Passive and defensive coping strategies may come with a higher level of burnout than active problem solving.

The article also mentions low self-esteem and such characteristics as hostility, vulnerability, competitiveness and an excessive need for control.

Consequences of burnout

In some organizations burnout is treated exclusively as an employee’s personal problem.

With this approach, responsibility for a person’s condition is in effect placed on them alone.

However, the consequences of burnout can affect not only an individual employee but the whole team.

Employees who experience pronounced exhaustion may work less productively and face difficulties interacting with colleagues.

The article also considers the possibility that the negative consequences of burnout spread within a team.

For example, tension and conflicts can affect the condition of other employees and the performance of joint tasks.

Consequences for the organization

• Lower labor productivity.
• Weaker employee engagement.
• Worse interaction within the team.
• A higher likelihood of resignations.

Consequences for the person

• Worse well-being.
• Health problems.
• Lower psychological well-being.
• Negative changes in emotional state.

Thus burnout can affect both an individual employee and the results of the organization’s work.

Preventing burnout

There are various approaches to preventing, recognizing early and overcoming professional burnout.

Prevention is based on supporting the factors that help maintain mental health in the work environment.

In the original material such factors are considered in the context of salutogenesis — the processes of forming and maintaining health.

Internal and external health resources

The resources that help cope with work stress can be conditionally divided into internal and external.

Internal resources

Internal resources include individual characteristics and ways of responding to difficulties:

• Active stress-coping strategies aimed at solving the problem.
• Positive self-esteem.
• Rational attitudes.
• Involvement in work.
• Internal motivation.
• Interaction with clients.

In professions that involve direct contact with clients, such interaction can become an additional source of satisfaction.

The chance to help people, solve their problems and fulfil their requests sometimes strengthens a sense of competence.

Positive feedback from clients can also support an employee’s self-esteem.

External resources

External resources include conditions created in the work environment:

• Social support from different sources.
• The chance to improve working conditions.
• Organization of working time.
• Goal setting and defining priorities.
• Planning actions and assessing progress.

Job satisfaction can reduce the negative influence of professional stress.

Both organizational conditions and employees’ individual characteristics matter here.

The manager’s role in preventing burnout

The effectiveness of burnout prevention depends not only on employees’ actions but also on management decisions.

Managers can pay attention to early signs of exhaustion and identify factors of the work environment that create excessive load.

This makes it possible to review work organization and working conditions in time.

A combination of support for employees, workload management and attention to the work environment can help reduce the risk of burnout.