More on Burnout and Stress

Introduction

Too much strain can result in burnout
"...Burnout is not caused by too much work but instead by too little work that is meaningful..."
Cal Newport as quoted by Beata Souders, 2019

Adequate resources can prevent burnout
Self-efficacy is a natural protection against work stress, burnout, etc.
"... High levels of job stress are strongly related to subsequent burnout, but high self-efficacy acts as an effective barrier between job stress and burn out..."
R. Schwarzer et al as quoted by Courtney E. Ackerman, 2018
(for more details, see elsewhere in the Knowledge Base)
"...What burnout does it impact your higher mental functions initially. It impacts your attention, your judgement, impacts your memory, impacts your decision-making ability. It impacts engagement, produces fatigue and it decreases your compassion for others..."
Amit Sood s quoted by Insider Today, 2023

Some signs of burnout:

- become fearful (people going through burnout often become fearful as a experiencing large amounts of stress; fear, stress and anxiety are linked through the same nervous pathway; a burnt out person works in survival mode)

- become a disengaged (this can be demonstrated in several ways, eg silly errors, the late or incomplete responses, irritability, missing meetings, etc)

- disconnected from goals of staff and organisation (this builds up unnecessary tension, anxiety, frustration, etc)

Best ways to handle include
"...Better leadership communication, increased training and development, additional coaching support to prevent burnout and greater shared accountability.....Companies that invested in manager development saw a 59% increase in engagement..."
Gallup reports as quoted by Insider Today, 2023
People who are burnt-out need to ask for help.
(main source: Insider Today, 2023)