We are living in an extremely fast-paced world, where no one seems to have the time to relax or take a breather. Everyone seems to have one or the other deadline hanging on their heads. It seems as if everyone is a part of this never-ending race, where one deadline leads to another and then another. In this kind of a demanding and challenging atmosphere, many employees feel the burden of it too much and seem to be physically, mentally and emotionally drained. This refers to as “employee burnout” and is a very common happening in today’s world thus re-emphasizing on the saying once again “All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy!”.

Not being able to concentrate on the work at hand, being detached from what is going on, uncertainty relating to the work are some of the common symptoms that an employee suffering from burnout experiences. The disruption of the entire work-life balance affects the person so badly, that it is visible in his/her behaviour, attitude towards life. The person becomes more and more irritable, negative and may be inclined to take some dire actions. The person can suffer from various physical issues, mental issues, professional and even personal consequences.

Mental issues faced:

• Anger
• Anxiety
• Depression – Most common in today’s time
• Constant irritation
• Need for medical help

Physical issues faced:

• Headaches
• Stress
• Stomach aches
• Tiredness
• Type 2 diabetes
• High chances of developing high blood pressure
• High chances of heat-related illness
• High chances of death at an early age sue to excessive stress

Professional Consequences:

• Job dissatisfaction
• Uncertainty regarding the work submitted
• Staying away from large groups of colleagues/ friends
• Inability to do a satisfactory job

Personal Consequences:

• Withdrawl from family
• Becoming extremely irresponsible
• Alcohol/drug abuse
• Being careless with finances

Employee Burnout Causes

Employee burnout is becoming an extremely serious concern in the current-day workplace. There are many causes which leads to this kind of burnout, some of which are mentioned below:

• JOB SCOPE CREEP: When the duties listed on paper vary significantly from the duties assigned, this kind of mismatch is referred to as job creep. This happens mostly after the employee has spent a significant amount of time in the organization and thus the need of the job changes as the time passes. But still, a deviation from what the employee was brought on board seems to take a toll on many employees.
• LIMITED/ NO CHANCE OF CAREER PROGRESSION: Imagine, clocking in hours of work, day in and day out for nothing! It is irritating even listening to this right? There are many people who today are stuck in this endless loop and thus either try to figure out something else or at last, they have to bear the brunt of it.
• POOR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS OF THE ORGANISATION: When the communication channel falters, then most of the decisions are taken by the higher-level management, without considering its impact on the overall organizational structure and thus the lower level employees suffer.
• HIGH-STRESS ENVIRONMENT WITH LONG HOURS OF SLOGGING: Employers need to understand that quantity does not equate quality. Not every individual who keeps on slogging for 14 hours will work much more than a sane-minded, distressed individual clocking the regular 9-5 job. Each employee needs to work on their pace within a relaxed environment to deliver their best and give back most to the company.
• POOR WORK CULTURE: Many times, the people in your vicinity, your colleagues, your manager, may not be the most positive force, but the constant ridicule, the constant dissatisfaction with the kind of work submitted, all these may lead to employee burnout.
• IMPROPER WORK-LIFE BALANCE: Giving all the attention to your work and nothing to time for relaxing and calming your brain, will eventually lead to burnout. Each machine needs fuelling, or it is bound to go haywire, similarly with the body and the brain, if it continuously works without giving it a break for relaxing, they too will suffer damages.
• FAVOURITISM IN THE COMPANY: Beating down the employee’s morale, by preferring someone over the other, leads to some serious issues. This creates an impression in the mind of the employees that whatever they do, they won’t ever be able to take the place of their boss’s favourite and this is enough to make their minds go in a spiral.
• NO TEAM-BUILDING ACTIVITIES: When there is no kind of communication between team members, obviously the team will fall apart. And everyone knows corporate life is a summation of various team projects, not “individual” ones! So, the team has to have a great camaraderie to perform nice, otherwise, it will lead to misunderstandings and eventually burnout of employees.
• NO EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION: Everyone deserves recognition for all the hard work one puts in. But nowadays, many companies just show their appreciation with some standard, same gifts for all the employees and thus, kill the motivation of the employees who genuinely worked hard.

Employee Burnout Cures

Well, this is a recurring issue in today’s time, but something needs to be done in to reduce it, to help in the retainment of top-performing employees so that they do not leave the organization to go search for something better. There are various ways that do serve as the cure for the employee burnout problem.

There are somethings that the employee can do themselves, to cure burnout. They are:

• BE MORE SOCIAL WITH COLLEAGUES: Engaging with people in groups, reducing the time spent alone, will help in the long run as it stops the brain from overthinking about the current ongoing issues. Being more interactive will also help build the bonding between the team and will also aid in the projects.
• STAY AWAY FROM NEGATIVE PEOPLE: Negative people have the power to drain out any kind of positivity left in you, so it is advisable to stay away from them, till you nurse yourself back to perfection.
• RESTORE THE WORK-LIFE BALANCE: Find some time for yourself apart from the work, give more time to pamper yourself, spend time with family will help phase out from burnout.
• FIND VALUE IN YOUR WORK: Always try to find something good in your work, your mundane life, find positivity, which might be a great booster.
• CORRECT YOUR SLEEP SCHEDULE: A body with adequate hours of sleep works properly and thus help reduce various illness. Thus, fixing up your sleep schedule must be of great help.
• EXERCISE/ MEDITATE REGULARLY: Who does not know about the powers of meditation and exercise? Regular physical activities have the power to improve the mood significantly!

Somethings that the employer can do to help cure the burnout of their employees are:

• PRAISE AND PROVIDE RECOGNITION: Every employee craves for the appreciation of the work done by him/her. Praising and providing necessary feedback helps boost the morale of the employees and keep their motivation intact!.
• ALWAYS BE APPROACHABLE: A boss who is always there for his/her employees, whether for professional problems or personal issues, is valued dearly. Empathy is the greatest emotion that one can show and thus it also bridges the gap and thus solve the problem of lack of communication.
• NO BIASEDNESS: Treating all your employees equally, showing no favouritism is the only ethical way, how any of the corporates should work.
• ENCOURAGE STRESS RELIEVERS: Sometimes workloads can be huge, but there is always a stress-free way of getting work done. Encourage these kinds of practices in the workplace.
• REDUCE OVERTIME: Encourage the employees to enjoy their “me-time” and not get bogged down by the continuous work-load, will help prevent as well as treat employee burnout.
• CLEAR JOB REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS: Making it clear from the beginning what all re expected from the employee will help clear the air of misunderstanding between the employee and the employer and thus will lead to a much calmer work-environment.

Thus, employee burnout is a serious issue in today’s world but with some above-mentioned ways, it can be cured. Just letting things go and focusing on your mental health, is of top priority here and it will surely work wonders.