6 causes of burnout at work and how to fix them

According to research, 49% of ordinary employeesWhat employees are saying about the future of remote work / McKinsey & Company and almost 60% of bossesLeaders and employees are burning out at record rates: New survey / Forbes in different countries of the world they noticed signs of burnout. And it often leads to emotional exhaustion, significantly reduces work efficiency, and also increasesEmployee burnout: Causes and cures / Gallup the likelihood of health problems, frequent sick leave and dismissal of their own accord. At a special risk group are people with a high level of neuroticism, perfectionists and introverts.

Despite the fact that many people understand the problem, not everyone knows how to solve it. Here, the efforts of not only the employees themselves, but also the company's leaders are important. But first of all, you need to determine what exactly leads to burnout.

1. Excess work

Too many tasks or constant overwork is one of the main causes of burnout. This can lead to problems not only with mental, but also with physical health. Research confirms

A. Dahlgren, G. Kecklund, et al. Different levels of work ‑ related stress and the effects on sleep, fatigue and cortisol / Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Healththat excess work impairs sleep and increases levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

What to do if you are the boss

Choose tasks for employees based on their strengths. Help them prioritize and prioritize important tasks from those that can be postponed for later. This will allow employees not to be overloaded with small and non-urgent tasks.

Provide your subordinates with simple and understandable communication channels, for example, through the HR department. Employees need a convenient way to provide feedback in the event that they are overwhelmed or something goes wrong.

What to do if you are a subordinate

Try to split your workload. Use the method MoSCoW, the system ALPENplanning with "running list"Or any other techniques that make it possible to correctly distribute forces. And do not forget to take breaks as needed - this will make it much easier to hold attention and stay productive.

2. Excessive control

Research showsR. Karasek. Lower health risk with increased job control among white collar workers / Journal of Organizational Behaviorthat autonomy during work improves our well-being and positively influences mental well-being. Micromanagement, or constant monitoring of all our actions, on the contrary, kills motivation.

What to do if you are the boss

Try not to follow every step of subordinates, but to become for them something like a mentor or coach. Of course, it's best to hire people with the right skills right away. But you can also create a comfortable workplace environment so that employees know they can ask any questions and be honest about their needs.

Also, try allowing subordinates to create their own schedule.

What to do if you are a subordinate

Talk to your boss gently. Explain that you understand the purpose of your job and know what steps to take. Try not only in word, but also in deed to convince the management that you are trustworthy.

For example, if you want to work remotely several days a week, get your boss to arrange a trial period on your terms. When your boss makes sure you are as productive at home as at the office, he will begin to trust you and give you the freedom you want.

3. Lack of encouragement

We may need both financial and moral rewards to feel valued. When we don't feel appreciated, our productivity drops significantly and we want to do much less for the company.

What to do if you are the boss

The encouragement must be sincere - we all feel hypocrisy and false. Do not forget to praise your subordinates and notice not only the results achieved, but also the efforts being made.

You should not set employees as examples for each other. This will only develop unnecessary rivalry and ruin the general mood in the team. Better, on the contrary, to encourage warm relationships between employees and motivate them to praise each other more often.

What to do if you are a subordinate

If it is not customary in your team to rejoice in other people's successes, start doing it yourself. Praise a colleague for a cool project. If you are working on a task together, note how the quality work of the other person helped you get yours done. Gradually, you will begin to receive the same feedback, and the atmosphere will change for the better.

4. Bad team relationships

Constant squabbles, skirmishes and misunderstandings do not help much in solving problems. It is unlikely that we will gladly go to work, where unpleasant people and new conflicts await us.

Back in 1999, Gallup conducted a survey that found outItem 10: I Have a Best Friend at Work / Gallupthat employees who have good relationships with their colleagues are much better at coping with stress. Later studies do not provideJ. R. Methot, J. A. Lepine et al. Are workplace friendships a mixed blessing? Exploring tradeoffs of multiplex relationships and their associations with job performance / Personnel Psychology unambiguous results, but also tend to believe that friendly relations between colleagues help in work.

What to do if you are the boss

Host regular corporate events and encourage employees to go out to lunch or out-of-hours events. Set aside a room in the office where employees can relax and talk. The more united the team is, the better the work will progress.

What to do if you are a subordinate

Take a closer look at your colleagues. Perhaps there is a person among them with whom you will be able to truly make friends. Participate more often in the social life of the team - this will help to feel like a part of the team.

5. Unequal attitude

Prejudice, favoritism, mistreatment by a colleague or boss, unfair salary distribution, or strange corporate rules can all lead to burnout.

The unequal attitude can be related to gender, nationality, financial situation - in any case, the work where we constantly deal with such problems is not very inspiring. Research showsC. Leineweber, C. Bernhard-Oettel, et al. Interactional justice at work is related to sickness absence: a study using repeated measures in the Swedish working population / BMC Public Healththat employees who face injustice are more likely to take sick days and burn out.

What to do if you are the boss

Make sure all of your people have equal rights and opportunities, and tackle any beginnings of inequality. Create a system that allows employees to speak up about injustice when they encounter it, best done through the HR department. Do not forget to discuss in a timely manner and find a way out of such situations.

What to do if you are a subordinate

If you regularly face discrimination and detraction in your workplace, consult your guide. In case the negative comes from the management itself, contact the HR manager. When the problem is not solved for weeks, months or even years, and the bosses do nothing, it makes sense to look for a new job.

6. Mismatch of values

When a person enters a company whose values ​​conflict with their own, they can quickly experience stress and burnout.

What to do if you are the boss

Hire employees responsibly. Do not forget to listen not only about their experience and achievements, but also talk about yourself: what is your mission, what do you strive for, what is yours corporate culture. This will help weed out unsuitable candidates from the very beginning.

What to do if you are a subordinate

Often, the values ​​of the company that we are told about in the interview remain in words. If this seriously interferes with you and harms your mental health, it is worth contacting the management or looking for another job.

What is the bottom line

If you want to feel comfortable, listen to yourself. Determine what is causing burnout for you and try to eliminate or reduce the effect. Choose what you enjoy doing and avoid what sucks the energy out of you. For example, skip a Zoom meeting if you feel uncomfortable with video calling, and instead just call a colleague.

In case you run a company, be attentive to the employees. Yes, each of us is responsible for our own happiness and mental well-being. But remember that happy employees are effective employees. As soon as you arrange comfortable conditions for them, you will immediately notice how quickly your team will begin to move the company forward.