What do race cares and overworked employees have in common?
They burnout!
According to a Microsoft report, Americans are working an extra hour each day. After-hours work has increased and meetings have doubled. Doubled! 🤯
It’s no wonder that the greatest dilemma workers are facing today is burnout. The VOCA Center conducts a yearly survey, the Work Dilemmas Project, to identify the greatest challenges in people's work life. Burnout was the #1 dilemma in 2023 and #2 in 2022. In a LinkedIn survey, Managers reported that burnout rose 78% in the past year.
Burnout is a real threat to the workforce and its companies. It can have detrimental effects on the employees' well-being & performance and it can cost companies millions of dollars.
What is Burnout?
Burnout is defined by the World Health Organization as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficacy.
Let's break it down. It's a 1) syndrome, 2) linked to chronic work stress, 3) which has not been managed well. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to address the burnout dilemma. Today, we're gonna dig a bit deeper into syndrome.
A Syndrome
A syndrome is a group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a particular abnormality or condition (Merriam-Webster). The signs and symptoms of burnout can be grouped into three categories: emotional, physical, and relational. Look at the list below.
How many symptoms can you check off?
Burnout is serious business. Just like race cars, burnout can lead to chronic health issues, decreased performance, and an overall decline in your quality of life. Don't ignore the signs and symptoms. Look out for the next blog as I pick apart the 2nd part of the burnout definition, chronic workplace stressors.
Keep your fire burning!