Workplace Burnout: Causes and Triggers
What Causes Burn out?
A 2018 report from Gallup provided five leading causes of burn-out:
Unreasonable time pressure: Employees who say they have enough time to do their work are 70 percent less likely to experience high burn-out. Individuals who cannot gain more time, such as paramedics and firefighters, are at a higher risk of burn-out.
Lack of communication and support from a manager: Manager support offers a psychological buffer against stress. Employees who feel strongly supported by their managers are 70 percent less likely to experience burnout on a regular basis.
Lack of role clarity: Only 60 percent of workers know what is expected of them. When expectations are like moving targets, employees may become exhausted by merely figuring out what they are supposed to be doing.
Unmanageable workload: When a workload feels unmanageable, even the most optimistic employees will feel hopeless. Feeling overwhelmed can quickly lead to burnout.
Unfair treatment: Employees who feel they are treated unfairly at work are 2.3 times more likely to experience a high level of burnout. Unfair treatment may include things such as favoritism, unfair compensation, and mistreatment from a colleague.
Since then, 2020 has presented unprecedented work-life challenges such as job security, working from home, returning to the office, pressures of online “e-presenteeism,” and managing work-life boundaries has added to existing triggers.
The Mayo clinic re-enforces that caring professions such as health care providers are at an increased risk along with those who have a highly demanding role, and those who work longer hours.
Burn-out is treatable and can be prevented. The European Journal of Clinical investigation ESCI (2015) highlights that individual strategies to prevent or overcome burnout may be essential for top-down success within an organization.
