Burnout: How are you protecting your organisation?

The World Health Organisation has just re-classified severe exhaustion, or burnout, by adding it to the most recent revision of its global disease handbook. Burnout is described as a syndrome arising from “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

This latest revision is one more clue that the majority of workplaces are failing to be healthy and sustainable environments for individuals to operate and thrive in. A pro-active approach to workplace health and well-being is essential to avoid compromised staff productivity, absenteeism, and turnover.

Defined as a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, the World Health Organisation characterises burnout by the following 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

• Reduced professional efficacy

Burnout is the result of prolonged physical and mental stress that the individual can no longer cope with. The key to reducing the immediate organisational impact of burnout is detection and mitigation.

Detection: Outward signs can be, but are not exclusive to, absence due to illness, uncharacteristic emotional outbursts, and, most commonly, lack of concentration and productivity caused by constant and overwhelming fatigue.

In addition to an immediate call to action, a long-term strategy must be devised and implemented to pre-empt the causative factors of chronic workplace stress. A robust company-wide health and well-being programme which, at its heart, encourages open and honest discourse about mental and physical health is essential. Free-flowing dialogue about such a critical yet frequently overlooked subject not only provides vital employee support but also valuable feedback for the ongoing development of more sustainable working practices.

Mitigation: Burn-out is caused by stress. Stress that has reached a point that can no longer be physically, emotionally, and mentally tolerated. Any individual suffering from burnout urgently needs to make changes but will require the support to do so. A workplace health and well-being programme which both educates and encourages staff to take a holistic view of their lifestyle, both on and off the job, is going to have the biggest impact. Whilst workplace stress will be a contributor to mental, physical, and emotional fatigue it won't be the only culprit. A little conscious modification of lifestyle habits can go a long way.

A brief list of stress-inducing lifestyle behaviour includes:

• Smoking

• Excessive alcohol consumption

• Erratic sleeping habits coupled with late night e-device viewing

• Lack of gentle to moderate daily exercise

• Diets high in sugars and hydrogenated fats and lacking in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains

• Excessive caffeine consumption resulting in poor sleeping habits and/or dehydration

HR MANAGER’S ACTION PLAN: Burnout is an affliction of the conscientious individual who, with the best of intentions, has been unable to put their own mental and physical well-being above that of the organisation. It is therefore essential to give staff both permission and the tools to develop a sustainable workplace strategy.

Three simple strategies to inject some healthy sustainability into the workplace:  

• Switch off after hours: Leave work e-mails at work. Constant availability puts staff on high alert 24/7. If necessary, suggest staff use out-of-office replies to inform the sender when the message will be answered thus removing the sense of urgency from the task.

• Day-time digital detox: Encourage staff to take time away from their desks and devices for at least 10-15 minutes twice a day. This time can be used to take a walk, stretch or simply sit in a quiet, comfortable chair. This interlude should be in addition to a lunch break.

• The desk is not a dinner table: Highlight the importance of adopting a healthy approach to lunch breaks. Snacking and or eating at a workstation is not conducive to healthy digestion and can further stress the body. At least 30 minutes of desk-free time to eat lunch and take a mental and physical break from work tasks will have a profound impact on productivity and the feeling of well-being. In addition, by consistently allocating time for lunch, there is a greater likelihood healthier food choices will be made further increasing the benefit of that vital time away from the desk.

Burnout, don't let it become your organisational Achilles heel.

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