Burnout has become an issue that many experience, but few talk about.
Apparently, although many employees are experiencing symptoms of burnout, fear of discussing it with their superiors has become a common denominator within companies.
Is it fear of being seen as weak?
Is it fear of being perceived as incapable of handling our workload?
Burnout can feel like something we are experiencing on an individual basis, just us. But the vast majority of the time this is not the case.
Defining what we need to stop feeling burned out - be it a change of schedule, a few days off work, therapy, and then talking about it is vital. The point of talking about it is to have the opportunity to receive what we are missing to bring us back into balance and not keep constantly overloading ourselves.
For the risk we have in mind, many positive things can come from being open about how we feel - greater trust with colleagues, permission for others to open up, a shift from a "pressure cooker" work culture to something more humane.
Solving burnout is much more feasible if the adjustment in the company goes hand in hand with the adjustment in our personal lives.
Dr. Erin Kelly, a professor at MIT Sloan School of Management, conducted research that showed that changes in team management in companies is one of the most effective ways to prevent and alleviate burnout. It found that employees whose managers were trained to see how they felt personally and professionally, and give them flexibility to work as they wished, had significantly lower levels of burnout and psychological distress. They were also 40% less likely to quit.
This only happens if we take the initiative to communicate how we are feeling.
If you consider that in your company this cultural change is necessary, we have a Program for companies, where we can guide you to take the necessary steps. If this is your case, fill out the form on our Program Company Allies.
If you would like a personal appointment with one of our burnout professionals, then please complete the form at the end of this article.
