Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Karen Moscato. We hope you enjoy Karen’s wisdom and perspective.
The meetings went well. I had driven to one of our offices located 2 hours away to attend two important meetings on capacity and efficiencies. These are hot topics in today’s business world. While driving and recapping the meetings in my thoughts, I didn’t pay attention to the gas gauge for the first hour of the trip. The bright orange light got my attention indicating a potentially empty gas situation. I had better find a station quickly or I would be calling AAA for assistance!
Luckily the next exit was 8 miles away. I made it to the first gas station, but after reading how much gas was pumped, I am positive the car coasted on fumes. I was struck by the thought of “running on empty.” How many of us are running on empty? Is that why employee engagement surveys of American workers come back with such low scores? Are we a nation of burned out people because of the physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion we are all under? Connected 24/7 can’t be good for the human body or soul.
Diane Stafford suggests, in the June 26, 2016 edition of the South Bend Tribune, American workers may be work martyrs. She arrives at that title citing an online survey conducted for Project: Time Off via the GfK KnowledgePanel® with data interpretation by Oxford Economics. Their survey consisted of why people aren’t taking vacation. They found that employees who left vacation on the table feared the mountain of work when they returned. Additionally, employees received no support from their companies or bosses in allowing time off. Finally the survey noted employees didn’t want to be seen as replaceable. If we aren’t using our benefit of vacation and totally unplugging, no wonder we are tired, disgruntled, and just plain burned out.
So what is burnout? In my recent research on the subject, the Mayo Clinic cites various factors that may cause burnout in people. They zero in on 8 factors:
- Lack of control - This is an inability to influence decisions that affect your job. Some examples of this are your schedule, assignments, or workload, or the inability to influence change. A lack of resources you need to do your work may lead to burnout.
- Unclear job expectations - If you are unclear about your role or the authority you have within your role, this is another factor in burnout.
- Dysfunctional workplace dynamics - Perhaps you work with an office bully or there is a clique in the office that excludes many, including you. Your boss micromanages your work and you feel you can’t breathe at work. If ongoing and persistent, these may lead to burnout.
- Mismatch in values - If your values differ from the way your employer does business or sees the future different. This mismatch may eventually take a toll.
- Poor job fit – This is different than a mismatch in values. If your job doesn’t fit your interests and skills, it might become stressful over time.
- Extremes of activity - When your job is monotonous or chaotic, you need constant energy to remain focused - in either scenario!
- Lack of social support- If you feel isolated at work and in your personal life, you might feel more stressed.
- Work-life imbalance- If your work takes up so much of your time and effort that you don’t have the energy to spend time with your family and friends, you might burn out quickly.
Does the above sound like you? Are we so connected to the office or technology that we can’t enjoy life? Are our companies’ cultures so stressful that we come home exhausted every day? We can’t get away, really get away, because our email server will crash due to overload if we don’t plug in at least once a day and attend to them.
We have to have a recovery strategy to prevent further damage. This eroding of our soul can become a full-blown breakdown if not attended to and nourished back to life. HelpGuide.org has a great article on preventing burnout with signs, symptoms, causes and coping strategies outlined clearly for the reader. You can read the article yourself for their amazing tips and recovery strategy.
In reading up on this phenomenon, I found that burnout is on the rise. Our information is coming faster and in milliseconds. Being competent in this world is getting difficult as our brains stretch to gather it all in. Time is eluding us and we are blurring the lines between work and life. Most of the time work and life are blended together, never giving us a true break for rest and recuperation.
We only have a few short years on this Earth. Most of us have to work in order to live the life we want…. But how are we working and living? Do you take time for social interaction without checking your phone? Do you keep your mind sharp with audio conferences or podcasts? Are you exercising and moving without something in your ear? Can you walk, bike, or run in silence, enjoying nature at its best? Can you disconnect?
I would suggest companies must support and provide updated employee benefits in terms of vacation or PTO polices that reflect the modern work life of being able to work 24/7. Companies owe it to their workers to approve, encourage, and support disconnecting from the work life – let’s promote healthy workplace wellbeing! Workers owe it to themselves, their families, and their companies to discover ways to fill up their tanks often. Running on empty is stressful, unhealthy, and shouldn’t be the norm for anyone.
This content was written and shared by guest blogger, Karen Moscato. Connect with Karen on LinkedIn and Twitter.
