Avoiding Burnout in 2024: Tips for Employees and Managers

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As much as we would like to start a new life on January 1st or Monday, our physical and mental state may have other plans.

In this article, we will talk about burnout with Anastasia Shnek, a teacher on the HR Generalist course , who is also a psychologist of entrepreneurial activity by education. And we will tell you:

how to notice that you are already in this state,
how to deal with it (and prevent it in the future),
why the fight against this phenomenon should be in the interests of both the company and the employees themselves.


What is emotional burnout?

It is a psycho-emotional state characterized by increasing fatigue - both physical and mental - and a feeling of emptiness. It occurs due to constant stress and tension from study, work or any other social activity, excessive workload and expectations, lack of rest. This term was first introduced in 1974 by psychiatrist Herbert Freudenberger.

For a better immersion and understanding of the extreme importance of the burnout problem, Anastasia shares some statistics: “In the US, according to Gallup data for 2022 , 76% of employees at least sometimes experience burnout in the workplace. The percentage is confirmed by another survey conducted by Flexjobs and Mental Health America in 2020, where 75% of survey participants said they experienced symptoms of burnout at one time or another. This is a large number - three out of four employees.

According to a survey conducted by HeadHunter (3.8 thousand people participated in the survey), every second employee felt tired and irritable for a long time (49%). 40% noted that they felt indifferent social media marketing service to their duties, and 27% did not leave the feeling of professional failure, uncertainty in their professionalism and qualifications. Every fifth noted that he was bothered by regular headaches, insomnia, due to overexertion at work.

That is, 80% of workers faced manifestations of professional burnout syndrome and only 20% of respondents do not experience anything like this.

For some reason, the concept of "I have burnout" has become so popular that it is often used in the wrong context. True burnout is a serious phase that occurs when there is no longer the ability, desire and intention to do anything physically and emotionally, roughly speaking, you can and want to only stare at the ceiling.

And when you understand what you need to do at work, you can even do it, but there are "buts" and compelling reasons why it does not happen, it is not always burnout."


Development of burnout

Of course, burnout does not happen in one day. It is a long process, the beginning of which may not be obvious to the employee. And sometimes your condition is not at all connected with burnout. Here Anastasia gives three simplified formulas as an example:

Laziness = I can, but I don’t want to do a specific action.
Procrastination = I can, but I don’t want to, so I put it off.
Burnout = I can't and I don't want to do anything

"I would like to point out that overwork, fatigue, and a negative reaction to constructive feedback have always been, are, and will always be. Therefore, you need to learn to identify what specifically sucks out energy and destroys you at the moment, and what is just feedback - then it will be much easier to find ways to "solve the real problem of burnout." This concerns small, achievable steps, and not illusory ideas about a complete revision of your entire life," she adds.



If, however, it is not laziness or procrastination, you will probably encounter the following phases of burnout, as defined by the WHO (World Health Organization):

Emotional exhaustion phase : This is the initial stage, where excessive fatigue, decreased performance and increased emotional sensitivity appear.
Depersonalization : This phase is characterized by loss of interest in work, alienation from it, decreased professional effectiveness, and the emergence of a negative, distant attitude towards others.
Decreased personal fulfillment : Here, emotional and physical resources are completely exhausted. The person experiences a feeling of helplessness, impotence, as well as a decrease in self-esteem and professional competence.
This is not a linear process. These phases can develop in different ways and vary in intensity and duration.

“A person in a state of burnout may experience suspicion, mistrust, and a growing sense of alienation. This also affects health: sleep is disrupted, immunity is reduced — and fatigue becomes increasingly noticeable. Such a person often drops out of the work process, misses deadlines, ignores details and seems to be in automatic and emotionless work mode. When an employee is burned out, you are dealing with a PHASE, you can work on this, it is important to listen to yourself in time and ask for help,” Anastasia emphasizes.