Understanding the Causes & Impact of Burnout in the Workplace

What is the reason for employee burnout?

The Gallup survey highlights five primary causes of employee burnout at work, which include:-

• Unfair treatment
• Unmanageable workload
• Lack of role clarity
• Lack of communication and support from the manager
• Unreasonable time pressure

However, this list is not exhaustive, and there could be other reasons for employee burnout. In essence, when employees are under high pressure and unsupported, it leads to burnout.

Why you should care about burnout?

There are several reasons why burnout should be a concern for everyone:

• Burnout can happen to anyone under the right circumstances.
• Burnout leads to significant organizational costs such as increased sick leave, higher employee turnover rates, lost revenue, and costs related to hiring and training replacements. Losing burnt-out employees who were previously engaged and productive can be particularly damaging, as can losing managers responsible for teams.
• Burnout may be a sign of a larger cultural problem within the company, resulting in decreased productivity and job satisfaction.

In recent years, burnout has become more prevalent due to the increasing intensity of certain factors, including the impact of the pandemic. According to a 2021 survey by Indeed, employee burnout has increased by 9% compared to pre-COVID levels. Additionally, only 24% of employees surveyed in 2022 feel that their company provides adequate support to workers, a significant decrease from the 49% of workers who were satisfied with employer support in 2020.

How to recognize and manage employee burnout?

Identifying employee burnout may not be easy, but it is important to look for signs such as exhaustion, disengagement, and reduced productivity. If previously productive and motivated employees are consistently exhibiting these symptoms, they may be experiencing burnout or are at risk of it.

• Discuss with your Team Member
• Sort Through the workload
• Reflect on your behavior
• Ensure a variety of work

For Example, Sam’s manager noticed a change in his behavior at work, such as reluctance to contact existing clients, tardiness and becoming quiet in meetings. These could be signs of employee burnout, but symptoms may vary for each individual, and there may be other reasons for these changes. Therefore, an open conversation is necessary to address this issue. The first thing to do is to reduce employee stress at work.

Read the complete blog to know the Causes & Impact of Burnout in the Workplace HERE.