Burnout
What can a "baby boomer" firefighter and a flight attendant teach you about preventing professional burnout?
A staggering 89% of working Americans reported experiencing “burnout”, at some point in their career, which indicates that physical fatigue, lack of motivation, depression, anxiety and other mental health problems caused by work, cognitive weariness, emotional and physical exhaustion are quite prevalent in the modern society.
It seems that 20% of “Baby Boomers”, 35% of “Millennials” and up to 70% of “Gen Zs” report varied rates of burnout…
WTF is “burnout”?
When I was younger, burnout used to mean a sophisticated use of the throttle to spin the wheels of a vehicle being held stationary, so the tyres can produce smoke and “burn rubber”, in order to impress female colleagues.
After I had learned a bit more in high school, I understood burnout to be the termination of the rocket jet-engine operation due to fuel exhaustion (or shutoff).
When I finally went to medical school, “burnout” started to have a very different meaning. This term was used to describe a keen cannabis enthusiast; someone whose brain cells have been “burned out”.
Does it mean anything else?
Yes.
In the XXI century workplace, “burnout” describes a set of physical and emotional conditions which develop as a result of long-term exhaustion
or (in other words)
We define burnout as buildup of emotional pressure over time.
Please note, that “burnout” is not a disease. It is not classed as a medical condition (at least not in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11)). It was captured previously under the Z73.0 (in ICD-10), but has since been revised.
Today, “burnout “ is described in a chapter of ICD-11 called “Factors influencing health status or contact with health services”, and defined as a set of “Problems associated with employment or unemployment”. It is therefore an occupational phenomenon (at least according to WHO).
Does it matter?
Yes. It has a negative impact on you.
In addition, your HR department cares deeply about you not burning out! It’s because they care deeply about your well-being… but also because employee burnout has quite a significant, measurable, negative impact on businesses. #PerformanceCulture
Firstly, burnout has been shown to dramatically increase healthcare costs for employers. According to a study by the World Health Organisation, the global economic impact of mental health conditions is projected to cost $6 trillion by 2030, much of which is related to workplace stress and burnout. In the US alone, the annual healthcare spending due to workplace burnout ranges from $125 to $190 billion!
Furthermore, employees experiencing burnout exhibit lower productivity levels. Gallup research indicates that disengaged employees, often as a result of burnout, contribute to higher absenteeism, more workplace accidents, and an increase in errors and defects. In terms of monetary impact, disengaged employees cost an estimated $3,400 out of every $10,000 in salary, reflecting a significant loss in per-dollar-productivity.
Burnout is a primary driver of employee turnover. The costs associated with replacing an employee can be substantial, ranging from half to twice the annual salary of the departing employee according to The Work Institute’s Retention Report (2020). This includes expenses related to recruiting, hiring, and training new staff, as well as the loss of institutional knowledge and experience.
HR departments also believe (rightly so) that burnout can stifle creativity and innovation within a company. Employees suffering from burnout are less likely to engage in creative problem-solving and contribute to innovation, which is essential for a company's growth and adaptation in competitive markets.
For those reasons many companies deploy radical strategies to prevent their employees from burning out. Classic examples include the purchase of a table-tennis table, mandatory learning courses about burnout, or the office-wide introduction of “Pizza Fridays”. And yes, those “preventive measures” are just effective as you think.
How do people know they suffer from a burnout?
Because of… feelings.
Burnout is characterised by a set of symptoms, which can range from mild to severe. They typically include (in order of severity):
Irritability, feeling easily annoyed or angered
Persistent tiredness and lack of energy; fatigue
Reduced productivity
Difficulty concentrating
Sleep disturbances, trouble falling or staying asleep
Detachment and emotional distancing from work-related activities or work colleagues
Physical symptoms (headaches, muscle and joint pain, gastrointestinal issues)
Mood swings
Chronic exhaustion (emotional and physical), up to the point of being unable to force yourself to work
Seeking pharmaceutical shortcuts to health or performance (including drug abuse)
Severe mood changes (including feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness)
Escapism, defined here as turning to unhealthy behaviours as a coping mechanism. This may include substance abuse, overeating, self-harm, self-sabotage, etc
Complete disengagement, loss of motivation, care about work or personal responsibilities
Severe anxiety and/or panic attacks
Suicidal thoughts and ideation
Does it happen suddenly?
No.
Burnout has been described to build up gradually, but the timing of each stage varies greatly between individuals and appears to depend on their mental resilience, as well as on workplace conditions. Here are the typical “stages”:
Stage 1 - An employee (or business owner) feels that there is a strong need to prove yourself in the workplace.
Stage 2 - You keep working harder to achieve the assumed desired perception
Stage 3 - Due to time constraints you start to increasingly neglect your own needs. This can include: reduced hours of rest or sleep, not making time for exercise, ignoring hobbies and/or interests, etc.
Stage 4 - You change your values to allow you to justify increased focus on work. This is often accompanied by internal conflict, and blaming others for the situation you have found yourself in, and denying that problems that pile up in your personal or professional life are related to your work.
Stages 5-9 are essentially a progression of already existing problems and associated symptoms: Gradual withdrawal from social and family life; depersonalisation, increased severity of emotional and physical symptoms described above; feeling of emptiness, lack of joy. Substance abuse, or pharmaceutical misuse or overuse can occur. You might feel severe exhaustion, feel “lost”, or depressed until you completely collapse.
Why is “Stage 3” in the image above in red?
Because this is the stage you need to learn to recognise early and address it immediately. It is the last “safe” moment when you can avoid the detrimental impact of burnout on your personal and professional life.
Is there something I can do?
Yes.
Learn from older generations.
Learn to recognise Stages 1-3 and address them immediately.
There are a few good reasons why “Baby Boomers” appear to be far more resistant to burnout than “Gen Zs”. Here are some suggestions:
Boomers have generally experienced a less competitive academic education, with a focus on studying subjects within the compass of their attainment, rather than on competitive achievement in education, which later translates into personal and professional life.
Boomers often had clearer boundaries between work and personal life, unlike Gen Zs, who have to navigate blurred lines, especially in remote working scenarios.
Resilience: Boomers were raised in post-war periods, fostering mental and physical resilience, and correctly establishing a value system centred on stability, hard work, family and societal contributions.
Simplicity: They generally embraced a simpler lifestyle, with fewer choices and less consumer pressure.
Realistic Life Expectations: The absence of social media during the Boomers' formative years might have contributed to more grounded expectations about life and success.
Delayed Gratification: Boomers' lack of digital distractions could have fostered a better ability for delayed gratification, a trait linked to resilience. They tend to be able to better sacrifice current convenience for future benefits and do not seek (or require) immediate gratification.
Stronger Social Structures: Boomers benefited from more robust social structures and community bonds, which are known to provide better support systems and could contribute to resilience.
So… I need to be selfish?
Yes, in a way.
You need to ensure you are taken care of BEFORE you try to help others.
If you don’t own headphones and have been on an aeroplane, you might have noticed that the flight crew always advises passengers to secure their own oxygen masks before helping others, even your own children. Selfish? Or clever?
Those who went to medical school or received first aid training may remember that the first thing you are required to do when arriving at the scene is to ensure your personal safety first, before rushing to help someone in distress. Crazy? Or reasonable?
Similarly, every search and rescue operations protocols in civilian or military environments, clearly require the operators to assess risk and ensure their own safety first. Cynical? Or professional?
Hospitals are full of similar recommendations: from infection control and prevention, to management of volatile gases, or working in dangerous environments (for example: x-rays or radioactive materials). Firefighters are trained to create a safe path for themselves before entering a burning building. Even police emergency call centre operators follow protocols to maintain their own emotional well-being first when providing assistance to others. Well-trained mental health professionals often emphasise self-care first, as a fundamental element of being able to better serve their clients.
Treat Yourself Like Someone You Are Responsible For Helping.
- J. B. Peterson, PhD
If you apply this rule, you will be easily able to spot Stage 3 of burnout brewing in your backyard.
In the modern economy, we rarely do “finite” projects. Relatively few people work on life-long projects with clearly defined start and end. Most of the job tasks are never-ending. There will always be another e-mail to reply to, another meeting to attend, another customer to serve, another patient in the waiting room, another emergency to attend, another complaint to deal with.
In order to be able to sustain yourself in the workplace for decades, you must first ensure that are taking care of yourself. You are running a life-long marathon, and you cannot sprint from start to finish… unless you want your work and your life to be a very short race.
If you feel you need professional help, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Solutions Makers for help.