If you think you might be experiencing burnout, you're not alone.
Research carried out by Deloitte in 2021 suggests that 77% of over 1000 respondents say they have experienced burnout at their current job whilst 91% agreed that unmanageable stress or frustration impacts the quality of their work and 83% think that burnout negatively impacts personal relationships.
So, what exactly is burnout?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Burnout is a syndrome resulting from chronic work-related stress. Symptoms are characterised by feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from your job or feelings of negativity or cynicism towards your job.
Here at Vyou, we deconstruct burnout into five stages.
What causes burnout?
Burnout is thought to occur when a mismatch is present between the nature of the job and the job the person is actually doing, but there are a number of factors at play here:
- Mismatch in workload/control
- Lack of appropriate awards
- Loss of a sense of positive connection with others in the workplace
- Perceived lack of fairness
- Conflict between values
- Work-life imbalance (working too hard)
- Toxicity in the workplace
- Hierarchism
- High-stress sectors (e.g. healthcare)
Is burnout linked to personality traits?
Considering that Deloitte's research suggests 77% of respondents currently feel burnt out, it's not something that is clean cut enough to anchor to any one set of personality traits. In fact, it's something that the majority of us, with our multitude of differing traits, are likely to experience at some point.
However, there are some personality traits that have a greater tendency to experience burnout. They include:
- Hardy personality – someone who enjoys control, challenge and commitment
- Perfectionism
- Idealism
- Lack of time management skills
- Lack of communication skills / assertiveness / boundaries setting
It's interesting to note that millennials are experiencing more burnout than any other generation. A Gallup study suggests 7 in 10 Millennials will experience some burnout.
Why? They suggest it boils down to factors including globalisation with pressure of expectations and the paradox of choice. High pressure and social media are also listed causes.
I think I'm suffering from burnout. How do I recover?
The most effective way to handle burnout is to seek professional support. Your level of burnout does not have to be sky high, you don't have to become ill - and hopefully you won't get to that stage - to go for a consultation.
Professional support can help you to grow, discover your potential, grow new skills and support you in dealing with situations at work or at home.
Does Vyou help with burnout?
Vyou is a work wellness platform that helps you to track, and improve how you feel at work, no matter where you work from. Continuous monitoring, supported by human coaching sessions, can help identify early signs of burnout - and give you the skills you need to make the right changes.
Want to find out more about what Vyou could do for you? Book a no obligation discovery call with one of our friendly team members.
