Understanding Professional Burnout: Red Flags, Occupational Risks, and Recovery

According to the ICD-11, “Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” The WHO goes on to describe burnout as having three main elements:

• A feeling of being exhausted or depleted
• Cynicism toward your job, a feeling of distance from it
• Reduced efficacy on the job

This is a condition, whether officially recognized or not, that applies to the workplace. Stress in other areas of life may contribute to it, but professional burnout is specifically tied to work.

Certain careers may be more susceptible to burnout. Healthcare workers, for instance, tend to experience more burnout. However, the risk factors for professional burnout are more general and personal than tied to any specific job. They include:

• A poor work-life balance
• Heavy workload and long work hours
• Being a people pleaser and having a hard time saying no
• Feeling as if you have little control over your job tasks
• A job that is monotonous
• A dysfunctional workplace
• Unclear job expectations

It’s important to understand the telltale signs of professional burnout. If you know what these are, as an employer, employee, or co-worker, you can identify them and get help or offer support. Burnout should not and does not have to lead to a breakdown. Early recognition is important. Watch for these job burnout red flags:

• You feel cynical and hopeless about your job.
• You don’t feel motivated to do your job.
• You are increasingly unable to perform and problem solve on the job.
• You have become angry or irritable on the job, lashing out at co-workers or clients.
• You feel chronically fatigued, exhausted, and both emotionally and physically drained and depleted.
• You are not sleeping well.
• You have increasing physical health problems or get sick more often.
• You feel depressed or anxious more often, especially related to work.

The signs of workplace burnout vary by individual, but these are characteristic red flags. You may also find that workplace stress spills over into your homelife, that you have other mental health issues, or that you are beginning to use drugs or alcohol to cope.

Professional burnout is an occupational risk because it is damaging. It doesn’t just negatively impact job performance; it also affects your mental and physical health and can trigger issues in other areas of your life, such as relationships.

A large survey of several studies of professional burnout concluded that it increases the risk of developing several physical health problems. These include type 2 diabetes, heart disease, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, respiratory illness, and even mortality.

The psychological issues triggered by burnout include insomnia, depression, and being hospitalized for mental illness. Additionally, the study found that job burnout led to absenteeism, job dissatisfaction, lost productivity, and higher rates of disability benefits usage.

The consequences of burnout, for both the individual and the employer, are real and serious. While burnout can be treated, prevention is always better. A healthy, proactive workplace can prevent many cases of burnout and the resulting harm it causes.

For employers, preventing burnout means creating a workplace that supports good mental health. Employers must be open and receptive to the mental health needs and well-being of workers. This can take many different forms:

• Developing a culture that prioritizes employee well-being over productivity
• Setting reasonable expectations for workers and providing the right training and support to achieve them
• Communicating regularly with workers about expectations, performance, and improvement
• Creating wellness programs that provide workers with access to mental health resources and tools
• Encouraging a positive work-life balance with things like flexible scheduling, work-from-home options, and time off as needed
• Listening to employees and being open to feedback and making changes in the workplace
• Training managers to recognize the signs of burnout and prevent it in their teams

Individuals must also take responsibility for their mental health and take steps to reduce the risk of getting burned out. At the earliest signs of burnout or under working conditions that seem to support burnout, workers should:

• Talk to a supervisor. Bring your concerns to your direct supervisor or go higher if necessary. Offer suggestions for reducing stress, making expectations more manageable, and other ideas that would benefit everyone.
• Talk to coworkers. Reaching out to others for social support is a powerful way to combat stress. Collaborate with other workers on projects or just reach out to talk and make connections.
• Get moving. Whenever possible, fit in some physical activity to reduce stress. Engage in a regular schedule of exercise, but also stand up and walk around at work when you can.
• Set boundaries. Work-life balance means keeping work separate from the rest of your life as much as you can. Avoid bringing work home or looking at email and other work tasks.
• Try stress-relief strategies. Anything you can do to reduce stress in your life will be helpful. Try mindfulness meditation a few minutes a day, daily journaling, deep breathing exercises, or any activity or hobby you enjoy and find relaxing. Make time for these strategies to avoid burnout later.

Ultimately, you may have to leave your job. If your employer is not receptive to your concerns, or you simply find you can’t handle the work, it may be best for your mental health to find another position.