4 Recommendations To Keep Job Burnout At Bay

Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash

You might wonder, what is burnout? The initial definition of the term "burnout", coined by Herbert Freudenberger, in his book, Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement, in 1974 was "the extinction of motivation or incentive, especially where one's devotion to a cause or relationship fails to produce the desired results." In short, job burnout is when a person starts dreading going to work, continuously feel emotionally exhausted, and unable to focus.

Most of us spend more than 8 hours a day working. If you loathe your job and currently stuck in a never-ending lockdown loop, without any quick actions, the reality will take a toll on your health soon. Aside, do you know that Southeast Asia is in the top 15 of the world's most stressed-out cities, with Kuala Lumpur landed at number 13? Not proud at all.

While being caught in a nasty episode of "COVID-19 meets work stress", we have here four recommendations to help you handle job burnout.

1. Communicate with your superior or leader

Do you notice back-to-back meetings are always on your superior's schedule and feel bad for interfering? Stop that thought right now, because it wouldn't do anyone a favour. Open communication is vital in our everyday work. Learning how to speak up when needed will help to get things done and avoid unnecessary stress later. 

It is important to build a relationship and schedule check-ins with your superior frequently. If your superior has a tight schedule, instead of a weekly check-in, a monthly 30 minutes phone call or virtual catch-up will fit the bill. Before going for your call, plan out your thoughts and write the main concerns down. For example, if you are on the edge of burning out due to taking on too many tasks after a colleague has quit, share the problem and ask for clear priorities. 

Very often, how your superior react to your concerns is closely associated with the way you convey the message. Instead of making it sound like a complaint, let them know that you are seeking help and guidance. In case things don't work out as planned, you can always turn to your HR team for professional support.

2. Practice firm work-life boundaries

Remember that life is too short to adopt the "work is life" concept. Work isn't life, and life is not all about work either. When work commute is temporarily out of the picture, many will fall into the trap of hustling more than the standard working hours. Imagine, waking up in a beautiful morning and only taking a few steps to your laptop to begin your day. How convenient is that!        

Following advice from successful remote workers, the number one rule to prevent yourself from job fatigue is keeping a routine and sticking to it. For example, you can set designated working hours. Communicate to your team about that and disconnect from all your work gadgets afterwards. Besides, take your lunch away from your computer, give yourself a couple of 10-15 minutes short breaks to walk around and clear your mind. Lastly, instead of turning your entire home into a home office, select a specific spot only, such as the dining table.

3. Take the time to take care of yourself

Self-love is essential, and you can start by getting enough sleep. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation weakens your mental and physical abilities, causing multiple health issues and mental illnesses, including depression. If you don't want your mood to swing from the chandelier, try having a minimum of 6 hours of sleep every day. 

That aside, find time to do things that get you excited. You can pick a new exercise like yoga, hop on the 2020 trend of indoor gardening or get your friends together for a social deduction game like Among Us. Those mentioned don't confine to only weekends. You can always slip them in before work, during lunch hours, or after work. 

Try turning back in time and recollect the best memories as a child, wouldn't the happiest moment be finishing school and running to the playground to meet with the neighbourhood kids? The concept is still applicable even if you are an adult now. All you need to do is switch your mind off work and do the things you love.

4. Create a virtual water cooler session

Our last recommendation is to create a virtual water cooler catch-up with your co-workers. In other words, hold a session to connect with your colleagues like how you would at work. Water cooler chats are usually casual, and the topics can be work or non-work related. The activity is essential as it helps teammates to bond, encourages creative thinking and creates a sense of belonging. 

Many times, great ideas happen when a person can speak their minds and isn't in a stressful environment. During these sessions, unlike formal meetings that have agendas and goals, there isn't a need to set rules or select specific topics of discussion. HR and departmental team leads can work together to set-up a safe space or a weekly virtual de-stress session after working hours. Then, people can opt to join for a short 30 minutes to an hour-long catch-up over food and drinks. 

Summary

1. Make a point to maintain open communication with your superior or leader. Share with them truthfully your thoughts about the job scope and voice out if you feel like you are taking on too much.
2. Seek guidance from HR or a professional if work pressure is interfering with your personal life.
3. Look after your health. Take care of yourself before worrying for someone else.
4. Do what you love and explore new things to keep life exciting.
5. If you have just started a new job, give yourself time to get situated.
6. Not forgetting, make time to catch-up with colleagues and recreate the fun times like how you did while working on-site because nothing beats a good laugh after a long and stressful day.

To learn more about how we can help, drop us an email at marketing.my@adecco.my or ring us at 603- 2781 0000. We care and are ready to help you!