What exactly is burnout? What causes it in employees and can it be remedied? We explain.

Causes, symptoms, and how to cope?

Table of Contents:

What is burnout?

According to the WHO's International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11, code QD85), burnout is a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. The WHO indicates that burnout is characterised by:

feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion,
increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job,
reduced professional efficacy.

Burnout is therefore a state in which an employee feels extremely tired, completely lacking motivation for work, deriving no satisfaction from it, and struggling to perform their duties. They may even begin to hate – or already fully hate – their job.

Burnout and sick leave

Crucially, for now, it is not possible to take sick leave due to burnout. Although this syndrome has been specified in the aforementioned WHO classification, it does not appear as a separate disease entity – but rather as a syndrome associated with problems related to employment.

Burnout is defined in Chapter 24, named "Factors influencing health status or contact with health services", under the sub-chapter "Problems associated with employment or unemployment". Thus, we are not talking about a disease entity here, as is the case, for example, with the chapter "Diseases of the respiratory system". Currently, doctors therefore have no basis for declaring inability to work, and consequently for issuing sick notes, due to burnout.

Most common causes of burnout

The main general cause of burnout is – according to the WHO – chronic stress. This, in turn, is led to by many different factors, such as continuous procrastination combined with approaching deadlines, high responsibility of the position held, poor team atmosphere, fierce competition, private life problems making it difficult to concentrate at work, or being subordinate to a very demanding, "tough" boss.

However, stress is not the only factor that can lead to an employee feeling burned out. Directly or in connection with chronic stress, it is also caused by:

Workaholism

Workaholics like to work; they literally cannot sit idle and cannot imagine life without work. So, theoretically, they are satisfied with it, and the more they climb the career ladder and achieve success, the happier they can be.

However, workaholism also has a darker side. It often leads to severe physical and mental exhaustion, as well as neglect of family relationships or friendships. This can be caused, for example, by bringing work home, constantly working overtime, or refusing planned private meetings due to work. Moreover, when a workaholic does not achieve expected successes or even faces failures, their self-esteem can plummet.

All this and many other negative consequences of workaholism are frequent causes of burnout.

Lack of development opportunities

Another reason for burnout can be the feeling of having hit a wall in terms of career advancement within the current company or even industry. "There's nothing more for me here," "I've achieved everything possible," "I won't go any further" – and so on. Ambitious employees who are keen on career development may experience burnout when they reach the highest possible point and can no longer advance "higher".

An employee can also feel burned out when they feel that in their current position or industry, they will no longer have opportunities for personal development. This refers to individuals who are experts in their field and feel they have mastered all its secrets, now merely performing their professional duties.

High-pressure deadlines

A very demanding boss who always wants everything done "yesterday," or the specific nature of a position where no task can be postponed (e.g., paramedics), puts employees under high pressure. Short deadlines, the need to always be ready for intensive work, and constant awareness of time slipping away unfortunately lead to burnout.

The 2020 Gallup report "Employee Burnout: Causes and Cures" identifies five main causes of burnout – among them, unreasonable time pressure. It indicates that employees who always, or at least very often, have enough time to complete their duties are up to 70% less likely to experience burnout than those who feel high pressure.

Lack of support

Another potential cause of burnout is a lack of support from management. Employees who feel they cannot count on their supervisor's help, or even just encouragement, will experience excessive stress when something goes wrong at work or when they face a new challenge. A supportive manager will always be happy to advise on how to correct an error, help approach a new project properly, and listen to the expectations or concerns of their subordinates – and encourage them if needed.

The aforementioned Gallup report also showed that employees who can rely on their managers are about 70% less likely to experience burnout than those who feel isolated.

Unclear role

Employees who don't know what is expected of them by management can experience burnout. Continuous changes in guidelines, chaotic communication "from above," or assigning widely varied duties to an employee can lead to strong frustration and fatigue from constantly trying to figure out what they are actually supposed to be doing.

Excessive workload

Constantly burdening employees with an excessive number of duties may not only fail to improve the company's overall efficiency but, on the contrary, lower it due to their burnout. An excessively high workload causes employees to feel constant stress, make more and more mistakes, and even dread each new workday. According to data from the aforementioned Gallup report, employees who are continuously given too many responsibilities are up to 2 times more likely to experience burnout than those who work within their capabilities.

An excessive workload refers not only to the number of tasks an employee has to deal with daily but also to frequent overtime. Gallup's research showed that working more than 50 hours a week is associated with a significant increase in the risk of burnout.

Unfair treatment

Unfair treatment of employees significantly exposes them to burnout. Discrimination, favouritism, disparities in remuneration, assigned tasks, or even granted breaks – all these and many other elements of unfair treatment significantly raise employees' stress levels. They may feel embittered, frustrated, and struggle with a sense of internal failure; feeling inferior to their colleagues at work.

Symptoms of burnout – how to recognise them?

Recognising burnout in oneself may not be easy. Some symptoms of burnout can be confused with numerous other mental health issues, such as depression. It also happens that symptoms are completely ignored, and burned-out employees think they are just overtired, for example, because it's a busy period at the company. However, if you notice any of the following symptoms in yourself or a subordinate, it's worth considering them in the context of burnout:

a feeling of constant fatigue, lack of energy, or even physical or mental exhaustion,
lack of desire to perform professional duties,
strong aversion to starting another workday, feeling anxious about Mondays,
reduced professional effectiveness – making more mistakes, decreased focus at work,
a feeling that duties are overwhelming,
lack of satisfaction from a job well done,
not getting enough sleep despite sleeping an optimal number of hours,
mood swings,
feelings of hopelessness, being inferior to colleagues in the team.

How to cope with burnout – your own or an employee's?

Burnout can be observed not only in oneself but also in one's employees. Fortunately, in both cases, efforts can be made to address the problem and take action to tackle burnout – actions that are different and much simpler than a complete career change.

Coping with your own burnout

Regardless of whether you notice warning signs of impending burnout or are already struggling with complete exhaustion and a strong detachment from work, it's worth doing something to improve your condition. Burnout can be fought! How to do it?

Check what can be changed

Consider what is causing (or causing) your condition – and think about how to neutralise it. For example, if your manager is assigning you too many tasks and you constantly feel overwhelmed or regularly late with your work, try to negotiate different terms; talk to your boss.

Rest

Take care of your sleep health. If you struggle with falling asleep, for example due to work-related stress, which regularly leads to insufficient sleep, try implementing popular sleep aids such as breathing exercises or listening to guided relaxation (e.g., Jacobson's) in bed. Whenever possible, take short regenerative naps during the day.

Don't shy away from support

Allow yourself to be helped. Seek support or be open to it when offered by your loved ones, colleagues, or management. Whether it's about finishing a current project, making a stressful phone call, childcare, or simply lending an ear – whenever you need help, ask for it or accept it. If you feel your condition is very poor, seek psychological help.

Take micro-breaks for relaxation

This may seem difficult, especially for those with a huge workload and a constant feeling that there aren't enough hours in the day. In reality, however, giving yourself just a few minutes, for example, every 2 hours, helps the mind reset and regain some energy. Introduce regular breaks of, say, 5 minutes, which you can use for stretching (you don't even have to leave your workstation!), listening to calming white noise, deep breathing, or mindful meditation.

Separate private and professional life

This is probably the most difficult point listed, but also one of the most important. Answering work calls after hours, bringing tasks home, constantly talking about work, or doing a lot of overtime while working from home blurs the line between private and professional life.

If you work remotely occasionally or permanently, consider whether you have a specific work area designated – a special desk and space, or do you sit with your laptop at the kitchen table or on the sofa in the living room? Such seemingly small things make your professional duties become part of family life, which can lead to conflicts. Moreover, being surrounded by family members makes it difficult to concentrate, leading to frustration.

Therefore, make sure you have a specific place for work, as separate as possible from other household members – so that no one disturbs you. When you finish work, do not open your work computer or answer calls, and try to limit the amount of overtime you do.

How to help an employee experiencing burnout?

Equally pressing is the problem of noticing symptoms of burnout among your employees. A leader should make every effort to prevent burnout in their team – however, if they notice any symptoms of this syndrome, they should absolutely not trivialise them.

One also cannot assume that an employee will cope with this problem on their own, or consider burnout such a personal matter that it should not be interfered with; primarily because it is usually workplace conditions that are behind it. Therefore, management can have a significant impact on improving the condition of a burned-out employee. It should, of course, be remembered that communication is key to success – it is therefore worth inviting the person for a meeting to try and understand the reasons for their well-being.

Depending on the reason for the employee's burnout, the following remedial actions can be taken:

Offer leave

An overtired or even exhausted employee may primarily need rest. It is therefore worth suggesting that they take leave; not necessarily long and during working days. Management can give the employee a voucher for a weekend trip to a SPA or recreational centre, where they can spend time alone, free from work, family, and household duties.

Reduce workload

Rest is a temporary solution, but it is also necessary to work on eliminating the stressor. Therefore, if a burned-out employee is not coping with their work, is making more and more mistakes, or complains about a large number of duties or is working excessive overtime, it will be necessary to relieve their burden.

Examine the company atmosphere

It is certainly worth checking whether a tense team atmosphere is responsible for the burned-out employee's condition. Perhaps colleagues are competing too intensely? Perhaps the burned-out person is being discriminated against or generally mistreated for some reason? Perhaps they are not receiving the necessary support from other team members for more difficult/larger projects? A poor company atmosphere is unfortunately a common cause of burnout, either direct or additional.

Define responsibilities

An employee experiencing burnout may also complain about an unclear division of responsibilities. If they have to constantly wonder what to do and what their tasks actually entail, they will undoubtedly feel frustrated. Therefore, it is necessary to determine whether the current division of responsibilities in the team is clear and whether any more senior employees are imposing additional tasks on junior ones.

Introduce official micro-breaks

It is worth encouraging employees to take regular short breaks, for example, every 2-3 hours. To the extent that conditions and the specific nature of the workplace allow, quick stretching exercises can be introduced at a specific time; short activities that will allow employees to relax.

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