In Pursuit of Profession: Are we in a burnout bubble?
Have you become cynical or critical at work? Do you drag yourself there and have trouble getting started once you arrive? Have you become cantankerous or annoyed with co-workers, customers or clients? Do you lack the energy to be productive? Do you feel dissatisfied with your job? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then you might be burned out at work. Burnout is a serious issue. Not to go all Adam Smith on you, but what happens to output when a machine breaks down? It stops until the machine is fixed. And what happens when machines are run at or beyond capacity for long periods of time? Yup, they tend to break down more often.
While humans aren’t machines, if you look at us in the classically economic sense, we are a factor of production. If we break down, work doesn’t get done; products and services are not produced and served. It costs us in terms of money, and the economy at large in terms of output. And while humans do break down from time to time, it seems that breakdowns and complete burnout are on the rise. “Since the economic downturn in ’08, corporations have tried to do more - or at least make due - with less,” said Jody Michael, executive coach, CEO and founder of Jody Michael Associates, a Chicago- and Atlanta-based company specializing in career, executive, life and trader coaching and leadership training. “Companies are trying to run “lean” after being forced to make sweeping reductions in resources (think layoffs and budget cuts) in order to survive, and then failing to replenish when the economy improved. As a result, many employees are working longer hours and under increased pressure.”
The right perspective
While employers are constantly asking us to do more as employees, human beings weren’t designed to manage all of these tasks at once. “We, as a species, haven’t evolved to adapt to the information age and the constant stream of information that bombards us through email, social media, podcasts, webinars, etc. And, coupled with greater demands in the workplace, our brains are exhausted,” Michael said. But while the information age has taxed our brains, and our nerves, it seems that the younger generation does have a leg up. “While adults over the age of 30 are more prone to feel the effects of “information overwhelm,” this doesn’t appear to tax the younger generation, who grew up in the era of distraction,” said Michael.
No matter how old you are, it’s all about thinking of stress, which is the leading cause of burnout, in the right perspective. “If someone considers stress to be caused by a temporary situation, they’re pointing at external or environmental triggers,” Michael said. “But stress isn’t tangible, measurable or external. Almost all workplace stress is an internal reaction based on perception. If you understand that the majority of stress is internal, and not external, then the challenge is in learning self-modulation and how to effectively manage your thoughts, moods and behaviors. That’s what creates resilience in one person who seems to be drinking from a fire hose all day long yet remains unfazed - and is actually excited by - the energy and pace of the environment. A person who’s very adept at being “Teflon,” not taking things personally, demonstrating resilience and embodying general mental fitness is far less vulnerable to burnout than his emotionally volatile counterpart.”
All about energy
Speaking of perspective, while we need to think of stress and burnout internally rather than externally, we also need to realize that burnout is less a function of time and more a function of energy. “Some people can work 12-hour days, 7 days a week and never burn out, while others can experience burnout from a part-time job. It’s more about energy, perspective, restorative self-care and the capacity to rejuvenate, which some people can manage to uphold, even after 20 or 30 years on the job,” said Michaels. “It also bears mentioning that being in the wrong career - one that isn’t aligned with your abilities, interests and values - often results in burnout because you’re working against your natural aptitudes. You’re actually swimming upstream, expending more energy than the co-worker sitting next to you.”
As with many of the issues that we as workers face - bad habits, miscommunication, stress, etc. - the first step has always been recognizing our role with the problem. Once we recognize that, then we can do something about it. When it concerns burnout, if we first recognize what type of worker we are in terms of our energy level, then we can put boundaries in place that will help us correctly manage that energy. “Boundaries vary from one person to another - and what’s realistic in some industries and corporate cultures may not be in others. Some people might not mind taking phone calls or answering emails during non-business hours, but have a strict policy about taking an exercise class during their lunch hour. All of these are boundaries, and every individual needs to find the balance between what may be negotiable and what may not be. The trick is in staying committed to the boundaries you’ve put in place - and making sure that where you work is the right cultural fit for you,” said Michael.
Burnout as a gift?
Most of us don’t like change. However, it often takes us reaching our breaking point as a result of burnout that motivates us to make a necessary change. “That’s where job burnout becomes a gift,” Michael said. “The discomfort and desperation we feel in burnout help inform us that something is out of balance and that it’s time to reassess our work and our lives.”
The good news is that we can bounce back from burnout. Sometimes it takes a minor adjustment in our routines, our workplace expectations and our own attitudes. Other times it requires a greater shift. “We often have clients literally begging us to give them “permission” to quit their jobs when they come in for their first coaching session,” said Michael. “I remember meeting with one woman in particular, who felt at the end of her rope. I encouraged her to take our MindMastery program (described below), which she did. She also continued her individual coaching sessions. When, three months later, I asked her if she was still thinking about leaving her job, her response was, “Are you kidding me?” She had begun to experience her job in a profoundly different way as a result of shifting her mindset. No longer did she feel burned out, exhausted or stressed. She became energized and motivated. It wasn’t her job or boss that had her on the path to burnout; rather, it was her mental playlist that needed to be rewritten.”
Jody Michael Associates’ MindMastery program, which consists of an online assessment, a full-day interactive workshop, a proprietary app and two one-on-one follow up sessions coaches participants to manage the thoughts that create their moods and influence their behaviors. They help clients rebuild their brains, forging new - and more productive - neuropathways. The result: Less stress, enhanced performance and markedly improved results in their personal and professional lives. Visit www.jodymichael.com for more information.
This story was originally published May 28, 2017 at 12:00 AM with the headline "In Pursuit of Profession: Are we in a burnout bubble?."