Did you know an adverse work environment can cause physical and mental problems, harmful use of substances and alcohol, absenteeism from work and loss of productivity, according to the WHO ? Despite being increasingly common problems, they are still treated as taboos in companies. This is because they are easily associated with madness and even “nonsense” – which is not in line with reality.
For this reason, it is increasingly common to see email list professionals with Burnout syndrome. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) included the syndrome in the list of the International Classification of Diseases with code QD85 in the chapter on problems associated with employment and unemployment. In this post, we will deal with the impact that the disease has had on today's world, how it can affect work. We will also talk about the main symptoms so you can identify and combat it. Keep reading and take a look! In the end, what does Burnout Syndrome mean? Burnout Syndrome, or professional exhaustion syndrome, is considered a mental disorder defined in 1974 by the German psychologist Hebert J. Freudenberger.
It is associated with a state of emotional tension and chronic stress, both caused by the working conditions offered to the worker. This encompasses the physical, emotional and psychological aspects. It is important to clarify an important point, the origin of the term. Burnout is a word made up of two words of English origin: burn (burn) and out (completely). This differentiates it from stress, with which it is commonly confused. The latter can appear in different contexts, while the former is motivated by exhaustion in relation to the activity or the work environment.
How can burnout affect you? The costs of professional burnout are high for both organizations and their employees. People with this syndrome usually have a drastic drop in productivity , lose opportunities, are more prone to errors, delay the delivery of projects, among others. On the other hand, the business is also affected. You can begin to suffer from accidents at work and increased expenses with the health of the worker, who begins to present problems with and due to poor management (depending on the person with the syndrome) and with the high turnover of collaborators, etc. The consequences of all this are the loss of customers, the health of employees and the decrease in organizational competitiveness. What are the main symptoms of Burnout syndrome?
Identifying burnout can begin with the smallest warning signs. However, over time, they become larger and larger, and that is when the Burnout Syndrome hatches. Below I will show you some of the main symptoms. Sharp drop in productivity Imagine that nothing else is as before. Productivity dropped a lot and you can no longer do the work during working hours. In turn, this generates an accumulation of tasks, which generates more and more anxiety and stress for not being able to achieve the desired success .
The drop in production is one of the first symptoms of burnout and is generally followed by poor quality in the execution of tasks that were previously easily carried out. feeling of helplessness And speaking of stress, the accumulation of tasks and responsibilities and the constant pressures associated with not taking advantage of the skills of collaborators cause a feeling of helplessness. Then, the lack of expectations contributes to the work environment becoming a burden for some people. On several occasions, this generates physical and emotional collapse and a drop in self-confidence, and the collaborator feels that his work has no more meaning. Somatization Headaches, lack of appetite, tachycardia, low immunity, and shortness of breath are just some of the problems caused by somatization, which is the physical manifestation of mental disorders.
When you perceive that the presence of certain diseases is frequent, for no apparent reason, the collaborator must observe the work environment. The manifestation of this symptom depends on the level of involvement with it. While some people manage to manage the situation well, others do not. However, it should be noted that this does not mean a lack of willpower. Change of humor Has it ever occurred to you to ask a person at work a random question and they suddenly get stressed or give you a “grouchy” answer?
You can see that in most cases, that reaction is linked to exhaustion and the demands of the job. If the symptom is with you and anything irritates you, leaving you emotional or sad, try to identify if the problem at work is overcoming barriers and interfering with socializing with colleagues. How to treat the problem? The World Health Organization defends a treatment based on measures to improve the work environment, the search for help in the hands of professionals and a special one that we want to highlight: offering employees professional development programs; and recognize and reward the contribution of staff. However, the person who suffers from burnout can help himself with some simple attitudes applied in everyday life. Disconnect from obligations Practice disconnecting from social networks and also from work itself when you are away.
The excess of information to which we are exposed provides more stress and immediacy for our daily lives, aggravating psychological exhaustion. Today, there is even a name for the excesses of technology and social networks in our day to day: FOMO (Fear of Missing Out or fear of losing something). This problem is associated with the fact of being connected 24 hours a day, which generates anguish and bad mood and contributes to exhaustion. Take advantage of leisure moments Have moments for leisure, practice physical activities and be close to who makes you feel good. Physical exercise, for example, is an excellent remedy to combat stress, not to mention the benefits it provides to health. Therefore, take advantage of the moments of rest.
Even if you are not doing anything, it is possible to rest. This will help you to have the strength to combat the symptoms of burnout and avoid the accumulation of stress and anxiety in your routine. Seek help from your coordinators Is work wearing you down in such a way that you don't feel like going anymore? A good way to deal with this issue is to talk to your superiors. Express the whole situation to them, talk about solutions (such as reducing the burden of obligations) and, if possible, request a permit or advance payment for vacations. Transparency is crucial to win the trust of superiors and also to alert them to the organization of the work environment. In several situations, the problem is in the format of the business and in the pressures exerted on the collaborators.
Thus, the conversation can be essential to avoid the situation and prevent other people from suffering from the problem. Why is mental health so important in the work environment? The human being does not work like a machine. He has emotions, he is tired and he likes to feel valued. Therefore, the Burnout Syndrome serves as an alert for organizations to treat mental health in the work environment more carefully. If the mind is tired, it loses its efficiency and performance. Therefore, it is no longer useful, the results will be lower than expected. This causes frustration to mount and important decisions to be postponed. There is an interesting phrase by the writer François de la Rochefoucauld that portrays the issue well: