Career Burnout and its Effect on Health: How to Prevent it?

When you start out your professional career, you feel like you have the world in the palm of your hand. 

You might work past office hours, on weekends, and skip lunch breaks to gain lead. All because you’re so pumped to prove yourself. You go on working like a machine, disregarding any advice from your seniors and family members to ‘slow down.’

Yet, as a car running out of fuel will sputter, you might start experiencing some tell-tale signs of stress. 

Symptoms like insomnia, stress headaches, and anger episodes may start creeping in. Yet, most workers continue their unhealthy work routines and start to develop serious health setbacks. This stress ultimately manifests in complete de-motivation about one’s career. 

This phenomenon is ‘career burnout’ and, as of 2022, affects more than 52% of workers in the USA.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines career burnout as ‘feeling depleted, exhausted, mentally distant or cynical about one’s job, with reduced competence and effectiveness at work’. 

Ill-managed chronic stress can be detrimental to an employee’s physical and mental health. Moreover, it may also dampen organizational productivity and spike employee turnover if not addressed by management.

What Causes Career Burnout?

Management style and work environment can be the biggest determinants of burnout among employees. Let’s break them down:

Constant Work Overload

When your capacity aligns with your workload, completing tasks on schedule leaves room for relaxation. Conversely, being overladen with workload deprives you of establishing a work-life balance.

Most employees may go on to accept more workload to impress their managers. Some may even fear punishment for not accepting increased responsibilities.

A growing workload and the threat of management can be intense stressors. You may soon start feeling resentment toward your job.

Limited Work Autonomy

Disenfranchised employees often become dissatisfied, notes journalist and author Jennifer Moss.

Indeed, when you have limited control over your work, things can quickly become frustrating. Inadequate access to resources and a lack of involvement in decision-making can cause resentment towards management. 

Moreover, being treated like a simple button pusher can also be deflating, especially when you’re not given enough autonomy to handle tactical decisions. This can quickly lead to disillusionment with the end goals.

Lack of Recognition

Today, paying workers fairly falls short as the only motivator. Communicating that their efforts matter to the organization can make a difference. Good companies acknowledge workers’ efforts, while better companies reward them according to expectations.  

If your salary and perks do not justify your efforts and dedication, chances are you’re already dissatisfied. Unnoticed contributions and insufficient rewards can diminish your job satisfaction. 

Working in a Toxic Environment

Unclear job requirements and dysfunctional interpersonal dynamics can make a work environment counterproductive. Unrealistic performance standards can also affect employee well-being. These are all signs of a toxic environment.

Suspecting unfair treatment or favoritism by managers can demotivate you. If your supervisors are often rude and lack empathy or kindness, you might consider quitting for a better environment. Feeling constantly targeted or undervalued can swiftly lead to burnout.

Poor Relationships

Communication and camaraderie are essential between colleagues. But if these do not exist, you may find little motivation to show up to work every day. Working in isolation for long hours can worsen the feeling of alienation. 

What’s worse? Burnouts can be contagious. Feelings of inadequate workplace bonding can permeate many teams in an organization. 

Human interaction is the base of community. Workers working in an office environment depend on colleagues for support and trust. So a place where you’ll spend at least 40 hours every week must be a pleasant one.

Why is Burnout on the Rise?

Career burnout has triggered global interest in recent years. It has been extensively researched, urging policy-makers to improve stress quotients at work. Despite Organizational Behavior and Psychology gaining fame in the corporate world, burnout is still persistently rising. 

According to famous author Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, there are several causes.

Prolonged heavy workloads, toxic work cultures, and unfair expectations are major reasons. After the pandemic, the ongoing stressors of my career were exacerbated by health anxiety as well.

Massive layoffs due to the global recession created a dark atmosphere of job uncertainty in the global workforce. 

This compounding effect of many negative work factors made the world experience burnout stronger than ever before.

How the Pandemic Accelerated Burnout

Indeed has conducted an insightful study about the extent of employee burnout post-COVID-19 pandemic.

67% of workers from all age groups surveyed reported their burnout has worsened post-pandemic. 

More than 53% of remote workers admitted to working way longer than their hours in the office. 

This dismisses the notion that employees working from home contribute less. 

31% of total employees (remote and on-site) have reported working way longer than their pre-pandemic schedules.

The flexibility of remote work has made it harder for employees to unplug from work. The pandemic proved that effective results can be achieved without being present on-site. As a result, managers are increasingly expecting workers to chase deadlines and finish projects no matter where they are. 

A 2022 survey by ADP Research Institute showed 8.5 hours of unpaid overtime per week. Workers are working round the clock between office and home chores, burning out faster than ever. 

Economic Instability

Another reason for higher work burnout can be the new norm of people having multiple careers. The tense economic climate has forced people to take on many gigs to support their families. 

According to Deloitte, 37% of millennials and 46% of Generation Z are working secondary jobs. A growing segment is also running their own businesses on the side.

While it may be a solid financial move, it is bound to take a toll on your health. Constant multi-tasking and increased responsibility have made career burnout a national health concern in the US, according to Dr. Ian Kronish. People have little to no personal time at their leisure to recharge or have hobbies.  

Effects of Burnout on Your Health

Chronic exhaustion and stress have far-reaching effects on the workers’ well-being. High workloads, inadequate management support, and poor self-care have collectively intensified burnout.

Let’s walk through some of these effects:

Physical

Long working hours laden with stress and minimal rest can lead to elevated cortisol levels. When this stress hormone remains heightened at a long stretch, the body goes into crisis mode, working overtime to fix any perceived damage. 

This, in turn, takes a toll on any preexisting health conditions and may create new ones. 

People operating on maximum capacity usually have very little physical activity throughout the day. A sedentary lifestyle is detrimental to health, to say the least. The human body is made for exertion, and without it, it starts aging rapidly.

According to leading medical researchers, employees bearing the onslaught of chronic burnout have:

• 40% increased risk of hypertension 
• 84% increased risk of Type 2 diabetes
• 57% increased risk of prolonged illness
• Increased likelihood of heart disease
• Increased likelihood of high blood pressure

Mental

We are lucky to be alive at a time when mental health is getting its due recognition. The medical community has been able to demonstrate how triggers in mental health are correlated to physical health. 

Prolonged exposure to radiation from devices, blue light from screens, persistent stress, and career anxiety spike cortisol levels. 

Burnout creates a vicious cycle of working harder to fix a problem that’s not really your fault to begin with. It contributes to continuous exhaustion, withdrawal, depression, and anxiety. It often leads people to rely on substances like alcohol or drugs to cope.

The host of mental effects experienced during burnout are listed below:

• Depression
• Anger
• Irritability
• Insomnia
• Inability to concentrate
• Anxiety
• Increased likelihood of mental health needs like medication or hospitalization

Occupational

When strong and lasting mental and physical factors are wearing you down, it is logical to observe drastic changes in your occupational performance. 

A worker who has burned out working in a toxic and overly demanding environment will be withdrawn from the rest of the team. Burned-out employees often do just the bare minimum and don’t take initiative. 

Similarly, when employees are not appreciated for their contributions, they develop resentment toward management and eventually become disinterested in achieving the company’s goals. 

Needless to say, job dissatisfaction is a phenomenon with real costs attached to it. 

These include:

• Decline in output
• Making more clinical errors
• Withdrawal from group activities
• Limited communication with top management
• High absenteeism
• High turnover 
• Feelings of resentment and bad-mouthing the organization

How to Prevent Career Burnout

Burnout is not a buzzword but a real problem with serious consequences for both workers and employers. Both parties need to address the issue with practical measures to prevent it from occurring in the first place. 

As an Employee

It is essential to understand that anyone can be susceptible to burnout. It does not reflect any physical or mental weakness. Burnout often occurs during busy times, making it harder to be attentive to its cues. 

Work, after all, is just another part of life. Sure, it pays your bills, but working too much in the long run can be as counterproductive as working too little. 

Set Boundaries

Allow yourself to truly unplug from work to rest and rejuvenate. Don’t let guilt and shame let you get back online. 

Good management should be able to determine your worth based on your current output and not on how much more responsibility you can take on. 

Instead of saying yes to more work, if you’re starting to feel overwhelmed, communicate with your supervisor and ask them to reallocate the workload. 

Prioritize Self-Care

Restoring both your physical and emotional vitality is crucial. Prioritizing healthy sleep patterns, balanced nutrition, regular exercise, meeting friends, and engaging in activities that make you happy can be a game-changer. If you’re working in a challenging workplace, reclaiming your focus can be essential. 

Assessing a typical week to see your allocation of your time can be eye-opening. Plan to expand your personal time and well-being to strike a better work-life equilibrium.

Socialize In and Outside of Work

Talking about your stress and negative feelings can make you feel heard. Your connections at work provide the buffer needed to reduce stress. Outside of work, plan ahead to take trips, visit places, and hang out with friends and family to disconnect from work. 

As a Manager

Since workload and responsibility are deployed from the higher levels of management, managing burnout seems like their ethical responsibility. Here are some ways you can do that:

Ensure Managerial Support

Managers should be equipped with appropriate training and skills to identify employees susceptible to burnout. On top of that, provide resources to manage burned out employees. Ensure that work expectations, workload, and time constraints remain reasonable and sustainable. 

Frequently checking in with the employees to get feedback and any needed support can make a huge difference in their morale.

Encourage Team Get-togethers

Communication is an underrated human need. Bringing employees together for projects and arranging group activities can refresh moods and boost camaraderie.

For remote employees, arranging regular catch-ups and team-building games can elevate job satisfaction. A harmonious workforce means less drama and better collaboration, which benefits the company in the long run. 

Demonstrate Work-Life Balance

Modeling taking small breaks and prioritizing mental health can set a great example for workers and show that you care about their well-being. Organize focus group sessions to gauge the well-being of your employees and pinpoint the underlying sources of stress. You should intervene proactively before stress escalates into burnout.

Use Work Management Tools

Using work management tools to prevent burnout involves a combination of strategies aimed at allocating workload and resources, promoting work-life balance, and fostering a positive work environment.

Task management apps: Taking help from modern technological tools can not just simplify work but modernize your take on management. Using task management tools like Trello or Asana can break down large projects into smaller, manageable tasks that don’t leave workers feeling overwhelmed. 

Time-tracking apps: Employ time-tracking tools to monitor how much time is spent on various tasks. This helps in identifying time-consuming activities, improving resource allocation and planning for breaks and load sharing. 

Calendar apps: Use scheduling tools such as Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook to schedule tasks, meetings, and breaks. Set realistic deadlines and avoid overloading your workers’ schedules to prevent excessive stress.

Workload balancing apps: Monitor workload distribution among team members using workload management tools like Workfront or Wrike. Identify potential bottlenecks, redistribute tasks if necessary, and ensure a balanced workload for everyone to prevent burnout.

Leveraging Automation to Prevent Burnout

Using a robust time-tracking system with sophisticated tools can effectively prevent burnout. 

They are equipped with multiple tools to record and analyze real-time data on how workers spend their workdays. 

If a team member consistently puts in long hours, it could indicate they’re at risk of burnout. This is where timesheets prove beneficial. They offer insights into individuals who may be overworking and enable you to address the issue, preventing a burnout.

Additionally, employee productivity reports can be excellent empowerment tools for workers. Let your workers track their own work hours and spot any early signs of burnout. Invite them to embrace time-tracking as a wellness tool and encourage them to take accountability for their own well-being.

The activity summary reports share deep insights into the work patterns of workers. You can identify ideal break times and work patterns and recommend improvements in the workflow. All this can make a typical workday less stressful. 

By comparing real-time, you can identify your top productive players, the sluggish ones, and also those who might be working to an unhealthy extent. 

Such data can be helpful in making informed career decisions about the workers. When employees are rewarded fairly and acknowledged for their contributions, it can give a huge boost to their motivation.

By comparing each team’s productivity using the project tracking feature, you can identify projects that may put you at risk of team burnout. On the other hand, you can also spot under-utilized teams and users and re-allocate them to projects that could need an extra set of hands.

Prevent Burnout with Effective Time Management

Effective time management is a crucial strategy for detecting and managing burnout. We just discussed one way of using automation to set work boundaries and prioritize well-being. TimeBee makes time-tracking painless without being labor-intensive. It streamlines your activities and enables you to create a healthy work-life balance. Additionally, it performs on many other fronts rather than just preventing burnout. Managing stress at work is a marathon, and the core lesson here is to work smarter, not harder. 

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