5 tips to overcome occupational burnout in companies

Senior team managers and CEOs know that salary is far from the only thing that employees expect from the company they work for. Ignoring this fact can lead to creating work spaces that are a breeding ground for occupational burnout: a psychological problem relatively common, with effects both on the quality of life of those who suffer from it and on the performance and adaptability of the organization.

Fortunately, there are many things that can be done to prevent and overcome job burnout; here we will see the most important.

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What is occupational burnout?

Occupational burnout syndrome, also known as "work burnout syndrome" or "burnout syndrome", is a psychological disorder that appears described in the International Classification of Diseases ICD-10, although not as a mental disorder, but in the section on "problems related to dealing with the difficulties of lifetime".

It is a form of malaise characterized by affective flattening, emotional fatigue and loss of motivation and experiences linked to satisfaction, which is closely linked to the way in which the work context is experienced, as indicated by your name. The syndrome can affect practically any worker profile, although it is estimates that it is especially widespread among professional profiles working with the public and in others

positions in which there is frequent interaction with many people and a heavy workload: health, education, social work, etc.

Occupational wear and tear is considered to be the product of the combination of several elements: on the one hand, an exposure constant or very repeated to sources of stress and, on the other hand, a lack of incentives to get involved in work at the emotional. This means that people who suffer from burnout are, in a certain way, stressed, and at the same time they do not show great interest in their work or feel satisfaction when completing important tasks. What's more, show some level of affective blunting or even anhedonia (inability to fully experience pleasure or joy). These are workers who suffer from emotional exhaustion, which is different from emotional hyperactivity and sensitivity to stimuli of those who are simply stressed and nothing more.

• You may be interested: "Work stress: causes, and how to combat it"

Helpful Strategies to Overcome Burnout

As we have seen, although it is currently still being debated whether it can be considered a psychopathology or not, there is no doubt that occupational burnout syndrome is a phenomenon that must be taken into account both by companies and in the world of health mental. For this reason, for years, psychological intervention strategies have been studied and applied, whether in the field of psychotherapy or in organizations, help mitigate the symptoms of this problem and provide support to those who are in the process of overcoming the burnout. In this sense, although the most effective way to put an end to it is personalized psychotherapeutic assistance, there are also a series of general advice to be taken into account both by the worker and by the employers. Let's see what they are.

1. Time management is key

In some cases, the main cause of occupational burnout is simply economic and job insecurity; that is, the fact of being in a situation in which, in order to reach the objectives, it is necessary to working too many hours, with hardly any breaks or prospects for promotion at the company where it is. In these cases, the solution is never individual, and the person's employment situation must change.

But in many other cases, part of the problem is in the bad management that the worker makes of his emotions, which often leads to poor time management at work. And it is that burnout syndrome, due to its combination of symptoms linked to stress and alterations of the type depressive, makes the person perform much worse and is not even able to identify what is happening to him or that fall in his performance.

Therefore, carrying out time management routines helps a lot to break this vicious cycle and prevent work from piling up. In this sense, it helps a lot to use clear schedules and placed in a place that is visible and, at the same time, apply a strategy known as "action triggers": that the worker or A worker memorizes the beginning of a certain task by doing it at a specific time and place: “right after lunch, in the common room, I will go to my office and make the first call to a client".

• Related article: "Time management: 13 tips to take advantage of the hours of the day"

2. mindfulness helps

Mindfulness exercises applied to everyday life are a very useful resource to mitigate both anxiety in general and stress related to job burnout in particular. These meditative-inspired practices help a person focus their attention on the present moment and adopt a more constructive perspective about the work to be done and its possibilities for professional development and personal. While the simplest mindfulness exercises can be learned in a matter of minutes self-taught, the most complete require training and assistance from a instructor.

• You may be interested: "What is Mindfulness? The 7 answers to your questions

3. It is important to offer training programs in the work context

Some companies make the mistake of assuming that the only thing that workers aspire to is to get a salary at the end of the month. But the truth is that work is just another part of life, and employees perceive it as such; thus, organizations must adapt to these expectations of finding stimulating and motivating experiences in the work context, and offer workshops, courses, etc.

In the same way, workers can organize themselves to support each other as a group, helping to generate a good climate of work and even carry out leisure activities or personal and professional development at times of break. After all, these links with colleagues are also one more facet of the world of work, so they can be a source of motivation and satisfaction.

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4. You have to stop comparing yourself to others.

In the world of work, it is easy to fall into the ultra-competitive dynamic of comparing yourself with the rest of the members of the company. This is a trap that generates stress; As members of an organization, we hardly ever have a complete vision of our role in it and what we contribute to it, and if we become obsessed with this topic, it is likely that the lack of information about it drags us to discouragement and constant stress.

5. Maintain a comfortable workspace

Physical discomfort translates into emotional discomfort. If we are used to working in a messy or even physically uncomfortable place, we will associate that experience with the concept of "work" in its entirety, without being aware that we are generalizing from a circumstantial fact (which we do not see as such because we contribute to it always staying afloat from our routines of work).

Therefore, both to perform much better and finish all pending tasks on time and to feel better at work, it is important to include small breaks in our schedule to tidy up, throw away unnecessary items (physical or digital), clean, etc.

• Related article: "10 psychologically healthy daily habits, and how to apply them to your life"

Do you want to create emotionally healthy workspaces?

If you are looking for solutions for companies that increase the level of well-being and commitment of workers, mindgram is for you.

This is a comprehensive support platform for employees (and even for their relatives) that offers, through its digital spaces, a great variety of psychological assistance content: group development workshops, the possibility of accessing a chat with a psychologist 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, podcasts on mindfulness and relaxation techniques, live courses and workshops on emotional management and improved communication, teleconsultations with an accredited psychotherapist psychologist, chat access to nutrition specialists, child and adolescent psychologists and mentors business, and more.

Furthermore, Mindgram is a totally secure platform that offers confidentiality and anonymity; Sensitive data is treated in accordance with the European privacy regulations (LOPDGDD), and the connections between the systems and the user are encrypted using an SSL network protocol.

To find out more about what Mindgram can offer your business, get in touch with us.