Maybe it’s the stress of the pandemic finally catching up to you. You’ve been working from home, managing your household routines that are always at risk of being disrupted by the next Covid outbreak. You can’t put your finger on it, but every Monday feels extra “Mondayish” and you dread logging into work more and more. You find yourself more irritable and annoyed. You feel empty, the passion you once had for your job is long gone and you're doing just enough to get by. If this feels familiar to you, you might be experiencing burnout. In this post, we’ll cover symptoms of burnout, implications for the region, and steps that can be taken to address burnout.
Burnout is physical, mental, or emotional exhaustion due to unmanaged chronic stress from work-related stressors. Burnout is typically accompanied by a lost sense of purpose or desire to remain in a specific professional role or occupation. The stress of constant demands at work, lack of work-life balance, and toxic workplace dynamics are all possible causes of burnout. Other possible causes are a lack of autonomy or control as well as having little to no support from colleagues or managers in the workplace. In 2021, Indeed surveyed 1500 employees from the US of different ages, industries, and levels of experience and found that 52% reported being burned out and 67% reported that the pandemic worsened their levels of burnout. Increased rates of employee burnout are also being reported in the UK and throughout Europe. Because Burnout is so prevalent and damaging, it’s important to be able to identify the signs. These include:
Excessive fatigue
Frequent headaches
Unexplained muscle pains
Feelings of helplessness and self-doubt
Decreased motivation
Increased use of food, alcohol/drugs, or sex to cope with stress
Withdrawing from work responsibilities
Increased irritability
So what does this mean for the Caribbean?
With $30 billion lost yearly to decreased workplace productivity and absenteeism due to mental health-related difficulties, the Caribbean region is no stranger to the effects of employee burnout. And, with many of us adopting patterns of persevering through painful adversity, many of these signs are likely to be missed or ignored altogether. As many of us transition into the new opportunities afforded to us by this global shift from traditional jobs to hybrid roles that allow more remote work, it's essential to our wellbeing and sustainability that as a region we develop plans and policies that protect against employee burnout. This begins with frequent educational campaigns that inform the public about the signs, risk factors of employee burnout as well as the preventive measures that can be taken. It can also include employers increasing access to mental health services and tools for their employees.
On an individual level, a measure that can be taken is to reassess your work habits and identify your personal feelings and levels of stress attached to specific actions. It’s also important to set clear work-life boundaries and be intentional about maintaining healthy practices and eliminating unhealthy ones. And lastly, if you identify signs of burnout, consider reaching out to a mental health professional to build coping skills and tools to protect yourself.
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