Introduction
Burnout is a psychological syndrome involving several symptoms, such as exhaustion, depersonalization, and low levels of personal accomplishment. While burnout is mainly a result of workplace stress, it is also prevalent in the general population. Emotional exhaustion is characterized by feeling drained, fatigued, and emotionally unavailable.
Depersonalization leads to distraction, cynicism, and detachment from work-related activities. Low levels of personal attachment make an individual feel that their work is meaningless and insignificant. Burnout can result in a significant impact on an individual’s mental health and well-being. Feelings of anxiety reduced self-esteem, and depression can translate to physical health problems such as stomachache and fatigue.
Risk Factors for Burnout for the General Population
Several factors can increase the risk of burnout in the general population. These factors include excessive workload, long working hours, understaffing, unrealistic expectations, lack of control over one’s work, poor working relationships, and personal issues related to mental health and family history (Bayes et al., 2021). A demanding workload can contribute to work-related burnout due to misalignment of job demand and resource availability. When personnel are expected to handle large amounts of work without being provided with matching resources such as time, workforce, and equipment, burnout is increased.
Excessive Workload
The pressure to fulfill objectives and meet deadlines within a short duration and the strain of multitasking and managing various activities can cause emotional exhaustion. In such scenarios, workers are likely to be subjected to a series of repetitive and relentless tasks, leading to chronic stress and an inability to recharge. The failure to complete tasks successfully within an individual’s ability due to an increased workload can lower satisfaction and personal accomplishment.
Long Working Hours
Shift work can result in disruption of the body’s natural circadian rhythm, especially when the working hours are irregular. The unconventional sleeping patterns resulting from working shifts can cause increased stress and fatigue. Additionally, sleep cycle disruption contributes to diminished cognitive functioning and depletion. Employees who report to shifts after irregular sleep patterns are likely to make errors and display poorer performance than those with regular sleep patterns over time (Lang et al., 2022). Individuals may perceive themselves as less functional due to mistakes that arise due to irregular work shifts that happen in non-standard working time.
Understaffing
Understaffing in work environments, especially nursing and healthcare-related professions, can result in several challenges that cause burnout. Understaffing implies that there is no adequate manpower to sufficiently meet the demands of a specific workload (Lang et al., 2022). Such a situation necessitates the available employees to undertake additional workload than they can deliver, and increased responsibilities can result in a constant feeling of exhaustion. The increased workload will likely require employees to extend working hours and extra shifts, which may result in heightened stress levels.
Unrealistic Expectations
When employees work under pressure to fulfill unrealistic goals and expectations, there is an increased risk of experiencing burnout. For instance, if an employee is required to complete tasks that will take over 14 hours within one day, it may be impossible to provide the best quality and stay motivated to complete such projects. Unrealistic timeframes demotivate employees as they may perceive the demands as inhumane and unsatisfactory (Bayes et al., 2021).
Some skills may be too complex for employees to master within a short duration, and pressure to fulfill related tasks may lead to thoughts of quitting due to increased chronic stress. Feelings of helplessness and loss of control can arise if nurses and midwives realize they lack the resources to offer quality care and save lives. All objectives and job demands should be realistic to ensure that there is a work-life balance for employees.
Lack of Control
When employees are subjected to unfavorable working conditions, including long working hours, increased workloads, and poor working relationships, they are likely to lose control over their choices in the workplace. Lack of control over the work environment and activities can result in burnout as employees have limited autonomy to change their working conditions. This may be followed by frustrations, disempowerment, and dissatisfaction, evoking cynicism and a disconnect between personal values and the ability to work toward accomplishing organizational goals (Dafny et al., 2022).
Personal Issues
Individual issues such as a history of mental health disorders such as depression can increase the vulnerability to stress and burnout (Bayes et al., 2021). A family history may suggest a genetic predisposition, heightening the risk of its development. The risk factor for burnout consists of a broad range of personal and work-related factors that amplify the susceptibility to feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.
Workplace Burnout Specific to Nursing and Midwifery
Nurses and midwives work in a field susceptible to high-stress activities due to demands to serve communities and save lives. The profession has high demands of workloads, emotional labor, and responsibility to meet high expectations set by the management and patients. Nurses and midwives have to deal with stressful situations without prior planning, which may result in a loss of control over their workplace activities (Lang et al., 2022).
Consequences of Workload
First, nurses and midwives are exposed to high levels of workload where they have to serve multiple patients simultaneously and respond to emergencies and crises. For instance, a nurse may be required to multitask and complete several activities, including but not limited to taking vital signs, administering medication, and dealing with emergency cases for each of the assigned patients. The pressure of having to meet these demands to ensure patients are safe can be stressful and may cause feelings of burnout.
Consequences of Long Working Hours
Nursing and midwifery involve shifts that may disrupt sleep patterns and make it challenging to lead a healthy lifestyle. Not all facilities allow nurses to choose when to attend their shifts (Thomas, 2021). Some positions demand that nurses should work for more than four eight-hour or even 12-hour shifts weekly. Such requirements can limit nurses’ time to stay with their families and friends, leading to social isolation. Given this, it can be challenging to keep up a regular bedtime routine, and exhaustion can ensue.
Consequences of Understaffing
Understaffing can force nurses and midwives to experience stress and burnout. Nurses are obligated to provide quality care to patients, and anything that undermines their ability to offer services to the best of their ability may result in self-doubt and job dissatisfaction (Thomas, 2021). Nurses and midwives often establish close therapeutic relationships with patients and their families, and understaffing poses a time-limited challenge by reducing the possibility of providing adequate emotional support and counseling.
The number of people who require care is increasing significantly, and inadequate staff is always a concern concerning patient safety. Thomas (2021) states that most nurses who join the profession are committed to providing patients with the best quality of care. However, changes and frustrations such as understaffing and long working hours cause them to lose focus and commitment because it is only possible to accomplish such ideals with an adequate workforce. In some cases, new nursing graduates may need help to adapt to the challenge of working, such as inadequate staff, leading to stress and isolation during their first 12 months after reporting to work (Jarden et al., 2021).
For instance, a hospital may have a shortage of 30% of staff in comparison to the expected number of nurses and midwives. This indicates that there must be enough nurses to care for all patients. Again, it may reach a point where some patients are left unattended, making it difficult to decide who should be prioritized.
Consequences of Unrealistic Expectations
Unrealistic expectations regarding what nurses and midwives can contribute to the increased risk of burnout. It is common for nurses and midwives to receive orders to accomplish more with less. They could be expected to deliver exceptional care while utilizing limited resources and may not receive the help needed to perform their jobs well. Considering that many hospitals want to maximize their earnings by using little investments to achieve exceptional results, expecting nurses to work continuously for long hours can harm the facility and their well-being.
Consequences of Poor Working Relationships
Additionally, other workplace factors such as bullying, harassment, and poor relationships with colleagues can pose emotional strain and depression, resulting in burnout symptoms (Birks et al., 2018). This may render it challenging to truly feel like one is contributing to any accomplishment and can result in emotions of being overworked and unappreciated.
Reflection
In relation to workplace burnout, one of the contributing factors that is relevant to my professional life is inadequate staffing levels. This is a problem I have encountered in my practice, and I have observed nurses need help to serve large numbers of patients who are desperate for help. Inadequate staffing is a threat to the safety of patients and nurses because it endangers their emotional, physical, and psychological health, leading to increased stress levels and exhaustion.
Inadequate staffing can challenge my commitment to offer quality care by limiting the time to be spent with patients and impact my mental health by limiting my work-life balance as a result of increased workload. I also believe that inadequate staffing can lead to feelings of isolation due to suspicion that others are unwilling to assist and support handling the excessive workload. It will be difficult to perform effectively in the workplace due to challenges such as inadequate and irregular sleep durations and isolation from family and friends.
Workplace burnout can affect my nursing practice in several ways, depending on prevailing circumstances. First, burnout would result in dissatisfaction, demotivation, and fatigue, increasing the risk of medication errors (Bell et al., 2023). Fatigue is linked to reduced concentration, poor memory, limited vigilance, and decreased performance. Fatigue disrupts the circadian rhythm, hindering the ability to process information at a fast rate and act effectively to accomplish the activities required for a nursing career. Such disruptions can significantly affect my ability to provide the best quality of care due to physical and mental health problems.
I would notice workplace burnout by checking various symptoms that suggest it. Such symptoms include low concentration, making mistakes at work, feelings of cynicism and apathy, and tiredness. Such signs are indicative of the need to recharge and change the approach to daily activities by seeking emotional support from relevant personnel. Additionally, loss of interest in social activities, sleeping troubles, anxiety, and depression can also indicate that I have burnout. Such symptoms are key to understanding one’s response to stressful activities that pressure individuals into fulfilling unrealistic expectations, resulting in a loss of control over the activities that happen in the workplace.
Management of workplace burnout demands several steps that may be crucial in regaining direction and interest in work-related activities. I would take a number of steps to manage workplace burnout, including seeking advice from a supervisor regarding the issue and seeking professional assistance from a therapist or counselor. Additionally, I would create time for self-care activities, including relaxation, taking a break from work, and spending life with family and friends. Setting boundaries between work and personal life can also be beneficial in managing the time spent between the two, hence reducing unnecessary demands that may arise due to poor control over the available time.
Conclusion
Burnout can have devastating effects on personal and work-related performance. However, being able to notice it and seek effective measures for management is crucial for continued success. Investigating the root cause of burnout and seeking assistance to address the problem is essential. For instance, if employees feel that the workload is overwhelming, they can ask the supervisor to request rescheduling and adjustments that reduce the working hours. Additionally, asking colleagues to offer some assistance in improving the job and dealing with stress can be crucial in managing burnout. While stress and exhaustion can be detrimental to an individual’s ability to remain competitive and successful, staying motivated, seeking help, and learning to manage stress-related activities can help manage burnout.
References
Bayes, A., Tavella, G., & Parker, G. (2021). The biology of burnout: Causes and consequences. The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 22(9), 686-698. Web.
Bell, T., Sprajcer, M., Flenady, T., & Sahay, A. (2023). Fatigue in nurses and medication administration errors: A scoping review. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 32(3-4), 1-16. Web.
Birks, M., Budden, L. M., Biedermann, N., Park, T., & Chapman, Y. (2018). A ‘rite of passage?’: Bullying experiences of nursing students in Australia. Collegian, 25(1), 45-50. Web.
Dafny, H. A., Beccaria, G., & Muller, A. (2022). Australian nurses’ perceptions about workplace violence management, strategies and support services. Journal of Nursing Management, 30(6), 1629-1638. Web.
Jarden, R. J., Jarden, A., Weiland, T. J., Taylor, G., Bujalka, H., Brockenshire, N., & Gerdtz, M. F. (2021). New graduate nurse wellbeing, work wellbeing and mental health: A quantitative systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 121. Web.
Lang, M., Jones, L., Harvey, C., & Munday, J. (2022). Workplace bullying, burnout and resilience amongst perioperative nurses in Australia: A descriptive correlational study. Journal of Nursing Management, 30(6), 1502-1513. Web.
Thomas, R. K. (2021). How to promote wellbeing: Practical steps for healthcare practitioners’ mental health. John Wiley & Sons.