Introduction
Workplace stress is a growing concern for many modern employers. This situation can lead to undesirable consequences, leaving a significant imprint on the company. Millions nationwide experience stress in different ways that could lead to employee burnout. This could seriously affect job performance, mental health, and lack of motivation. Thus, one of the solutions to this problem is the practice of mindfulness methods to treat stress early to prevent long-term effects. Understanding the issue of burnout and stress, how to mitigate its effects, and examining past cases where people could manage stress properly can provide precious insight when studying the topic under discussion.
Stress and Burnout
First, it is necessary to gain awareness about burnout since it is a severe problem caused by undue stress, which can completely ruin an employee if not appropriately treated. To do this, it is critically important to determine the differences between everyday stress, which can be accompanied by tasks in the workplace, and burnout. Smith et al. (2023) defines burnout as “a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress” (para. 2). It manifests itself as an overwhelming state and emotionally draining, the reason for which is the inability to meet the constant demands of the employer.
In other words, individuals may feel unworthy and experience negative emotions that lead to a lack or decrease in the desire to work and participate in the team’s life. Smith et al. (2023) defines stress as “by and large, involves too much: too many pressures that demand too much of you physically and mentally” (para. 10). However, the main distinguishing feature is that with this condition, people can identify ways to deal with it.
An essential aspect of understanding the differences between burnout and stress in the workplace is awareness of what to look for when symptoms arise. This is because these conditions are characterized by various characteristics, and knowledge of these aspects plays a significant role in combating them. Hence, with burnout, individuals experience a constant feeling of fatigue and emotional drainage, which negatively affects their desire and productivity.
In addition, employees have a sense of failure and self-doubt, which affects the refusal to perform specific actions or tasks (Smith et al., 2023). It also contributes to the loss of motivation to take part in important decisions and makes them detached from the team. This isolation only aggravates the possible symptoms of burnout and may result from a desire to leave the workplace.
Understanding Burnout
The next step in understanding and avoiding stress and burnout in the workplace is to identify their causes and what can be done to manage them. First, it is worth noting that many causes of stressful conditions are divided into physical and mental. Felman (2023) defines that the main causative agents of stress in the life of individuals are “job issues or retirement, lack of time or money, bereavement, family problems, illness, moving home, relationships, marriage, and divorce” (para. 36). This information shows that this condition can be caused by multiple factors, most of which may not be directly related to work and workplace conditions.
In addition, people may experience stress after suffering psychological trauma, which is a constant issue preventing them from having an everyday life. Often, such individuals are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Employers are obliged to be aware of such critical aspects and create conditions that will contribute to limiting triggering situations to eliminate negative consequences.
Many stress management methods can be applied to deal with this problem effectively. It can be changing or adding something day-to-day for a more gradual impact of stressful situations on individuals and allowing them to find the right ways for them. Studies show that lifestyle transformation has the most productive and successful contribution in combating the issues under discussion and limiting the possibility of increasing burnout (Felman, 2023). One of these methods is changing eating habits, which implies reducing or stopping alcohol consumption and consuming more proper nutrition.
Felman (2023) points out that “a healthy, balanced diet containing plenty of fruit and vegetables can help maintain the immune system at times of stress” (para. 54). Efficiency can also have priority management, which consists of distributing tasks according to their importance and urgency. However, the most crucial aspect is creating an environment that encouraging openness in facing problems and conversations. This will help employees understand they are not the only ones facing difficult situations and find help. Furthermore, sharing experiences provides an opportunity to learn other ways to manage stress in the workplace effectively.
Real Data
When considering the topic of burnout and employee stress, a look at today’s number of burnout cases from extreme working cultures can provide special assistance. This aspect is a valuable part of the company’s work. If the organization’s culture suffers, this affects the well-being of all the individuals involved. Statistics show that out of 7,500 US workers, 67 percent experienced burnout, and “major causes of burnout include prolonged heavy workloads, sustained overworking and toxic cultures” (Christian, 2023, para. 9).
Of concern is the fact that every year, this problem is becoming more widespread, especially after the coronavirus pandemic, during which workers received additional stress and anxiety. The problem is that many employers delegate the responsibilities of coping with this issue to the employees without implementing interventions to assist them. Nevertheless, due to the large amount of work, employees do not have the opportunity and time to find ways to reduce stress, which negatively affects their professional and personal lives.
Therefore, many cases show that the leading cause of increased stress in the workplace and burnout is a large number of hours of work and overload. Research by ADP Research Institute showed that out of 32,924 global workers, “employees worked 8.5 hours of unpaid overtime each week, compared to 7.3 hours before the pandemic” (Christian, 2023, para. 14). The coronavirus pandemic has primarily affected the changing culture of organizations.
For example, Christian (2023) notes that many companies now prefer to hold meetings unnecessarily, depriving employees of the opportunity to spend time on the tasks assigned to them. Due to such circumstances, there is a work overload, and often, many people have to stay at work to finish all the cases or take work from home. Because of this, individuals do not have time to rest and distinguish between professional and personal life, which is of critical importance. In this case, the company’s primary goal is to revise the strategy regarding the number of tasks for staff and introduce practices that will help them limit stress in the workplace.
Conclusion
In conclusion, burnout is a significant problem affecting the business and the employee. In the absence of measures that will help limit the occurrence and spread of this problem, there may be problems with the company’s productivity and increased layoffs. Consequently, adopting the proper steps to minimize stress will help prevent the harmful impacts of burning out in the long run. This task should become paramount for employers, who must provide employees with a satisfactory workplace, an average number of work hours, and tasks performed. Moreover, it is necessary to create an environment that encourages communication and exchange of experience to find ways to deal with increased stress.
Recognizing and reducing stress is crucial for keeping individuals in the profession and preventing future mental and physical health issues. Companies must take care of their staff and provide them with the most favorable working conditions. This will undoubtedly enhance the working environment and increase their drive to do more. In addition, it will help limit the overall stress level in the workplace and positively impact both the well-being of individuals and their productivity. In the future, this will improve the company’s performance, reduce burnout and dismissal cases, and create a positive organizational culture.
References
Smith, M.A., Segal, J., & Robinson, L. (2023). Burnout prevention and treatment. HelpGuide. Web.
Christian, A. (2023). Is it impossible to end burnout? BBC Worklife. Web.
Felman, A. (2023). Stress: Why does it happen and how can we manage it? Medical News Today. Web.