Burnout is no fun. You drag yourself out of bed every morning and face another grueling day at a job that once brought you joy. Now you feel exhausted all the time, cynical about your work, and ineffective at getting anything done.
What happened? Why did your passion fizzle out? And how do you get it back?
What Exactly is Burnout?
Burnout feels like extreme tiredness, but it’s more complicated than that. Back in the 1980s, psychologist Christina Maslach developed one of the first tools to measure burnout. Her research revealed that burnout has three key components:
- Exhaustion: That feeling of being completely drained. You have no fuel left in the tank.
- Cynicism: You start treating co-workers and clients as objects rather than people.
- Ineffectiveness: No matter how hard you try, you feel like you can’t get anything done.
Other researchers have discovered that burnout takes a real toll – for individuals and organizations. Healthcare workers with burnout have higher patient mortality rates. Police officers report using more violent force against civilians.
Clearly, burnout is more than just a bad mood – it’s a crisis that we need to address head-on.
Why Does Burnout Happen?
In the past, burnout was treated as a personal failing – proof that some people just can’t handle workplace stress. But Maslach argues that this approach misses the mark entirely.
Think of the canary in the coal mine, used by miners to detect dangerous gases. When the canary died, it signaled a toxic environment rather than an individual weakness. Similarly, burnout often results from dysfunctional environments, not personal shortcomings.
Maslach identified six common mismatches between job and employee that can poison the workplace and spur burnout:
1. Unsustainable Workload
It’s not occasional overtime that causes burnout – it’s a never-ending tidal wave of unmanageable tasks. Perpetual crisis mode and unreasonable expectations for a single worker exhaust even the most dedicated employees.
2. Lack of Control
Even a heavy workload can feel energizing if you have autonomy over how the work gets done. But mandated long hours, plus micromanagement and inflexibility, drain any sense of empowerment.
3. Inadequate Reward
Burnout thrives when hard work gets taken for granted. Feeling unappreciated and undervalued chips away at passion. Adequate pay and recognition keep motivation alive.
4. Toxic Community
Co-workers can make or break company culture. On the one hand, close friendships turn even tedious tasks enjoyable. But constant conflict, competition, and bullying quickly exhaust any remaining energy.
5. Absence of Fairness
Inconsistency and favoritism deflate morale. While equal outcomes aren’t always possible, equitable procedures matter greatly, especially when resources get stretched thin.
6. Mismatched Values
The deepest burnout takes root when personal ethics clash with company norms. Over time, passion fades when dedication to quality, innovation, or client care gets compromised.
How to Rekindle Your Fire
If toxic environments contribute significantly to burnout, solely focusing on building personal resilience misses the heart of the solution. Organizations play a pivotal role too.
Of course, even in healthy cultures, individuals need to care for themselves by:
- Taking time off to rest and recharge
- Expanding skills to handle new demands
- Confiding in colleagues who can relate to burnout’s hardship
Ultimately though, sidestepping burnout requires an honest assessment of what factors, if any, might be slowly poisoning your workplace. This prevents passing off systemic issues as personal failures.
No one should endure a soul-crushing job, especially one drained of all joy. Listen to burnout warning signs, including exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy. If toxicity lurks, equip yourself with knowledge of common pitfalls, partake in open dialogue with leadership, and remain receptive to positive changes that can restore inspiration.
With compassion for oneself and others, passion stands a fighting chance, even in previously dysfunctional environments. But without intervention, toxic cultures risk losing their most dedicated members – often the very people they need the most.
