Most of us know a colleague or someone in our circle who has suffered from occupational burnout. It’s a serious problem in industrial societies, with huge personal, social, relational and financial costs. We regularly see clients with symptoms of burnout at Compass Psychology, so we thought it was time to shine a spotlight on the phenomenon, the broad array of difficulties associated with it, as well as how to go about relieving the symptoms of burnout.
Social Psychologists Maslach, Jackson and Leiter described occupational burnout in 1996 as a phenomenon having three main elements: exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy. Today, symptoms synonymous with burnout also include, but not exhaustively: Irritability/anger; sense of failure; shame; guilt; difficulties concentrating; lack of initiative; insomnia (sleep difficulties), muscle pain, respiratory problems, and gastrointestinal problems. Stress at work is not uncommon, but a prolonged period of stress at work with many, but not all, of the above symptoms could indicate that you or a loved one/colleague are on the way to getting or already have a severe burnout.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) definition of burnout is as follows: “Burnout is a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”. However, WHO considers burnout to be an occupational phenomenon and it is therefore not considered a medical condition with an official diagnosis. Despite this some countries, such as Sweden, have classified it as a medical condition with an officially recognised set of diagnostic criteria and accompanying diagnosis. As with the majority of countries, Finland has not yet recognised an official medical diagnosis, so psychiatrists here will often write people off work with ICD-10 (World Health Organisation Diagnostic Criteria) diagnoses such as Depression and Generalised Anxiety Disorder, but also describe that the symptoms are related to chronic work-stress. In Finland, many companies offer their employees with signs of work related stress very good Human Resources (HR) and Occupational Health support, which may include: More support at work and a reduction in responsibilities; sessions with an occupational psychologist; and in severe cases, adequate time off work (supported by KELA) for rest and recovery with clear, but graded plans for re-entry to work.
The prevalence of burnout varies widely across the world. There is clearly a higher incidence in more industrialised countries, and health workers seem to suffer the highest incident rates in most countries. Suvisaari et al, (2012) found 2% of working Finnish men suffered from severe burnout symptoms and 23% from mild burnout symptoms. The figures for women were 3% for severe burnout and 24% for mild burnout. It is clear that the post pandemic era has seen a large rise in prevalence in most countries. In Finland in 2022, Hakanen and Kaltiainen, found a 16.5% increase risk for burnout and likely burnout was at a rate of 7.4%.
Psychologists have also done important research about the factors that lead to burnout. For instance Demarouti et al’s (2001) model points to the balance between job demands and resources. Burnout is therefore a result of excessive job demands (e.g. workload, role-conflict, stressful work environment and time pressure) and a lack of resources (e.g. autonomy, development potential and social support). Research e.g. Van Dam, A. (2021) has also found a plethora of occupational and personal predisposing factors. Occupational predisposing factors include: Excessive job demands; excessive workload; conflicting goals or constant time pressure; limited work resources (e.g. flexibility or support from a supervisor); and role conflicts and ambiguities. Personal predisposing factors include: Excessive demands placed on oneself or work; strong sense of duty; conscientiousness; and neurotic perfectionism.
If you sense that you or someone you know may be heading towards burnout, the first thing to do is to speak to a supervisor or the HR department at work. As burnout is so common, there is no shame in speaking out, especially if concrete measures can be taken to reduce your symptoms and therefore the likelihood of a full-blown burnout. Research shows that the following occupational changes can make a difference: Increasing your sense of control at work, giving you clearer role-clarity, moving you away from a colleague who you feel is bullying you, decreasing your job demands and increasing your resources e.g. autonomy and social support. If you have good occupational health cover through work, visit your occupational health doctor and tell them about the difficulties you are having. You should also set up some sessions with one of your provider’s occupational psychologists. Increasing your psychological flexibility and understanding how to make a better work-life balance through therapy and support conversations is key to reducing symptoms of burnout.
Other things you can do personally are to stop or reduce working over-time, and make sure you get out of the office over the lunch hour, for instance go for a mindful walk or meet a good friend (from outside of work) for lunch. You should also make a habit of not checking emails or taking phone calls once you have left your place of work, and make the evenings and weekends sacred, work-free zones. Other preventative measures are to do regular exercise, partake in regular mindfulness/meditation or yoga, as well as to take up a creative hobby.
All of our practitioners at Compass Psychology are well versed in assessing and treating symptoms of burnout. Just email us at info@compasspsychoogy.fi to set up a free 20 minute phone consultation.
References:
- Demerouti E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The Job Demands – Resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499-512. DOI: 10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.499
- Hakanen, J., & Kaltiainen, J. (2022). Työuupumuksen arviointi Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) –menetelmällä. Työterveyslaitos.
- Maslach, C, Jackson S.E, & Leiter M, P. (1996). Maslach Burnout Inventory. Manuel 3rd Ed.
- Schaufeli, W. B., & Enzmann, D. (1998). The burnout companion to study and practice: a critical analysis. Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
- Van Dam, A. (2021) A clinical perspective on burnout: diagnosis, classification, and treatment of clinical burnout, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 30 (5), 732-741, DOI: 10.1080/1359432X.2021.1948400