"Burnout is the gradual process by which a person, in response to stress and physical, mental, and emotional strain, detaches from work and other meaningful relationships.
The result is lower productivity, cynicism, confusion...a feeling of being drained, having nothing more to give," says Mark Gorkin, LICSW, a Washington, DC-based expert on stress.
"Burnout itself is a process. It develops through stages," says California executive coach and psychologist Sandra Paulsen, PhD.
Those stages are the following:
Physical exhaustion: reduced energy to maintain activity level
Emotional exhaustion: depression, feelings of hopelessness and helplessness
Changed perspective on the world: cynicism, negativism, irritability
Pervasive, global feelings of negativity: one is doing poorly in all areas of life or perhaps isn't a good person
What Causes Burnout?
Many employees find themselves constantly fighting to maintain a balance between their home and work lives. The combination of long hours, work and family pressures, increased job responsibilities, business travel, and a lack of boundaries between time on and off the job can all conspire to make even the most dedicated worker frazzled. And if you don't enjoy what you're doing, those factors can wreak even more havoc.
What's at Risk?
According to the Center for the Advancement of Health, various studies indicate a significant correlation between on-the-job stress and mental, emotional and physical problems, such as heart disease; absenteeism; and mental, immune system and musculoskeletal disorders—all of which affect quality of life and workplace productivity.
In sum, job burnout is a pervasive problem that individuals and companies can't afford to ignore.
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