Manage Burnout at Work with These Simple Strategies

You’ve always been someone your boss, colleagues, and clients have counted on. Your work has always been on point and on time. You’re the one others come to when they need advice, ideas, or encouragement. Today, amidst the pandemic, you may continue to hold yourself to the same expectations. How easy it is to forget that the world, and all the rules, changed on you virtually overnight.

You may never have worked remotely before, and now you need to figure out how to do absolutely everything virtually. You may be homeschooling your kids, working in a closet, worrying about the safety of your family, or feeling concerned about your job security.

The more we all normalize the idea that burnout happens, the more capable we'll be of supporting ourselves and each other.

Whatever your circumstance, you’re likely experiencing stress, the reaction your body and mind has to demands placed upon them. Stress can ultimately be a good thing for us. It signals the need for change, sometimes forcing us to prioritize. But if we don’t keep our stress in check, it can escalate into burnout. Burnout is no laughing matter.

Less than a year ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) named burnout an "occupational phenomenon" that costs $125 billion per year. And those numbers have only been increasing since the pandemic began.

Feeling on the edge of burnout is nothing to be ashamed of. The more we all normalize the idea that burnout happens, the more capable we'll be of supporting ourselves and each other.

You can’t afford to burn out right now. So let’s talk about some steps you can take to protect yourself, keep burnout at bay, and stay firmly on the path to success at work.

Recognize the signs of workplace burnout

Protecting yourself from burnout begins with knowing how to spot it. Start by checking in with yourself and paying attention to how you’re feeling. Be on the lookout for some of these signs. 

• Sleep disruption or ongoing fatigue
• Irritability, anger, restlessness
• A sense of disengagement from your work or team
• An uptick in careless mistakes or missed deadlines
• The inability to focus and be productive

The signs may look different for each person, so know your baseline. Spend a few minutes each day checking in with yourself. The earlier you note a small change from your norm, the easier it will be to nip burnout in the bud.  

And if you note any of these burnout symptoms happening with a friend or colleague, find a gentle way to check in and ask if they’re doing okay. Sometimes it takes a brave friend...

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