Stress is a prevailing issue for us as a human. In adult life, work matter is often the common trigger of it. It can be in the form of an unimaginable amount of work, deadlines, or even an unfriendly workplace. If someone has no more energy to handle the endless stress they face, then burnout is inevitable.
The pressure is undoubtedly higher in a fast-paced, and highly contentious environment called the tech industry. It is because the tech workers are often challenged to build something that has never existed before. There is no specific handbook to follow but brief and ideas to turn into tangible digital products. It needs more than extra energy to build those extraordinary things. Thus, the mental and physical drain is inevitable. However, burnout and stress aren’t uncontrollable things.
This article will discuss the signs of burnout and how to overcome it. It suits best for individuals working in the tech industry or those at the managerial level to handle better a team consisting of different personalities and backgrounds.
What is burnout?
Burnout is a problem related to life management. Specifically, it is a mental or physical breakdown due to stress. Its common cause is overwork as a state of vital exhaustion. Simultaneously, it is a form of prolonged response caused by continuous situational stress on the job.
In May 2019, the World Health Organization added: “workplace burnout” specifically on the 11th revision of its International Classification of Diseases. It is classified as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition. According to ICD, burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. Furthermore, WHO defined burnout as feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, which in some ways could increase mental distance or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job, and eventually, it could reduce professional efficacy.
It can be concluded that burnout generally refers to three main elements:
- Exhaustion
It is an intrinsic element from an individual when he/she feel pressured of their tasks and eventually says, “I can’t take it no more.” - Cynicism
It is a negative response to the job one’s doing. A feel of disengagement. It can be from intrinsic factors, particularly an “impostor syndrome,” or extrinsic factors such as a “socially toxic work environment.” - Professional inefficacy
It is due to negative self-evaluations when someone feels that their job offers “no future” or thinks that the job has taken away their freedom and feels the “erosion of soul.”
What could be the practical trigger of burnout?
Inadequate compensation
According to a Kronos survey, inadequate compensation is the biggest trigger (41%) of those who have experienced burnout in the workplace. It is a classic dilemma of any job. This problem’s solution is vivid when the employee is willing to communicate their needs with the employer, rather than self-complicating about the salary.
Unimaginable Workload and Overtime Work Culture
These two factors are the second most prominent trigger of burnout (still according to Kronos). It is controllable if the employer is willing to be fair and proactive regarding the matter.
Significant Pressures
It is natural to feel pressured, especially when you have that particular duty or responsibility to be taken care of. Nevertheless, It is worth noting that the stress must not hinder you from staying committed and reliable to maintain your professional being.
Poor Management
It is the prominent external factors that trigger burnout among employees. The manager holds more than a vital role in handling the team, not only the work but also the wellbeing. For instance, poor project management who did not carefully take care of time measurement would put unreasonable workloads at the deadline, which inevitably leads to burnout.
Disconnected from the company’s mission
Someone doesn’t start a new job feeling burned out. Apart from the triggers mentioned above, it might occur when the job used to make one’s feel important, meaningful, and find fascinating becomes unpleasant, unfulfilling, and meaningless. At the same time, you might be worried about your future in the company you’ve been loyal to.
How to tackle burnout when you think you have one?
Be Mindful with your Thoughts and Wellbeing
Mindfulness is a magic word if you duly understand the meaning. Being mindful is to be able to appreciate your surroundings from multiple perspectives. This way, you must try your best not to fill up your agony by concentrating on other positive things. Additionally, it is also essential to be mindful of your own body. Eat healthily and sleep well (at least 7 hours a day). Declutter the negative thoughts to clear your mind.
Keep motivated
Stress is sometimes a distraction towards your goal to easily take control back when you’re highly motivated. Thus, anytime you feel like you’re “disconnected,” you must remember your long term plan why you’re choosing to be at that particular position of your career. Strong motivation could help you better focus on doing your work.
Set boundaries
When you’re feeling overwhelmed with work, it’s okay to ‘unplug’ for a moment. Unplugging does not mean asking for a day off and going on vacation. It might be an ultimate solution for some people, yet a day out would also lead to more time for overthinking if you didn’t manage it well. Make sure you know your purpose when you’re asking for time off. Unplugging can also be done. For instance, you can set a particular time during your break to do simple therapy such as deleting spam at your email, live your five minutes by singing your favorite song or greet your friend by chat. Another solution at a moderate level is to uninstall your mobile email not to get distracted during your quality time at home. Don’t forget to put your contacts if the boss wants to call you for an emergency matter.
Know your Coping Mechanisms
Eventually, everyone has their coping mechanisms to wash away the bad vibes. It can be anything from interacting with nature, listening to your favorite band, eating good food, or just crying until you sleep, all to clear your mind before being able to ‘function’ normally again.
Apply this Scale of Priority
Put your to-do task in the graphic below and see which one should be prioritized first than the rest.
Why should employers mind this phenomenon?
Businesses strive to increase job satisfaction in the workforce for favorable conditions in lowering employee turnover, enhancing engagement, and significantly improving productivity. The burnout phenomenon among workers might hinder those goals if it is not well taken care of. Apart from financial reasons, the humanitarian mission in maintaining employees’ wellbeing is essential because they are an integral part of the organization. If the employees are the fruit garden you planted, their wellbeing should be taken care of by providing them enough space, water, and sunlight to grow and bear their fruits’ sweetness.
What should you do as an Employer to Prevent Burnout in your Team?
Understand your Team In-Out
The better you know your team, the more comfortable you can spot changing behavior towards unproductivity. Arranging social events works every time to build a friendly relationship among workers better. It allows them to express themselves and feel welcome.
Provide Autonomy
Autonomy allows the workers to control their work and be more flexible towards the method as long as it meets the final goal. Giving your team members the freedom to choose the job and schedule by themselves would reduce the chance of burnout. At the same time, it would also boost confidence for the worker.
Walk the Talk
The Tech industry is known to be the leading industry in today’s world. It comes with grandiose claims of the work the startups have been doing to transform the world while improving society’s life. Thus, there is an exceptional value someone would feel when they’re a part of this ‘movement,’ which could also automatically strengthen their business acumen. Unfortunately, along the way, the value they believe might not meet their expectations, as if when they know their work made no significant impact, they become demotivated. It became a special note for the leaders to maintain their high expectations by ensuring they could walk the talk. The chiefs must have made each individual have the vision to share where they and the team are heading.
Showing Appreciation and Give Rewards
When you appreciate employees for a task they have nicely executed, they feel more valued in the company and know that their hard work has paid off. Appreciation will help to lift the pressure they have handled and decrease burnout levels. It could be a memorable finish and a fresh start for their new project.
Build a Diverse Team
Diversity has been shown to boost a friendly working environment. It improves the input and problem-solving ability of a team as it consists of people from different backgrounds with different perspectives.
A Matter of the Person or the Job?
The debates over whether burnout is a people or job problem is still going strong. There is a common saying that people who experience burnout are weak as they lack psychological resilience. Others say that burnout is just another form of complaining and not being grateful for their opportunity. Eventually, burnout is a real phenomenon in the workplace. If we reflected on the definitions above, burnout is a personal problem and a phenomenon triggered by workplace circumstances.
Conclusion
Tech companies, startups, fast growth, high profile digital products are the arenas with typically high expectations, deadlines, and burnout chances. Hence, it is crucial for the lead level in this industry to maintain the employees’ wellbeing. Remember, any problem you face is not yours only but also a matter of organization. You can always communicate the problem rather than keeping it to yourself.
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Contributor : Rachmadita Kusumastiti
