The Drivers of Burnout
The term “burnout” made its first appearance in the 1970s when it was used to describe what happens to someone working in professions focused on helping others with severe stress. Today, talk of burnout seems to be everywhere. It was even added as an occupational phenomenon on the International Classification of Diseases by the World Health Organization in 2019.
According to a recent survey of chamber professionals, 59% of those who responded said their well-being is being affected by job burnout. But what is burnout? And how do you know when you’re experiencing job burnout versus something else, like stress, depression or exhaustion?
Dr. Christina Maslach literally wrote the book on burnout and even created the Maslach Burnout Inventory to measure it. “This is the book that defined what burnout was,” said Warren Holleman, Ph.D. Holleman is retired from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where he served as a professor of behavioral science and director of a wellness program for faculty, physicians and scientists. “It stood the test of time.”
Maslach identified six main drivers that cause burnout:
1. Work Overload
“That’s the most obvious one,” said Holleman. “The most obvious dimension of that is the quantity of work.” But it can also be the quality of work and how you’re working. While most people like working hard, they need time away, resources and support. And in a recent survey, chamber professionals said always being on the job is the most frequent reason for stress. “When you’re always on, that’s a form of emotional work overload,” said Holleman. “When you’re being dumped on and being forced to handle a lot of toxic waste, it’s not very rewarding.”
2. Lack of Job Autonomy
“Micromanagement is a classic cause of burnout,” Holleman said. “Maslach calls it a lack of job control. I call it a lack of job autonomy or a lack of professional respect.”
3. Lack of Reward
When it comes to lack of reward, the most obvious reference is to pay, but it can also include things like benefits, job security and even acknowledgment and recognition of a job well done.
4. Lack of Community
When you feel like you’re on an island or not part of a team, burnout can happen.
5. Mismatch of Values
Holleman referred to this driver as “moral distress,” doing something in your job that would violate your morals, like enforcing a policy you don’t agree with or advocating for something you don’t believe in.
6. Lack of Fairness
“Maslach talks about trust, openness and respect. A lot of that is what people today would call transparency,” Holleman said. “In organizations, there will be less burnout if the leadership is transparent.” That means not shying away from sharing organization issues with the entire team and being respectful of employees and their ability to handle difficult things.
In addition to the six drivers of burnout, Maslach identified three symptoms of burnout: emotional exhaustion, cynicism and a low sense of personal accomplishment. That can include both physical and emotional exhaustion, lack of connection with co-workers and feeling like no matter what, you’re not doing a great job.
So what’s the fix? “That’s the $64,000 question,” said Holleman. “There are no quick fixes.”
Yoga, meditation and resiliency training might be considered ways to combat burnout, but Holleman says those activities won’t fix the root issue. “Those things might give short-term relief, but if you don’t address the underlying drivers of burnout, it’s just going to keep coming back,” he said.
But it’s not all bad news. “There’s been some good research,” Holleman said. “If you can make improvement in just one area, you can reduce the instance of burnout.” He suggests working on one cause of burnout at a time and going from there.
Additional Burnout Resources:
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