Burnout: Prevention, Treatment & Advice

Every organisation deals with employee burnout. Finding people who have an already established ability to stop themselves from getting burnt out is one of the most critical factors when hiring new employees. On the other hand, there are numerous actions an organisation can take at a company level to keep their team mentally refreshed and engaged, with the flame of motivation fully stoked.

From Small Breaks to Holidays

It’s important to schedule time for yourself, whether it’s a brief mental refresher or a fully unplugged retreat with the family. These are times when a person can get back in touch with who they truly are on the inside and reconnect with the things they love in life.

During these times away from work, it’s essential that you fully remove yourself from the job. This is often difficult for the most demanding positions – or the people who have established themselves as the top employee through their perpetual availability. No matter how hard it is, a complete shutdown of all work sensors has to happen for a true mental and professional rejuvenation to occur.

Work-Life Harmony

Many people talk about a good work-life balance to keep both sides happy, but far less often is the concept of harmony brought up. Instead of seeing your work life and personal life as two separate things, many professionals who successfully stay clear of burnout view their time in and out of work as a synergetic thing.

Seeing your work life as part of your personal life means paying attention to the real-life impact you’re having on our team with the differences that are being made in their lives. By taking a step further back, you’ll start to see the positive impact the work of your organisation has on the world at large. This then makes the job seem less of a chore and more of something that fuels and feeds your sense of purpose.

On the personal life side, seeing the two as connected provides a greater appreciation for recreational and relaxation activities. The importance of having fun and cutting loose will seem all the more valuable when you see that it feeds directly into your work life. Things like working out and getting enough sleep will then almost seem like they’re part of your job, and you’ll feel all the more driven to keep good habits.

Passion is Important

Almost everyone is passionate about something. Those who find a way to work what they care most about into their line of work have a much easier time keeping their heart in what they do. When hiring employees, you’ll have much better like finding someone who’s in for the long haul if it’s something they’re passionate about.

When interviewing new job candidates, it’s a good time to ask questions that will show whether a person is really invested in the type of work or not. The answers they provide will tell you a lot about their mindset and personal interests.

Teamwork Keeps the Flame Alive

You could almost think of a professional team as runners in a torch relay, passing the torch from one person to the next. If there are weak points in the team’s chain, other individuals are forced to compensate for them. This is what often leads to being overworked and suffering subsequent burnout.

Maintaining a strong sense of community among workers and keeping open channels of clear communication are both critical factors in keeping up morale. This ensures that everyone’s on the same level with their voices heard and their needs met.

Be Mindful

All too often in the professional world, the emphasis is put on output and productivity. This leads to not enough consideration on what’s going on internally with each employee. The companies and individuals that successfully avoid burnout regularly practice mindfulness. This may take many forms – from meditation to simple mental check-ins – and it has a range of positive effects.

Professionals who are mindful have a better sense of when they’ve hit their limit. They’re able to say no when they have to and better able to rationalise to themselves why they had to do so. It’s a simple thing to implement that makes a world of difference in fuelling your flame.