Conventional wisdom blames your work burnout on your own shortcomings. But research proves otherwise. Here are six ways to turn your daily grind into the total job joy you crave.
Julie was known as an outstanding eighth-grade teacher. Students loved her, parents called to get their child enrolled in her class, and the principal rated her as one of the best. But one day she lost it, shouting at a demanding parent who came to her classroom.
"The parent said, 'My child is screwed up and it's all your fault'—as though the parents have nothing to do with how their child turns out!" she fumed.
Julie decided to quit. But her decision—and her temper—did not come out of the blue. She had been growing less and less patient with everyday activities like spending extra time helping a struggling child or responding to complaints from parents. "I just can't take it anymore," she said. "Why am I busting my butt here? I just want to go somewhere else and have a life."
Burnout is a serious problem in today's workplace: Companies everywhere are downsizing, outsourcing and restructuring, leaving workers at all levels feeling stressed, insecure, misunderstood, undervalued and alienated. The cost of unhappy workers is high—both for employees and organizations—because burned-out employees do the bare minimum instead of their very best.
Higher-ups in the corporate world would have you believe that burnout is your fault. They say, "These people are incompetent," or "They've just got an attitude problem."
Our data argue otherwise. For the past 20 years, we have been the pioneering researchers on burnout, surveying thousands of workers and interviewing hundreds more in many different occupations across North America and Europe. For these surveys, we created the Maslach Burnout Inventory—now the standard research measure in the burnout field—to understand how people feel about their work, their workplace and the individuals they deal with on the job.
Statistical analysis of the surveys led us to conclude that burnout is not a problem of people but mostly of the places in which they work. When the workplace does not recognize the human side of work or demands superhuman efforts, people feel overloaded, frustrated and well, burned out. Self-improvement alone will not beat it.
If you're feeling dragged down by your job, take a long hard look at how you might be able to work with your employer to create a workplace that fits and supports you. Just as chairs, keyboards and telephones are constantly redesigned to prevent injuries and disability, so can the social and psychological aspects of work be modified to prevent burnout. Studies show that workers who actively address problems in the work environment report less burnout than colleagues who take a more passive approach to organizational problems.
Our research points to six key areas for any employee's happiness: a manageable workload, a sense of control, the opportunity for rewards, a feeling of community, faith in the fairness of the workplace and shared values. When these are in place, you'll feel buoyed, not burned, by your job. And if you're already whistling while you work, these guidelines will help keep it that way.
#1 Workload
Burn Out: Too much work, too little time and too few resources make you feel overwhelmed and stretched beyond capacity.
Stay Cool: Workload is manageable, enabling you to meet the demands of the job and even extend yourself to meet new challenges.
This Job Is Eating Me Alive
Paul Beretti was a physician at Orthocare,(*) an orthopedic care facility with 35 physicians and 350 staff members. The center was about to receive more money—and with it, a heavier workload. But people were already exhausted and irritable. "I'm going to work before the sun is up and leaving way after it's set," complained one of the center's staff. "My boss wants to know why I wasn't able to return all of my calls. But I'm getting over 100 calls a day! I feel like the job is eating me alive."
Paul went to the center's management with his concerns. He also started a discussion group on management issues and brought in outside experts for advice. Instead of anxiously anticipating how he was going to cope, Paul took steps to stop burnout in its tracks.
#2 Control
Burn Out: Rigid policies or a chaotic office environment prevent you from following through on your projects and leave you floundering.
Stay Cool: You have the opportunity to make decisions, solve problems and determine the outcome of the projects for which you're accountable.
I'm Not A Stupid Idiot!
Janet Moran was frustrated because her bosses at Digitek, a software development corporation, were micromanaging her work. "Supposedly I was hired for my smarts—so why can't I use them?" she groused. "I'm not a stupid idiot. Trust me—if you give me the right information, I can make good decisions."
Janet took action: She developed a specific plan for how workers could be more independent while management could still keep tabs on what was going on. Her plan struck a chord with the other managers, and together, the group convinced the micromanaging bosses that their staff would be more productive and happier—if they agreed to the changes. Janet felt empowered by the acceptance of her proposal, and this increased both her involvement and satisfaction with her job.
#3 Reward
Burn Out: Maybe your pay is low, or perhaps you never hear a word of praise, leaving you thinking your work isn't valued. You feel unhappy and resentful.
Stay Cool: You take pride in your work when you are well paid, and when the work seems important and valuable to others.
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