3 Tell-Tale Signs off Workplace Burnout (And 3 Things You Can Do To Fix It)
The demands of the modern workplace can be maddening. There’s long days, crazy bosses, emails at all hours and a lack of job security looming over it all. The culture at start-ups and even more established companies can also award employees who seem to have no life outside of their work, putting pressure on everyone else to act the same.
The end result of all this intense focus on work is often burnout, leaving you feeling disengaged, listless and resentful of your job. It’s a problem not only for your career and coworkers but also for your mental health and long-term happiness.
Burnout can often creep up slowly however, and you might not even realize that it’s the reason you’ve been feeling stuck in a rut at work. It’s helpful to take stock of the symptoms of workplace burnout before things really go off the rails, and then try to make some changes.
Here’s how you can tell if you might be burnt out at work.
You’re Only Working for The Weekend
If you find yourself counting the hours each day and getting relieved that the week is almost over when Thursday comes around, it’s a sure sign that you might be feeling burnout. Don’t get it wrong, it’s natural to want some time for yourself and to look forward to your days off – but when you’re only killing time until the weekend arrives it means that something’s gone wrong.
The reason for burnout might not be what you think, either – it’s as much about not feeling stimulated and challenged as it is about being overworked. But symptoms are the same – and when you’re just working to go out on the weekend, you may find yourself in a loop where nights of partying only make it harder to go back to your job by the time Monday rolls around.
You Notice Yourself Cutting Corners
Another way to check if you’re getting burned out is to notice how you act at work and whether you find yourself cutting corners. If you know an assignment or project should be up to a certain level of professionalism but you find yourself looking for an easy way to get it over with, it’s a good bet that burnout is having an impact.
This is one of the major ways that burnout can derail your career. Even if you manage to skate by cutting corners and keeping up appearances, it’s not exactly a recipe for advancement either in work or in life. Ultimately, you end up hurting your chances of success.
You’re Tired All The Time
Fatigue at work can be from all sorts of issues, and it’s not just burnout that causes a slump in energy. If you find yourself constantly lacking energy during work hours, only to perk back up again once quitting time rolls around, it could be that the problem is more about your workplace environment, not lack of energy or coffees consumed.
If you wake up and can’t drag yourself out of bed to make it to the office, it’s time to make a change.
So, what can you do to fix the burnout?
Set New Goals for Yourself
Since a lot of burnout comes from being understimulated or lacking a new challenge, health experts recommend that you need to take action to feel less cynical and disconnected in the workplace. You can start with simple things such as setting an intention for the day about something positive you want to get done, or a minor change that you want to make in your office routine. Once you’re feeling like you’ve got a bit more agency and energy, you can set your sights on bigger goals and tasks to keep the momentum on your upward trajectory going.
Take A Real Break
It’s extremely common for vacation days and time off to go unused. Last year in the United States alone, over 768 million vacation days went to waste and around 55% of workers said they didn’t use all their time off. The feeling like you need to work non-stop is a product of a toxic workplace culture that can lead to burnout, and it’s important to claim the vacation days that are rightfully yours.
Even if money is too tight to take a proper trip, taking a break where you completely leave your work behind for a few days can be a necessary remedy for the creeping feeling of burnout.
Quit Your Job
Sometimes the solution to burnout is a little bit more drastic. If you are left feeling drained, stressed and flat out fed up even after trying lots of ways to change things up at work, then the problem may be that it’s time to consider other career options. It’s important not to take that step lightly or to quit in sheer frustration, but there comes a time when a fresh start is what it might take.
