The snowball effect of burnout

Stress, overwhelm and burnout are very common terms right now.  The pandemic has been a catalyst with devastating impact on the health of the US workforce but this didn’t happen overnight.  The fear and fatigue being experienced have had a cumulative effects on chronic health conditions and coupled with delayed care and undetected conditions there’s been an overall health crisis.  Employees are reporting:

1.  Decrease in mental health 42%
2.  Decrease in social well-being 41%
3.  Decrease in financial security 32%
4.  Decrease in physical health 29%

​As the burnout rate increases and the health of Americans decreases, it’s clearly affecting the way that employees feel about their productivity, job satisfaction and life overall.  And as such, the Great Resignation is upon us with more people than ever reevaluating their careers and lifestyle choices.

Why does this matter?

Huge effects on companies bottom line and employees personal lives. The cost of employee attrition is not sustainable when the cost of replacing an employee can range from 25% of their annual salary to 50% of their annual salary. The stress of the pandemic coupled with anxiety around “return to work” plans is further causing a drop in employee productivity.  This leading to depression, anxiety, and many signs of burnout.  ​

Is this you?

The truth is burnout can be avoided altogether because it doesn’t happen as a bombshell, though it may feel like it.  It’s more like a snowball effect that can lead to bigger issues due to ignoring the signs. Things like ignoring initial signs of exhaustion at home or work that many say ‘just comes with the job territory,’ while taking vacations that only temporarily help you vacate from the problems.  Or a moment when drinking a glass of wine a week to unwind becomes a glass a day to decompress after daily stresses.  Perhaps you’ve even said yes to taking on new projects when your gut is telling you a hard no just so you don’t lose your job.  Pressures at work are real.

Even though it might look scary there are steps toward recovery that you can implement right now.  Here are 3 we highly recommend:

1. Paying attention to the initial stress signs and even problem solving for them before they turn into burnout by evaluating your environment
2. Prioritizing self-care in your daily routines, big or small, such as regular mental health breaks and movement outside
3. Seeking a coach or therapist where needed for decompression and on-going support

This is just the tip of the iceberg as self-care begins with you, not just your company or organization.  We encourage you to dig deeper in discovering where and how life becomes stressful so you can incorporate profound ways to thrive.

This article is presented to you by Teany Hidalgo and Debbie Bellenger who are sharing their expertise and years of experience in burnout coaching and corporate wellness programming to provide employer and individual wellness/coaching strategies.

Next, we invite you to:

• Catch us live on June 8th, where we'll be discussing the current state of burnout in Corporate America, as well as our own road to wellness.  Live on LinkedIN.
• Sign up to attend the Inaugural Wellness Retreat at Work Lunch and Learn Program June  20th to 24th.  Sign up at tinyurl.com/wellnessretreatatwork