Understanding Burnout & What Organizations Can Do About It

What does the term burnout actually mean?

The World Health Organization recognizes Burnout as an occupational phenomenon in its eleventh edition of the International Classification of Diseases in 2019.

It's an occupational phenomenon, not a diagnosis or medical condition, although more medical doctors are recognizing the signs of burnout and how burnout can lead to serious health conditions. Burnout is a response to overwhelming chronic stress response and takes a toll on people physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, relationally, financially, and professionally. 

Burnout, stress and quiet quitting

Exhaustion is perhaps the first and most obvious symptom of the burnout response. Secondly, burned-out people experience an increasingly cynical response to their job, which may present itself as quiet quitting, self-protection, negativity, or conflict. Thirdly, people who are burning out become less productive; their efficacy diminishes. This only makes sense. When someone is exhausted and not sleeping well due to chronic stress, when they’re not finding the resources they need to survive and thrive and start feeling negative about their workplace, their productivity and innovation will naturally decline.

How burnout affects our health

Burnout can lead to many health conditions. Read our article entitled Burnout Stress and Your Health here.

How is burnout different from stress and exhaustion?

Exhaustion is a primary symptom of burnout, but burnout includes more than just exhaustion. Chronic workplace stress wears people down, and eventually, they become exhausted physically and, oftentimes, emotionally and mentally as well.

However, people can become exhausted for a myriad of reasons, and that’s why it’s important to recognize that exhaustion from burnout is caused by workplace stress while experiencing cynicism and decreased efficacy as well.

For instance, some people find their role exhausting but absolutely love their work and feel meaningfully supported by their workplace and direct manager. But when that support is missing, or the underlying company culture lacks psychological safety, people start feeling negatively toward their job and employer. Some people experience this as a decreased willingness to give as much of themselves to the job. For those in professions that witness others’ suffering, compassion fatigue may creep in due to vicarious trauma, and these people tend to self-protect to avoid further injury.

Eventually, the exhaustion and cynicism catch up, and they become less productive. They no longer have passion for the job they once enjoyed. Some personality types may push harder to compensate, further depleting themselves as they strive for success or excellence. This type is more difficult to notice as a manager than the types who cannot keep up with their workload and may not even try because they simply have nothing more to give.

What are the risk factors for job burnout?

Stress

First is a high frequency of workplace stressors. This isn’t the stress that only happens at month-end or year-end. It’s daily stressors that continue ongoing, leading to chronic stress. Chronic stress can cause significant health challenges, from heart palpitations to heart disease, diabetes, brain fog, and effects on the endocrine system, including the thyroid and adrenal glands. 

Overwork

Constant overwork without necessary breaks, automations and opportunities for delegation continue the daily stress cycle. This mismatch between role responsibilities and inadequate time and resources escalates the stress toward burnout.

Lack of Autonomy

When people do not have discretion around where, when and how they work, the resulting stress can again lead to burnout. Creative and intelligent people need the opportunity to innovate, take risks and do things differently.

Inadequate Compensation

A rewarding and purposeful job is enough to propel people to do their very best in the workplace. When they do not receive adequate rewards, they may begin feeling cynical toward their job or employer. 

Interestingly, monetary compensation, though essential, is rarely a primary motivator for people whose income provides a healthy standard of living. Instead, rewards such as appreciation, public recognition and promotions tend to be more motivating. Robust benefits packages, flex-time, hybrid work options and vacation allowances also contribute toward a person’s feeling of reward.

Isolation & Lack Of Connection

People need to feel connected to meaning and purpose and also to one another. Even entrepreneurs desire connection with others and will go out of their way to procure meaningful community. 

In the workplace, people desire regular and positive interactions with their boss, manager and co-workers. Without that connection, they can feel isolated, demotivated and lose out on the innovative sparks that only occur through interaction.

Lack of Equity

Human beings have a basic need to be treated fairly and equitably. Without knowing they have fair opportunities for advancement and rewards, they cannot produce at their highest potential. Glass ceilings, discrimination and unfair management practices can demotivate employees and cause unnecessary conflict.

Conflicting Values

People desire to be part of something they believe in, and when they are, they will work wholeheartedly toward the goals of their organization. But when the company’s values contradict personal values, trust and morale diminish. Unhealthy team dynamics and unethical policies and practices can again lead toward burnout.

What can organizations do to prevent employee burnout?

Within organizations, leaders tend to focus on what’s wrong with the individual person rather than the systems, causing the person to become exhausted or underperform. They may offer fitness breaks, cooking classes or learning opportunities, which are wonderful in and of themselves, but no amount of self-care will cause a burned-out person in an unhealthy company culture to thrive.

Burnout is an organizational culture issue related to the systems and processes within the company. Changes must be made at the organizational level to affect change in the employees. Real conversations in a psychologically safe environment will get to the root of ongoing workplace stressors. The Burnout Assessment can provide a starting place for those conversations between managers and their direct reports.

What are some workplace best practices?

Preventative Measures

-Complete a company culture workshop to collaboratively create healthy systems and structures. We offer a Burnout Prevention Workshop to do just that.

-Build effective evaluation processes for weekly or biweekly check-ins, quarterly assessments or surveys and annual 360 reviews.

-Offer workers the opportunity to evaluate their manager or supervisor anonymously.

-Evaluate workloads, productivity and effectiveness data regularly.

-Offer flexible schedules and hybrid-model options.

Coping Measures

-Offer robust benefits packages and Employee Assistance Programs.

-Offer adequate vacation time and mental health days.

-Encourage employees to access and take advantage of their benefits and vacation days.

-Workplace wellness programs for stress management, resilience and gym memberships.

About the author

Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention & Organizational Culture Consultant, Executive Coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals. Bonita is on a mission to end burnout. Get your free Burnout Assessment today.

Our workshops

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How to Effectively Evaluate Employee Burnout Risk Across Your Organization

My story

I have gone through burnout myself, and it was extreme burnout. I also went through compassion fatigue, which is a little bit different. It has to do with repeat exposure to people in traumatic situations.  You often see compassion fatigue in healthcare and nonprofits where people support suffering people.  

My passion is organizational culture through a grid of burnout prevention. My work has been featured on CTV News, CHCH, Morning Live, Thrive Global, the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, as well as many other outlets.  

The Burnout Assessment I developed is used across sectors globally. I’ve personally worked with organizations across industries, including healthcare, corporate, nonprofits, municipalities, universities,  and faith-based organizations. Many of these organizations use the Burnout Assessment company-wide. 

Healthy organizations support employee wellness because healthy employees create healthy organizations

When it comes to preventing employee burnout, organizational culture is the place to start because happy, healthy employees create healthy organizations that thrive. 

Research shows that six factors consistently generate workplace burnout and negatively affect organizational culture. They are an overwhelming workload, a lack of control, a lack of reward, a lack of connection, a lack of fairness, and conflicting values.  

Whenever we ensure employees’ workloads are positive, assure they have control and autonomy over their work, help them feel rewarded, feel connected to one another, and experience fairness, burnout decreases dramatically. And when people's personal values align well with your organization's mission,  vision, and values, employees flourish much more easily.

Download the free Burnout Assessment Guide For Organizations.

Learn how to implement the Burnout Assessment across your organization.

Why use the Burnout Assessment in your organization?

1. Effective and research-based 

The burnout assessment is an effective tool for measuring employee burnout risk within your organization. It is evidence-based on the foremost research on burnout. 

2. Diversity, equity and inclusion 

This is the only burnout assessment I'm aware of that includes questions related to diversity, equity and inclusion. That's so important because it makes a significant difference to organizational culture. 

3. Get to the root of the problem and provide practical solutions 

As you evaluate your employees using the burnout assessment, you’ll learn what causes your employees their most significant stress. Then, you can implement effective measures.  

Human Resources professionals and C-level executives often tell me they’ve worked hard to roll out new initiatives with employees, but employees don’t utilize them. The burnout assessment reveals where problems exist so you can provide effective solutions that employees engage. The assessment positively impacts employee well-being and increases productivity as you address the real issues. In addition, it helps you to prevent costly leaves of absence, resignations and termination by stopping burnout before it happens. And in the end, that saves money.  

4. Essential questions uncover relevant information 

The burnout assessment provides the first step for opening the conversation with employees about burnout. It offers essential questions, so you get relevant data. 

5. A personal and professional profile 

This is the only burnout assessment containing both a professional and personal profile. The professional profile includes six categories based on the factors that generate burnout in the workplace. They are workload, control, reward, community, fairness and values.  

The personal profile consists of five categories: physical health, mental, emotional, spiritual and relational health.  

Most organizations choose to evaluate based on the professional profile only. Having said that, the number one reason people resign from their job and seek help is that they no longer have time or energy for their families. The personal profile is critically important for that reason. Also, many nonprofits and faith-based organizations use the personal profile with employees. It's entirely appropriate, and they find it useful for helping employees stay healthy. 

A process for using the Burnout Assessment in your company

1. Communicate 

Explain the purpose of asking employees to complete the assessment. Communicate that you care about their health and well-being and want them to thrive. Send the downloaded burnout assessment  PDF or a direct link to your team and direct reports. Instructions are included. 

Based on your company’s culture, encourage employees to complete the entire burnout assessment but let them know they will only self-disclose the professional profile. If you’re part of a nonprofit or faith-based organization, feel free to use the personal profile as well. 

2. Evaluate 

The first time you use the burnout assessment, ask employees to self-evaluate and come prepared to talk about what they discovered. This builds psychological safety with your direct reports.  

The second time you evaluate, or if you have a very healthy culture, ask for a completed copy of the assessment. 

3. Ask questions 

Open the conversation by asking questions like: What did you notice? Do you have any concerns? What changes would help you? This allows the employee to talk about what's going on for them. Open-ended questions are most effective. 

Ask what support and resources they would like. Often people know what they need but are afraid to ask.  

Recommend resources your organization provides. Are there bench benchmarks, workflows, and automation tools that would help them flourish? Do they have access to an employee assistance program, a benefits package, mental health, and vacation days? Remind them that these resources are available and can be accessed anonymously. 

4. Use ongoing 

Many companies use the burnout assessment ongoing within their management structure quarterly and as part of their annual three-sixty review process. 

5. Collect and analyze data 

Over time, you’ll see where your direct reports typically struggle. You'll notice themes and patterns. It reveals the gaps across the larger organization. Then, you can fill those gaps by creating initiatives that work. 

For instance, if everybody in a particular department consistently seems to have challenges in two categories, that’s where your focus needs to go. 

If you wish to go a step further, create a system to catalogue assessment results across your organization, noting which of the six categories needs improvement.

Burnout prevention workshop 

In this workshop, we lead organizations through the six factors that create burnout and affect organizational culture. We begin by defining each factor and providing examples of how it plays out in your industry.  

Then, we facilitate discussions around how each of the six factors may play out in your workplace. It's incredible, because we see people collaborate and reach a consensus. Then we facilitate groups to collectively create working models to deal with the factors causing workplace challenges. We facilitate real change in the organization’s health. 

This matters because happy, healthy employees create healthy organizations that thrive.

About the author

Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention & Organizational Culture Consultant, Executive Coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals. Bonita is on a mission to end burnout. Get your free Burnout Assessment today.

Connect with us about bringing our workshops to your organization.

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Explore our workshops and bring one to your workplace.

Free Guide

Learn how to implement the Burnout Assessment across your organization.

Ten Ways To Reduce Employee Burnout In Your Organization

Employee burnout is a common issue in many organizations. If you don’t have a plan to reduce it, your employees will become frustrated, stressed, and less productive. The best way to prevent employee burnout is to develop a plan and follow through with it. Here are ten ways to reduce employee burnout in your organization.

How to reduce employee burnout in your organization

1. Offer rewards and recognition.

One way to reduce employee burnout is by adopting a reward and recognition system. Rewards can be extrinsic in the form of financial incentives, bonus vacation days, or public recognition. Intrinsic rewards are often more valuable because they create meaning and joy. For example, helping employees understand how their role directly contributes toward the mission and vision of the company.

2. Focus on teamwork.

Reducing employee burnout can also arise from developing policies and cultural norms that focus on teamwork and working towards common goals rather than individual achievement. This collaborative model will help to create a more positive work environment where employees feel like they are part of an effective team.

3. Evaluate employees' performance and satisfaction.

To reduce employee burnout, it’s essential to have an accurate and up-to-date understanding of employee performance appraisals. By understanding how employees are performing, you can make adjustments that will improve their overall effectiveness as workers. Annual evaluations should include a survey of employees' satisfaction and challenges in the workplace.

4. Create a psychologically safe environment.

Another way to reduce employee burnout is by creating an environment where employees feel appreciated and comfortable speaking up about their ideas and feelings. Each team member ought to feel they have a voice and can contribute toward common goals. But first, employees must feel psychologically safe to share what they think and feel by leaders demonstrating respect, loyalty and appreciation. A values-driven work environment will help to build trust between employees, leaders and the organization while ensuring that problems are addressed quickly and effectively.

5. Provide opportunities for growth and development.

One of the most effective ways to reduce employee burnout is by providing ample opportunity for individual growth and development. This will allow employees to learn new skills and develop their unique abilities, which will, in turn, help them become more effective and efficient workers. As a result, the organization reaps the rewards as staff become more productive, engaged and innovative.

6. Identify and reduce employee stressors.

Reducing employee stress is one of the most critical factors in preventing employee burnout. To reduce employee stress, develop and implement policies and procedures that support an environment where employees feel valued and supported in their responsibilities. Use a Burnout Assessment to understand the stressors employees experience. Simple changes can make an immense difference in employee health, satisfaction and retention. 

7. Empower innovation and risk-taking.

Creating a culture that supports creativity, risk-taking, and innovation is essential to reducing employee burnout. Companies will grow to the next level when staff feel confident in trying new ideas and tackling old problems with new solutions. Employees must feel supported and encouraged to take calculated risks without fear of reprisal. The more leaders support thought leadership and innovation, the more engaged their employees will be.

8. Understand the root causes of burnout.

Reducing employee burnout in your organization begins with understanding why it occurs and then working to correct the root causes. This evaluation may involve identifying and addressing any negative systems contributing to burnout among your employees. You can do this by using the Burnout Assessment or conducting surveys and following up by interviewing your employees to learn about their experiences, challenges and frustration. Then, leadership can respond with appropriate and effective interventions, support and resources.

9. Communicate clearly and frequently.

To prevent employee burnout, leaders must have effective communication tools operational within the company. Any strategic plan, process or priority must be communicated and demonstrated by the top and most visible leaders in order to create buy-in throughout the organization. When discrepancies appear between written and stated values and how they play out among employees, a breakdown can occur. Therefore, it is essential that values are not only communicated but acted upon consistently and authentically on every level of the organization.

10. Provide effective stress-relieving training.

Reducing employee burnout in your organization can be achieved through experiential education such as stress management training, burnout prevention workshops, and resilience programs. Employees will learn techniques for self-leadership, endurance and relieving their workplace stress. Supplemental stress-relieving approaches may include providing gym memberships and incentives for healthy living. By using these opportunities to promote a healthy work environment and help employees stay focused, you can reduce the likelihood of employee burnout.

Why reducing workplace employee burnout benefits the workplace

Employees feeling overwhelmed and stressed can quickly become less productive, engaged and innovative in their company. To reduce employee burnout, creating an effective and healthy work environment in which employees feel supported and valued is vital. Additionally, create a culture where employees feel appreciated and respected even when they experience difficult times at work. This support will help to increase employees' motivation to stay healthy, produce quality work and contribute to the organization's goals.

Happy, healthy employees create organizations that thrive.

Reducing employee burnout is an essential commitment in any organization. By reducing employee burnout, you can improve the overall atmosphere of your workplace and reduce stress levels. Additionally, reducing employee burnout can lead to increased work productivity and reduced rates of turnover and resignations. To achieve these goals, it's important to understand the heart of employee burnout and address it openly, clearly and with empathy. Doing so can help reduce the risk of burnout and keep your employees happy, healthy and productive.

About the author

Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention & Organizational Culture Consultant, Executive Coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals. Bonita is on a mission to end burnout. Get your free Burnout Assessment today.

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Bring our workshops to your workplace.

Workplace Burnout: How to Support Employee Well-being

Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc. CEO, Bonita Eby was interviewed on CTV News. This article is a summary of that interview.

Click the image to watch the live television interview starting at 21:15.

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The Great Resignation due to burnout & stress

Host: During the pandemic, we heard about mass resignations and people leaving their jobs because of burnout and stress. Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention Strategist and owner of Breakthrough Personal and Professional Development Incorporated. She joins us today to talk about workplace burnout and how to support employee well-being. Bonita, thank you for joining us today.

Workplace burnout & how to support employee well-being

Host: You have a personal story about dealing with workplace burnout that led you to this work, yes?

Bonita: I did. I went through burnout, and at the time, people were not talking about it. So after many years of research and my background in leadership development and healthcare, I combined these things together to create this company, Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development, which works with organizations and individuals to prevent employee burnout.

Comprehensive Burnout Assessment tool

Host: You've created a Burnout Assessment tool. Can you tell us about it?

Bonita: That's right. It is the first burnout assessment with both a professional and personal profile. The professional profile is based on the six factors of burnout that research shows create burnout in the workplace. They are

1. An overwhelming workload,

2. A lack of control,

3. A lack of reward,

4. A lack of community,

5. A lack of fairness, and

6. Conflicting values.

The personal profile is based on the ramifications that burnout has on our personal lives. This includes our physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and relational health.

Host: And is it an online tool? How do we use it? How does it work?

Bonita: It is available online on my website at www.break-through.ca. Right on the home page on the right-hand side, you'll see a blue button that says Burnout Assessment, where anyone can download it for free.

Organizations use the Burnout Assessment across their entire organization. For example, nonprofits, corporate entities, municipalities, and universities use it across the organization as a whole to open the conversation about burnout with those they lead, making a psychologically safe place to be able to talk about it.

Leaders can assess through the Burnout Assessment exactly what the challenges are that employees face. Then they can provide, based on that data, resources and training that will equip their people to prevent burnout.

Burnout affects a company’s top performers

Host: I know we hear a lot about burnout on a personal level. Many people report or say they feel this way, but you're encouraging organizations and employers - the leaders in the workplace, to recognize burnout amongst their workforce.

Bonita: We each have a personal responsibility to care for ourselves and create a work-life balance. But the research shows overwhelmingly that burnout is actually based on workplace stress that has been unsuccessfully managed. The systems that are in place often lead to people feeling less productive, exhausted, and cynical about their jobs, and oftentimes it affects an organization's top performers. So we need to put strategies in place to protect them and the organization for longevity.

Recommended strategies workplaces can adopt to help employees feel less burned out

Host: What strategies do you then recommend that workplaces adopt in order to have employees feel less burnt out?

Bonita: One of the great things about the Burnout Assessment is that it provides leaders with quantitative data to understand where the gaps are in their organization. That way, they can implement strategies, such as training, resources and benefits in order to protect and support their employees based on data.

Companies sincerely want to support their employees but don't know what to do. So they implement numerous strategies, but too often, they’re not answering the problems they actually have within their organization. The assessment provides that data.

Host: Such an important issue, Bonita. Thank you so much for joining us today.

About the author

Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention & Organizational Culture Consultant, Executive Coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals. Bonita is on a mission to end burnout. Get your free Burnout Assessment today.

Explore our workshops

Bring our workshops to your workplace.

Boundaries For Work-life Balance

Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc. owner, Bonita Eby, was a featured guest on the Balance + Bliss Podcast. This article summarizes a portion of that interview. Click to listen to the full podcast, Episode 95: Stress, Burnout, and setting healthy boundaries with Bonita Eby.

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What are boundaries & why do we need them?

Bonita: A boundary is anything you put around you to positively self-protect. Anything that indicates "this is where I begin, where I end, and where I'm comfortable with you coming in" is a boundary.

Various cultures will have distinct boundaries, just like different families will have distinctive boundaries. Our family of origin is often where we learn boundaries, or lack of boundaries, and where many of our boundary issues arise.

How does a lack of work-related boundaries affect families?

Career choices can also influence our boundaries. For instance, many health care professionals have been trained not to respect their own limitations. There’s this belief that because people need you, you have to step up, and it doesn't matter about your health. This can lead to an incredible amount of guilt and shame.

Even within the family space, people experience shame and guilt when unable to give what they believe they should be able to. We need to have our tanks filled up so we can provide, not the other way around. If we're depleted, we have nothing left to give. And frankly, when we're talking about burnout, that's when people reach out for help. They rarely come to me because the workload is too heavy. They do whatever they can to get through. They only talk about the workload after they get to the place where they can admit they have nothing left for their family or friends. When they are so depleted, they fear losing their family because they’re giving everything to their job. At the end of the day, they have nothing left for their family and friends.

What are some tips for establishing boundaries?

Host: I can relate to that on a lot of levels. I think everyone can. What are some tips for someone who recognizes they need to establish boundaries?

Bonita: One of the boundary-making exercises I like to do with clients is called My Inner Circle, which helps specify who is in their inner, middle and outer circle so they can make healthy boundaries. Let's walk through it.

Inner circle

The inner circle includes the people who mean the absolute most. For me, that's my husband, my parents and my siblings.

Middle circle

The middle circle usually consists of our closest friends. Perhaps our extended family. Sometimes work colleagues whom we enjoy being with go in there.

Outer circle

The outer circle includes everyone else, and that's a lot of people. This consists of the boss, our friends, family and colleagues not within the innermost circles.

Learn about our Healthy Boundaries Workshop.

How do boundaries differ for people working in purpose-driven organizations?

Bonita: Workplace boundaries can be tricky, in particular within purpose-driven organizations. Lots of nonprofits and even some for-profit organizations would consider themselves purpose-driven. These companies do incredible work, and people within these companies tend to put their heart into their work, which is wonderful, but sometimes it’s too much. It's more than a paycheque; it's about changing lives and helping people.

Early in my previous purpose-driven career, I mistakenly believed that the people I served belonged in my inner circle. However, that inner circle is tiny, so the people who meant the most to me got squeezed out into the middle circle.

Unfortunately, for many people, whoever happens to be on the other end of their phone becomes their inner circle. Whether it's a social media notification, text, phone, you name it, whoever is reaching out at that moment becomes part of the inner circle. And it's breaking them.

We’re all trying to be so many things to too many people. And again, this can lead us into the position where we don't have anything left for ourselves and those we love.

How do boundaries relate to our mission, vision & values?

Bonita: When working with organizations, we talk a lot about their mission, vision and values, especially in terms of employee burnout. When it comes to individuals, we all have a personal mission, vision and values, whether we're aware of them or not. It’s the grid in which we make decisions. It’s worth the time to hammer out.

Questions to ask include,

• What am I about?

• What is my identity?

• Why am I on this earth?

• How do I want to touch other people's lives?

• What legacy do I want to leave?

We're not talking about big cars and heaps of money here; we're talking about something much more significant. When you explore meaningful questions like these, you can objectively evaluate when someone requests something of you and respond authentically.

Some helpful evaluative questions include:

• Is this request aligned with my personal mission and vision values?

• Does it contribute to my life’s purpose?

Sometimes, people feel that having a personal mission, vision, and values is selfish, but it doesn't have to be. For instance, part of my mission, vision and values is around being a good neighbour. If one of my neighbours needs help, I want to be there for them. So I will say no to certain things in order to help a neighbour. Likewise, your values don't have to be selfish either. Knowing who you are and fostering awareness of your big picture can guide your life and help you implement healthy boundaries.

Host: One of the best things we can do is take time to reflect on what we value. What do I want my life to look like? The problem is we're all moving 100 miles an hour, but it helps to pause.

How to set realistic boundaries around technology

Host: Let’s talk about boundaries around technology and social media because sometimes we allow whoever is on our social media to enter our inner circle. That can contribute to a lot of extra stress and burnout. So how do we set simple boundaries around our technology?

Learn how stress and burnout affect your health.

The brain on technology

Bonita: Let’s start with why and then talk about how. We've all heard the need to shut off our phones, but why does it matter? Neurologically, it changes everything.

Let’s make this simplistic. Inside the brain are two significant areas. We've got the brainstem, and we've got the frontal lobe. The brainstem is all about survival. Even reptiles have this part of our brain. Then we have the frontal lobe at the front top of our brain and below our forehead. It allows us to engage our executive thinking, higher functioning, problem-solving and empathy.

When we experience stress, a part of our brainstem called the amygdala is triggered. When the amygdala is activated, it sends us into a fight, flight or freeze response, otherwise known as the stress response. In addition, it causes a whole cascade of hormonal and chemical changes in our bodies. But for now, let's stay in our heads.

The amygdala in our brainstem, when triggered by stress, hijacks our frontal lobe. That means we can no longer think at our best. We cannot make decisions coherently. We cannot empathize with others because all our brain wants to do is get us to safety.

Learn more about how stress affects our brain & mental health.

Fight, flight or freeze stress responses

Here's why this matters. Every time a notification goes off on your phone, it triggers the amygdala. The fight, flight or freeze response is meant to be activated when we are in critical danger or when our lives are at stake. For instance, when a bear is chasing us, or a car suddenly crosses onto the sidewalk where we are walking. These are the things that fight, flight or freeze is designed for. Unfortunately, our tech notifications cause us to experience fight, flight or freeze responses multiple times an hour. As a result, we have become proficient at ignoring our stress-cycle warning signs and not dealing with the stress.

Every time one of our notification sounds goes off from a text message or social media, it triggers the fight, flight or freeze response. And on top of that, another system I won't get into here triggers a dopamine response, which is all about addiction. When we have that triggering situation of the amygdala, we want to pick up the phone and look at it because it relieves us. So we get a dopamine hit, no different than with any addiction. So now it's even more challenging to say no. It is a vicious cycle.

It will do a world of good if people install boundaries to shut off their notifications during certain hours of their day. One of the ways I manage this is by using the favourites setting in my phone, so when my phone is on silent, only my favourites can call through.

Host: We don't have to answer everything immediately, but we've been conditioned to believe we must receive those notifications. I keep my phone silent because I don't want to hear the dings. We can decrease our daily stress by setting that simple boundary.

About the author

Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention & Organizational Culture Consultant, Executive Coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals. Bonita is on a mission to end burnout. Get your free Burnout Assessment today.

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Discover custom-designed workshops on burnout prevention, stress management, mental health, healthy boundaries, compassion fatigue and more.

Burnout Warning Signs Every Organization Needs To Know

Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc. CEO Bonita Eby was interviewed on The C-Suite on Rogers TV. This article is a summary of that interview.

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Host: Our next guest is Bonita Eby, Burnout Prevention Strategist, and she is on a mission to help organizations end burnout. This is a trending topic regardless of your industry or level within the organization.

How are chronic stress & burnout related?

Host: I love your work because burnout is something that so many people are experiencing. For the context of this conversation, please share with us what burnout is related to your work.

Bonita: According to the World Health Organization, burnout results from unmanaged overwhelming stress. It's stress that continues without an end in sight, and it becomes. When chronic stress becomes unmanageable, it can lead to burnout. And like many things, burnout has a progression. It begins with the early signs of symptoms and can lead to late-stage burnout.

Why organizations need to know burnout early warning signs.

Bonita: It’s important to notice the early warning signs of burnout so that it does not progress to more intense levels. By catching burnout early, organizations and individuals can implement effective measures to mitigate burnout and prevent top-performing employees from resigning from their jobs.

Preventing workplace burnout is a much more cost-effective solution than replacing an employee. The costs associated with recruiting, hiring, training, managing and developing a new employee are phenomenal.

What are the symptoms of burnout in the early stages?

Host: This topic is so relevant right now. What do the early stages of burnout look like?

Bonita: In the beginning stages, burnout simply looks like overwhelming stress that creeps in over time. Over time, people become exhausted. They used to go out on the weekend and spend time doing activities they loved. Once they begin experiencing chronic workplace stress and exhaustion, they spend more of their weekend on the couch. They are no longer able to do the things they enjoy. They may find they simply do not have the capacity at the end of the day to be with their children or family the way they desire.

As burnout progresses, they may experience minor illnesses such as rashes on their chest or face. They may find they have little emotional capacity left.

Then, as they progress through the stages of burnout, the illnesses often advance toward more serious issues such as heart attacks or heart disease.

Learn about the symptoms of burnout.

How can leaders & managers spot burnout early?

Host: From the leadership side of it, what are some early stages of burnout that a leader might be able to pick up on and take action to minimize or circumvent?

Bonita: One of the things I tell leaders to watch for is when passionate team members begin losing their passion. Notice when someone loses their drive, meaning and purpose. Notice when an employee becomes disengaged from the organization’s mission. Notice when apathy creeps. For instance, when a direct report used to show up passionately every day for work, but now they just don’t seem to care, or they seem so drained that they have little to give.

Pay attention when employees begin taking sick days, especially after a significant push or completing a major project. This is a huge warning sign. This is where the Burnout Assessment comes in handy because they can spot red flags before they get to this point.

I encourage leaders in the marketplace to use the Burnout Assessment with the teams they manage, so they can implement effective measures before their best people burn out.

How can people overcome the stress cycle to prevent burnout?

Host: What are some tips that you have to help lessen burnout?

Bonita: Learn to recognize the signs of stress in your body. Whenever we experience stress, no matter what the cause, whether a ding from a text message or a bear chasing us, we undergo the same stress response.

When stress occurs, the amygdala in our brainstem gets triggered and tells our adrenal system to start pumping cortisol and adrenaline into our bodies. That causes our hearts to beat faster, which results in stress-related breathing. Instead of taking deep diaphragmatic breaths, we breathe from our chest. Then, we can’t think correctly because we're not getting the same amount of oxygen in our brains.

When we become aware of our body during these stress-cycle reactions, we can make a difference. When noticing stress in your body, I recommend asking yourself what your thought is. You might think it's intuitive, but we sometimes have automatic thoughts going through our heads, causing the cascade of cortisol. So stop and ask yourself, “what is my thought right now?” and go with your gut because your gut is usually right. By acknowledging your thoughts and replacing them with accurate information, you can change your perspective and stop the stress cycle.

Learn about fight, flight and freeze stress responses.

Deep breathing helps you exit the fight, flight or freeze response.

The second thing I recommend is deep breathing. Just like your brain tells your body to go into a fight, flight or freeze response, sending cortisol and the adrenaline coursing through your body, you also have the power to use your body to tell your brain the stress has passed.

Breathing deeply from the diaphragm induces a biofeedback mechanism that tells your brain to stop stressing. A common practice is to breathe in for a count of three and breath out for a count of four. After a few rounds of this, your body and brain will begin to relax, and you’ll be able to focus.

Tips for managing technology.

Host: Do you have any tips for anything around managing electronics?

Bonita: Shut off your notifications whenever possible. Every time the ding of a text message comes in, the ping of an email or a notification from Messenger, it disrupts our thinking. It triggers the amygdala in our brainstem and causes a cascade of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to course through our body, preparing our minds, bodies and emotions for a fight, flight or freeze response.

We need this stress response to survive, but when it happens repeatedly, it can escalate your ongoing chronic stress, and this is where burnout comes into play.

Learn ten ways to reduce workplace stress.

Easy tips to reduce stress & prevent burnout.

Host: What I like about these tips, Bonita, is that there are things you can do at your desk. You could be sitting at your desk and recognize you have a stressful thought and deep breathe right at your desk. You don’t need to leave or buy an expensive gadget to help your body and brain. Simply by using them the way they are meant to be, we can calm all those stress hormones.

Thank you, Bonita, so much for having this conversation with us and sharing these tips on how we can decrease the stress the overwhelm and increase our focus and ability to thrive, not just survive.

About the author

Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention & Organizational Culture Consultant, Executive Coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals. Bonita is on a mission to end burnout. Get your free Burnout Assessment today.

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