Seven signs of job burnout
By Janet Fowler, Investopedia.com
http://lifewise.canoe.ca/Investopedia/2011/03/29/17793221.html
With the current economy's move towards efficiency, many employees are facing greater demands for their time. Perhaps through downsizing in the organization or cutbacks in operating funds, many organizations are running leaner and employees are often feeling the pressure. When employees feel intense pressure in the workplace, this can lead to stress, anxiety and even burnout. Burnout comes when an individual faces prolonged exposure to stressors, leading to a state of physical, emotional or mental exhaustion. Many people don't even realize that they're experiencing burnout until they suffer health issues as a result. Use these signs and symptoms to help determine if you're experiencing job burnout.
1. Procrastination or Loss of Motivation
Do you remember the days when you were eager to get to the office and felt the satisfaction of meeting a major deadline? An important aspect of success in the workplace is feeling an internal desire to perform, and finding satisfaction in the work that you do. If you no longer feel the motivation to strive for perfection, find yourself procrastinating or simply putting in the minimal amount of work to meet deadlines, you might want to examine what's brought on the change in your motivation.
2. Absenteeism and Lateness
Calling in sick often? Constantly showing up late or leaving early? Employees who are often absent could potentially be experiencing burnout. If any excuse not to attend seems good enough, or if you're desperate to leave as soon as possible, it may be a good idea to investigate the reasons you're feeling this way. It is also a possibility that if you are ill more often that this could be related to burnout. People who are unhappy or stressed often have a weakened immune system.
3. Every Day Seems Like a Bad Day
Do you find yourself responding negatively every time someone asks you how your day was? If your negative feelings tend to revolve around your workplace and you're unable to think of anything positive that happened during your workday, this is definitely a symptom of job burnout. Taking some time to find the positives in each day may help to make your job seem more tolerable.
4. Isolating Yourself from Others
No longer taking lunch or coffee breaks with your coworkers? Trying to dodge out of the office without having to say goodnight? If the days of being the life of the office party are gone, perhaps you should step back examine the reasons. Isolating yourself from others can be a symptom of a much larger issue, such as anxiety, burnout or depression. If this behavior seems isolated to the workplace, this could definitely indicate job burnout; however, any time you notice yourself withdrawing from others, you should question what's brought on the change.
5. Cynicism
Feeling like things will never improve, or finding yourself questioning what you're even doing at work? Feelings of negativity, bitterness or resentment towards your job, or feeling like the work you do will never be good enough indicates job burnout. Take a moment to ask yourself if what you're feeling is rational. Are things really as bad as you perceive them to be?
6. Overreacting
Do you find yourself becoming angry or frustrated with almost everything your coworkers or clients say or do? If you have outbursts of anger over small issues in the workplace, job burnout could be the culprit behind this behavior. If your coworkers are walking on eggshells any time you're around, then you probably need to step back and reevaluate. Remember that your coworkers are just trying to do their jobs as well. Reminding you of a deadline, asking you to attend a meeting, or inviting you to chip in on the office lottery pool isn't an invitation to vent your frustrations.
7. Depression
At its very worst, depression can be the outcome of experiencing prolonged burnout. Depression can manifest itself in many ways. Changes in sleep pattern, increase or decrease in appetite, emotional outbursts, refusal to participate in social activities, and isolation are all symptoms of depression. Unexplained physical pains may also be attributed to depression. Depression, when left untreated, can cause individuals to take part in self-destructive behaviors, such as excessive drinking. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should speak to your doctor as soon as possible. (Job loss can be devastating. Learn how to anticipate it and quickly get back on your feet.
The Bottom Line
If you're experiencing a number of the signs and symptoms of burnout, you should examine the cause of your feelings and what you can do to change your workplace environment to make it healthier for you. Don't be afraid to address the issues that are making you feel stressed or unhappy. Ultimately, if you feel like a change of environment would be best, it might be time to start looking for a new job. If this isn't an option for you, there are other possibilities. Perhaps requesting a transfer, or asking for new job tasks that will revive your interest can help to improve your motivation.
Finding motivation or happiness in other parts of your life can help to improve your outlook at work as well. Making a point of spending your off hours on hobbies, taking a vacation, or being physically active may help to improve your attitude and ability to handle stress overall. If you are at the point where you are experiencing burnout to such an extent that you are feeling depressed or taking part in self-destructive behaviors, you should speak to your doctor about long-term risks to your health and wellness, or possible treatments.
MY THOUGHTS
Bottom line - one or two of the above is already a symptom of the worst to come. Don't wait until you have all 7 signs.
Showing posts with label demotivation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label demotivation. Show all posts
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Workplace Rudeness Causes Mistakes on the Job
Workplace Rudeness Causes Mistakes on the Job
Whether you see or experience it, disrespectful behavior can create errors
Jill Provost ON Jul 7, 2010 at 12:33PM
Ever had a boss who chewed you and your coworkers out on a regular basis? Turns out, it’s not just bad for morale—it’s also bad for your performance. According to an article in the July issue of British Medical Journal, rudeness in the workplace causes mistakes. And, it’s not just the work of the person who’s been chewed out that suffers. Bystanders who witness tension, arguments and cruelty also become more accident-prone. While this can be troublesome to any business, it can be dangerous when the workplace is a hospital or operating room, says author Rhona Flin, Ph.D., professor of applied psychology at the University of Aberdeen.
In a poll of 800 North American employees, 10 percent said they experience rudeness at work on a daily basis. And in a survey of surgical health-care professionals, 60 percent of respondents said they had been subjected to aggressive behavior from a nurse or surgeon within the past six months.
In her report, Flin describes a series of studies that point to the troubling effects of workplace discourteousness. In the first, a group of students were invited to take part in an experiment. Those who were insulted by the professor on the way to the test session scored significantly lower on a series of memory tests than those who were not spoken to rudely. According to Flin, human attention is driven by emotion. When an altercation gets us riled up, it prevents us from being able to concentrate on the task at hand.
The next segment tested how students would react to seeing a colleague treated brusquely. Here, the professor told a student who showed up late that he was irresponsible, couldn’t expect to hold a job down in the real world and that he could not participate in the experiment with his classmates. The students who saw the incident performed worse on their cognitive tests than a control group that had not witnessed the negative interaction.
Past research has shown that all it takes is one person’s negativity to spoil an entire work environment. According to the University of Washington study, a single toxic team member can bring down an entire organization. In a follow-up study, they also found that the vast majority of people surveyed could identify at least one bad apple that brought about dysfunction to their team.
Back before I became a company of one, I had my fair share of rude bosses and coworkers who always brought the rest of us down with them. Though I can’t say whether they made my work sloppier, their negativity definitely sapped my mental energy and made it harder to concentrate. Plus, it puts a damper on any enthusiasm you had for your job up to that point. And for me, I know that I do a much better job when I can actually enjoy the task in front of me, instead of worrying about whether I’m going to be the one who gets chewed out next.
MY THOUGHT
i hope i'm not "the" rude person. i'm sure some people think so because i'm frank and i say things people prefer not to hear. but i wonder what's worse - the frank honest person who comes out in the open (but will probably need to work on diplomacy) or the silent worker whose rudeness doesn't come out but does everything they can to undermine you by working through the grapevine.
Whether you see or experience it, disrespectful behavior can create errors
Jill Provost ON Jul 7, 2010 at 12:33PM
Ever had a boss who chewed you and your coworkers out on a regular basis? Turns out, it’s not just bad for morale—it’s also bad for your performance. According to an article in the July issue of British Medical Journal, rudeness in the workplace causes mistakes. And, it’s not just the work of the person who’s been chewed out that suffers. Bystanders who witness tension, arguments and cruelty also become more accident-prone. While this can be troublesome to any business, it can be dangerous when the workplace is a hospital or operating room, says author Rhona Flin, Ph.D., professor of applied psychology at the University of Aberdeen.
In a poll of 800 North American employees, 10 percent said they experience rudeness at work on a daily basis. And in a survey of surgical health-care professionals, 60 percent of respondents said they had been subjected to aggressive behavior from a nurse or surgeon within the past six months.
In her report, Flin describes a series of studies that point to the troubling effects of workplace discourteousness. In the first, a group of students were invited to take part in an experiment. Those who were insulted by the professor on the way to the test session scored significantly lower on a series of memory tests than those who were not spoken to rudely. According to Flin, human attention is driven by emotion. When an altercation gets us riled up, it prevents us from being able to concentrate on the task at hand.
The next segment tested how students would react to seeing a colleague treated brusquely. Here, the professor told a student who showed up late that he was irresponsible, couldn’t expect to hold a job down in the real world and that he could not participate in the experiment with his classmates. The students who saw the incident performed worse on their cognitive tests than a control group that had not witnessed the negative interaction.
Past research has shown that all it takes is one person’s negativity to spoil an entire work environment. According to the University of Washington study, a single toxic team member can bring down an entire organization. In a follow-up study, they also found that the vast majority of people surveyed could identify at least one bad apple that brought about dysfunction to their team.
Back before I became a company of one, I had my fair share of rude bosses and coworkers who always brought the rest of us down with them. Though I can’t say whether they made my work sloppier, their negativity definitely sapped my mental energy and made it harder to concentrate. Plus, it puts a damper on any enthusiasm you had for your job up to that point. And for me, I know that I do a much better job when I can actually enjoy the task in front of me, instead of worrying about whether I’m going to be the one who gets chewed out next.
MY THOUGHT
i hope i'm not "the" rude person. i'm sure some people think so because i'm frank and i say things people prefer not to hear. but i wonder what's worse - the frank honest person who comes out in the open (but will probably need to work on diplomacy) or the silent worker whose rudeness doesn't come out but does everything they can to undermine you by working through the grapevine.
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