Understanding Burnout in the Workplace
The following text is a summary of some of the thoughts and ideas by Christina Maslach.
Burnout has become a buzzword in today's world, but it is essential to understand its true meaning. Christina Maslach, a psychology professor emerita at UC Berkeley, first wrote about workplace trauma and burnout more than 40 years ago. Her new book, The Burnout Challenge, co-authored with Michael P. Leiter, offers a solution-focused template for employees and employers. It highlights six "mismatches" that plague employee-employer dynamics: mismatches with workload, control, rewards, community, fairness, and values. The book aims to help people either escape a potentially problematic situation or quit altogether.
Maslach explains that job burnout is a response to chronic job stressors in the workplace that have not been well-managed. A theme of the book is that the workplace burnout problem is not something individual workers should manage through self-care; it is a relationship issue. The problem is not just located within the individual, so solutions must be aimed at both the workplace and the individual. Burnout, which is a response to chronic job stressors in the workplace that have not been well-managed, has three interrelated components: exhaustion, feeling negative, cynical, and hostile towards the workplace, and feeling negative about oneself. Burnout can lead to physical and mental health problems, poor performance, and quitting the job. It is not just feeling stressed and exhausted, but it goes beyond that and can have ripple effects.
It is of immense importance to understand why burnout occurs and identify the causes rather than just the effects. Coping and self-care are essential, but the goal is to create a better fit, a better match, so that people thrive rather than get beaten down by the workplace. Maslach explains that the distinction matters because how the question is framed leads to different answers. If the question is framed as "What is wrong with the worker who is burned out?" the solutions tend to be about how the person does self-care. If, on the other hand, the question is framed as "What is causing the burnout in the workplace?", the solutions will be aimed at both the workplace and the individual.
But we have to be careful! Framing the problem of workplace burnout as an individual issue can lead to solutions that focus on self-care rather than addressing the underlying causes of burnout. Instead, burnout is a relationship issue between the individual and the workplace. It is important to consider both the workplace environment and the individual in order to create a better fit between the job and the person, rather than simply blaming the individual for not being able to handle the stress. We need a more holistic approach that addresses the workplace as well as the individual's needs.
Christina Maslach identifies a spectrum of six mismatches between employees and their workplaces: workload, control, rewards, community, fairness, and values. Maslach notes that addressing these mismatches can help create a better fit between employees and their jobs, ultimately reducing burnout. She also suggests that it is important to focus not just on workload, but also on how employees feel about their job and the quality of their work.
The book comes at a time of transformation, as many workplaces are still figuring out the post-pandemic reality. Maslach and Leiter say that many perils remain, and a dysfunctional workplace is not something that people should endure, but rather something that needs to change. The post-pandemic transition presents both possibilities and perils in terms of addressing burnout. It has forced people to recognize that work can be done differently, and there were both positive and negative outcomes. The positives include not having to commute all the time and spending more time with family. However, there were also negative outcomes such as teachers who had to teach without preparation, good equipment, or support. It is still too early to determine if society is living up to the possibilities that opened, but we can learn from our mistakes and think outside the box going forward.
In the business world, changes are being made without critical thinking or collaboration. For example, companies may implement changes with the intention of helping employees, but without consulting the employees themselves to see if the changes are actually beneficial. To address these perils, start with smaller changes and address issues that are already causing problems. Companies should work with employees to make changes that are truly beneficial and ensure that employees are fully on board with the changes.
In her years of talking to people about job burnout, Christina Maslach has found that people say having a mentor or someone to turn to for advice and feedback would help prevent burnout. However, many feel that they don't have anyone like that anymore and fear being stigmatized or put down if they seek help. Maslach emphasizes the importance of social relationships for people's well-being and suggests creating a safe environment where people can turn to each other for support.
When it comes to the question “when should employees walk away from a job due to burnout?” Maslach advises that employees should first ask themselves if there is a way to improve things at work before considering leaving. They should ask their team if they could rethink processes. Furthermore, first try using the six areas outlined earlier, to assess how things are actually going. People should evaluate if there are other opportunities that would be better than their current job and if they have somewhere to go that will not have the same problems they are trying to leave behind. Finally, people should prioritize the six areas, as everyone has different levels of tolerance for mismatches in these areas.
In conclusion, the Burnout Challenge offers a solutions-focused template for employees and employers alike. It highlights six mismatches that plague employee-employer dynamics and aims to help people understand why burnout occurs and identify the causes rather than just the effects. Coping and self-care are essential, but the goal is to create a better fit between the job and the person so that people thrive rather than get beaten down by the workplace.
If you would like to learn more, we recommend reading the book.
