The topic of work burnout seems to be at an all-time high, both in terms of statistics and overall discussion. In fact, Microsoft recently released a study where they coined the term “infinite workday” to describe what life is like for many workers. The researchers described a life where e-mail and MS Team messages are answered before starting your official workday and, in the evening, trying to finish all the things that could not be accomplished during the day.
If the above seems to describe you, then perhaps you should change your path before full-fledged burnout occurs. Reaching the level of real work burnout can impact you not only professionally in terms of attendance, performance, and your behavior, but also in your personal life. So, this is certainly something that you want to address. Taking action and starting your search does not mean that you are quitting on your work team or failing in any way. Rather, it is about placing yourself in the best position to be successful (and there is nothing wrong with that!).
A key before taking any action, whether that is speaking to your manager or starting a job search, is to make sure it is not you that is driving the burnout. There are some workers that would be at the point of job burnout regardless of what they were doing or for whom they were working. These “Type A” personalities are driven, whether it is for success or the fear of failure. Either way, their effort and stress-level is primarily self-driven. If this is you, the first decision you need to make is whether you wish to change your behavior. If not, then continue what you are doing and do your best to manage it. If you do want to change, then you have options such as a manager discussion on workload and balance, or to start your search for new employment.
A manager discussion, while an option, can bring some tangible career risk. I would suggest that before you have this conversation, you assess both the openness of your manager’s relationship with you as well as the culture of the organization. If everyone in your company is on the verge of burnout, then it is probably a deep-rooted issue with no easy internal solution. By sharing with your manager, you run the risk of being tagged as someone not willing or able to work at the pace or load of your co-workers.
This leads to the most common solution, which is looking for a new employer and employment. The major hurdle to overcome is figuring out how to fit in a job search and the additional work that is required when you are already at a burnout stage. My suggestion is that if you have already made the decision to leave, then you should look at your work duties and separate the short-term needed items from perhaps the longer-term results. This is because with the work further out, you probably won’t be there to see through to the end. Focus on the work that you need to complete in good standing while you balance the rigors of searching for new employment.
It is also important that you keep your game face on and not overtly show the signs of stress or displeasure that you may be feeling. Your satisfaction will come from resigning and leaving for a position that you feel will be a better fit for you. Business as usual should be the theme, so that you don’t find yourself being counseled and you can leave in good standing.
It will be important for you to focus on employers that you feel will provide you a better workload situation. Networking with those familiar with the company (or even better work there) can provide you with important inside intelligence regarding the work expectations. Another way to find out inside information, is to review worker comments on the various social sites that allow this type of feedback. You will want to probe about the workload (and pre & post workday expectations) without providing the hiring manager any concern regarding your work ethic or engagement.
With the increasing dependency of technology along with the instantaneous requirements of the modern work world, burnout is something that is increasingly becoming an issue. You will want to address the situation before it impacts you negatively and often the best path to take is to begin looking for a change in employers.
As always, best of luck in your job search.
The following has been prepared for the general information of RochesterJobs readers. It is not meant to provide advice with respect to any specific legal or policy matter and should not be acted upon without verification by the reader.
Joe Stein
WNY Human Resources Professional
Feel free to contact Joe Stein regarding questions or comments at:
Joe Stein
