Burnout
= workplace damage of otherwise perfectly serviceable people.
When someone is damaged as a result of physical assault, the accosting person is charged and probably found guilty of a crime, and sentenced.
Many individuals who have been damaged by organisations complain that employing entities seem to have a privileged position and are free to damage people and replace them with fresh new ones without any fear of prosecution.
Viewed from the other side, executives are themselves people who are often highly stressed due to the business demand upon their time and energy. They do not intentionally set out to over-stress and damage people. For a start - it’s too expensive to replace people and pay compensation, and the business world is now much more aware of the community and political expectation to look after their employees.
However, in spite of the existence of EAP programs and similar organisational efforts, it is difficult to locate and identify people who are approaching dangerous levels of stress. They hide behind a mask of managed impression. Furthermore, a stress-free organisation does not exist anyhow - the organisation operates within a stress-inducing environment. Many people find it exciting. People want to work. So how much stress is too much?
Well - it’s too much when it gets to burnout and damaged people.
Fortunately, it is possible to identify people who are excessively stressed and hiding behind managed impressions in the organisation. Yes - it requires surveys and conversations and education - but not just any sort of surveys or conversations. Burnout is a psychological state with serious mental and physiological consequences, so the survey needs to be designed and administered by suitably qualified individuals who are external to the organisation. Such sensitive conversations and surveys must be done in safety for the meaningful information to emerge.
Case: We conducted a survey for one organisation where data showed three people were approaching burnout and they had no organisational or domestic support. We were not retained to proceed further and the recommendations were not implemented. There were two suicides within 6 months.
Call us for help on keeping more of your good people
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