Six Sources of Burnout at Work

Are you at risk?

Earlier this week I spoke to a group of women accountants and financial professionals about
preventing burnout and better managing stress. Accountants, like many busy professionals, are
susceptible to burnout, but many people don’t know quite how to define burnout or what it
entails. The word burnout is an overused and frequently misused word that was first coined in 1974
by Herbert Freudenberger, and typically refers to a state of physical, mental, and emotional
exhaustion.

Burnout is not feeling bummed out, having a bad day, or depression, although being burned out can
lead to mental and physical health issues, which can include depression. I define burnout as the
chronic state of being out of sync with one or more aspects of your life, and the result is a loss of
energy, enthusiasm, and confidence. Eventually, and as I experienced toward the end of my
lawcareer, your physical health and mental well-being will likely deteriorate.

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City or Zip
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While burnout can occur in many life domains (parents, spouses, and caregivers all can experience
burnout), much of the burnout research focuses on work. Research by Drs. Michael P. Leiter and
Christina Maslach points to six specific sources of burnout at work:

Lack of Control. Your sense of control over what you do is undermined or limited and you don’t
have a lot of say in what’s going on. One study measuring job demands and lack of control found
that the one combination that was most detrimental to health and morale was high job demands in
combination with low control. Individuals in this category experienced much higher rates of coronary
disease and depression than those in other categories (Karasek, R., et. al, 1981).

Values Conflict. There is a disconnect between your own core values and the core values of the
organization. Many companies flash their mission statements and values on websites
and marketing materials, but few actually walk the talk. If you want to learn more about values and
categorize your own, please visit my website to find a free values worksheet.

Insufficient Reward. You feel taken for granted, not recognized, and/or undercompensated. Many
companies survived the Great Recession by demanding employees do more with less, and that
often meant having one person do the work of two (or more). While this may have been a strategy
necessitated by the severity of the economic crisis, it’s unreasonable to expect this to work as a
long-term strategy. At my husband’s company, the CEO and other managers often send company-
wide emails recognizing the efforts of employees. It takes a few minutes to type an email, but the
goodwill created will last far longer.

Work Overload. Your workload is too much, too complex, or too urgent. When I was practicing
law, I had a client who categorized the priority of his work for me as “nuclear,” “super-nuclear” and
“catastrophic.” I still don’t know what the difference is in the three designations, and I suspect he
was so busy that even he didn’t really know – he just wanted me to take care of matters
urgently. The stress created by work overload is not something to be ignored. According to the
most recent Gallup survey on employee engagement, 50% of workers report being “not engaged”
while another 20% report being “actively disengaged” (Sorenson & Garman, 2013).

Unfairness. You or others are treated unfairly, there is a culture of favoritism, and assignments and
promotions are made in an arbitrary fashion and discussed behind closed doors. One of the things
that makes a company great, according to a recent Harvard Business Review article, is that
employees are told what’s really going on. Nothing shuts down morale more than whispering behind
closed doors.

Breakdown of Community. You have to work with patronizing colleagues, there is no mechanism
for conflict resolution, and feedback is non-existent. One study found that the number of people
saying they have no one with whom to discuss important issues has nearly tripled between 1985 and
2004 (McPherson, Smith-Lovin, & Brashears, 2006). We spend so much time at work – building
better relationships should be a main goal for all employees and managers.

Our culture of burnout isn’t going to improve until these six sources of burnout at work are
addressed. What’s troubling is that you don’t need to have a serious mismatch in all six of these
areas to be at risk – a mismatch in even one area puts you on the path toward burning out. The time
to start is now.

________________________________________________________________________________
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Paula Davis-Laack, JD, MAPP, is an internationally-published writer and travels the globe as a
stress and resilience expert. She has trained over one thousand professionals on how to manage
their stress and increase their happiness by building a specific set of skills designed to develop
personal resilience and prevent burnout. Paula is available for speaking engagements, training
workshops, media commentary, and private life coaching – contact her
atpaula@pauladavislaack.com or visit her website atwww.pauladavislaack.com.
 Burnout Test (Non-Service Fields)
45 questions, 15 min.

PROGRESS STATUS:

Strongly Agree Somewhat Disagree Strongly

agree agree/disagree disagree
1 2 3 4 5
1. There is too much weight on my shoulders.
2. I no longer really care about doing my work well.
3. I feel frustrated with my work.
4. I have lost interest in my work.
5. I just can’t seem to handle all the requirements of my
job.
6. I feel alienated from my job and/or co-workers.
7. I have enough energy to maintain a satisfactory job
performance.
8. My life is way too stressful
9. Considering my workload, there is no way I can do my
job properly.
10. At the end of my working day, I find myself feeling
emotionally empty.

ROGRESS STATUS:

Strongly Agree Somewhat Disagree Strongly

agree agree/disagree disagree
1 2 3 4 5
11. I feel that my job makes a difference.
12. I have enough strength to satisfactorily perform all my
duties.
13. When I wake up in the morning, just thinking about
the work that awaits me makes me feel tired.
14. My work is too physically demanding.
15. My work is too emotionally demanding.
16. I don't really care about the results of my work.
17. I find my work to be exhausting.
18. The simple thought of a full work day makes me ill.
19. I feel energetic.
20. The amount of stress I deal with at work is more than I
can handle.

ROGRESS STATUS:

Strongly Agree Somewhat Disagree Strongly

agree agree/disagree disagree
1 2 3 4 5
21. I think I work far too much.
22. My work brings me satisfaction.
23. Overall, I simply feel really exhausted.
24. I find joy in my work.
25. The work I do drains all of my energy.
26. I feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that is
expected of me.
27. I feel that my boss and/or co-workers expect far too
much of me.
28. When I’m stressed I’m able to calm myself down.
29. When I have too much work, I ask for help from co-
workers or my boss if possible.
30. I get discouraged easily.

ROGRESS STATUS:

Strongly Agree Somewhat Disagree Strongly

agree agree/disagree disagree
1 2 3 4 5
31. I take very little, if any time, to relax.
32. I find myself so overwhelmed with work that I just
shut down completely
33. I tend to keep my problems to myself.
34. I feel trapped in my job.
35. I feel as though no matter what I do, there’s nothing
that can help make my job easier.
36. I feel helpless.
37. I have absolutely no say in any of the decisions made
at work.
38. At the end of my work day, I really feel like I’ve
 accomplished something.
PROGRESS STATUS:

Strongly Agree Somewhat Disagree Strongly

agree agree/disagree disagree
1 2 3 4 5
39. I complete my work at my own pace.
40. I am happy with the amount of independence I have at
work.
41. I have no control over my workload.
42. I actively participate in meetings or discussions at
work.
43. I feel underappreciated at work.
44. I feel as though I have no control over my job.
45. Even when things get hectic at work, I’m confident
that I can handle it.

Assertiveness Test
21 questions, 10 min.

PROGRESS STATUS:

Most of Often Sometimes Rarely Almost

the time never
1 2 3 4 5
1. I avoid dealing with difficult situations involving
confrontation.
2. I feel people take advantage of me.
3. Talking to people in positions of authority makes me feel
nervous, self-conscious, or unsure of myself.
4. I behave in a self-confident manner.
5. I express my opinions, even if others in the group disagree
with me.

Most Often Sometimes Rarely

Almost
of the
never
time
1 2 3 4 5
6. I feel threatened when dealing with someone who is very assertive.
7. I feel free to politely voice my disagreement with someone in a position of
authority.
8. Opinionated people make me feel uncomfortable.
9. When an argument is over, I replay the situation in my head, thinking of
all the things I could have said, regretting that I hadn't thought of them
then, or wishing I had the guts to say them.
10. I fear making phone calls to institutions, government agencies or
businesses, because I might sound stupid if I don't understand the
instructions.

Often Sometimes Rarely

Most of Almost
the never
time
1 2 3 4 5
11. If my neighbors made too much noise, I would let them know.
12. I feel comfortable saying no to people.
13. When I go out with other people, I'll do what they suggest, even if I
feel like doing something else.
14. Instead of arguing, I tend to accept responsibility for other people's
mistakes.

PROGRESS STATUS:

Most of Often Sometimes Rarely Almost

the time never
1 2 3 4 5
15. I tend to just go along with what everyone else wants,
instead of stating my own desires.
16. I tend to be speechless when I am left alone with a person
I find attractive.
17. I will use intimidation to ensure that I get my way.
18. I have been known to lose my temper and swear at
people.

Agree Disagree
Somewhat Strongly
Strongly
agree/disagree disagree
agree
1 2 3 4 5
19. At lunch, if my co-worker suggested going out for Chinese and I
wanted Italian, I'd probably end up giving in and we'd go for
Chinese.
20. I tend to yell at people when I don't get my way.
21. Most people around me seem to be more assertive than I am.