In 1974, psychologist Herbert Freudenberger theorized 12 phases of the burnout process.
He defined burnout as, “a state of mental and physical exhaustion caused by one’s professional life.”
These phases don’t necessarily happen in order, nor does everyone experience each one:
Phase 1: Compulsion to prove oneself
Obsessed with doing an excellent job in every way possible
Phase 2: Working harder
Focusing on work as top priority and finding it hard to switch off
Phase 3: Neglecting their needs
Sacrificing sleep, exercise, and healthy eating for work
Phase 4: Displacing conflicts
Becoming aware something isn’t right but dismissing the problem
Phase 5: Revision of values
Work begins to consume the energy for previous friends or hobbies
Phase 6: Denial of emerging problems
Intolerance and aggressiveness blamed on time pressure
Phase 7: Withdrawal
Increasingly preferring isolation and often using alcohol as a release
Phase 8: Obvious behavioral changes
Others begin to notice changes from feeling worthless and fearful
Phase 9: Depersonalization
No longer seeing self as valuable and life becomes mechanical
Phase 10: Inner emptiness
Desperately reaching for vices and activity to fill an inner void
Phase 11: Depression
Overwhelmed and exhausted, beginning to lose hope and meaning
Phase 12: Burnout syndrome
Total emotional, mental, and physical collapse
Action plan for addressing burnout
Step 1: Get clarity
- Be clear about what you like/dislike about your current situation.
- Identify all potential areas of resentment – both personally and professionally
- Define what really drives you to work the way you do
Step 2: Find support
- Zero in on the specific issue you need to address
- Quantify the scale and magnitude of the journey ahead
- Catalog the relationships you have that can support you
Step 3: Rewire
- List the positive micro-habits to introduce, and bad habits to break
- Pinpoint the key mindset shift you need to make
- Script a new self-dialogue to replace destructive patterns
Step 4: Refocus
- Make your health and well-being your top priority
- Take the time to create a vision for the person you are meant to be
- Don’t allow derailers, saboteurs, or bullies to throw you off course
Employer Checklist for Burnout
Burnout is a workplace syndrome and therefore interventions driven by an organization have a far greater impact than changes individuals can make alone.
Companies lose billions of dollars in absenteeism, lower productivity, and sick-leave due to burnout; thus, organizations should prioritize resolving burnout amongst their employees for maximum efficiency and performance.
Here’s a quick look at some traits that are common at a workplace that accelerates burnout, versus a healthy workplace.
A burnout workplace:
- Perception that the employer is selfish or untrustworthy
- Job security or pay ambiguity
- Unmanageable workload and always “on-call”
- Reduced resources or lack of manager support
- Unreasonable time pressure
- Policy and procedure constraints
- Inequity and unfair treatment
- Lack of reinforcement or recognition
- Unclear communication from managers
- Harassment and abuses
Vs
A healthy workplace:
- Promote autonomy and empowerment
- Appropriate manager support
- Encourages learning from mistakes
- Promotes teamwork
- Values diverse opinions
- Makes work purposeful
- Productive and inviting workplace
- Employee involvement in goal setting
- Maximize employee strength
- Regular staff rotation, continuous training and development