The body and mind are designed to cope with periods of pressure. In fact, a certain amount of pressure is required to arouse both body and mind thus ensuring optimum performance. There is, however, a limit to the amount of pressure which can be coped with. When this limit is exceeded, fatigue kicks in and both body and mind experience breakdown and burnout. Performance levels drop, concentration wanes and the immune system is suppressed. The person is now more susceptible to illness and injury. As the excessive pressure persists; the consequences become more severe. With work stress, there are 3 major factors which can result in burnout.
Too much work
There is only so much work that one person can do. Most countries have strict laws which outline the amount of time that anyone can be required to work. These laws are often ignored when high pressure situations arise. In the ever more competitive world we live in; employers are continuously trying to decrease costs while maintaining or increasing output. One of the first costs cut is often staff levels. Redundancies are made which increases the workload, demands and pressure on the remaining staff. As the pressure continues to increase, staff members become incapable of dealing with the pressure. Exhaustion, breakdown and burnout set in.
Work which is too challenging
Employers have an obligation to ensure that employees are capable of performing the duties which are assigned to them. Often, employees are assigned new duties or promoted to a new role, without being given adequate training to perform these tasks. In these situations, the employee is likely to struggle to cope with the pressures of the new duties. Where they cannot cope, they soon experience the symptoms of stress. The struggle to cope robs them of physical, mental and emotional energy. Unless they are either given appropriate training or assigned to other duties, burnout is inevitable.
Too much repetition
The quantity of work might be fine, and the level of challenge adequate, but if the role lacks variety, the employee is still at risk of burnout. If the employee is required to perform the same type of task repeatedly, they will be using the same parts of their bodies and/or minds over and over again. Without variety in their work, these parts of body and/or mind will have insufficient time to rest and recover. They will eventually fail to cope with the pressure placed upon them and burnout will set in.
Burnout occurs as a result of the excessive pressure placed upon the body and mind. When burnout sets in, both the body and the mind are exhausted. Concentration and performance levels drop and the immune system is suppressed. The employee is more susceptible to injury and illness. Too avoid the burnout caused by work stress, the work must be of the appropriate quantity, quality and variety.
Burnout is one of the most common forms of stress. If you are struggling with stress, check out Stress Free Living.