Working through a pandemic, navigating a remote or hybrid work model, and balancing personal and work-related responsibilities are a lot to handle. That is likely why in the past few years, we’ve started to hear more and more about employee burnout. Many may think of burnout as a feeling of being overworked, but it goes much deeper than needing a vacation or a smaller workload. There are many factors involved that aren’t as easy to solve as you might think. If left unresolved these factors can evolve into the Burnout Cycle and spread quickly throughout your workforce.
Get a Full Understanding of Burnout
Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas, a clinical psychologist and mental health and suicide prevention advocate, held a panel of professionals to discuss the nuances of burnout. In Part One of her two-part blog series, Dr. Spencer-Thomas shares the insights from her panel discussion and covers the following topics:
- the clinical definition of burnout
- the pieces that make up the ‘Burnout Cycle’
- the spread of burnout in the workplace
- the distinction between burnout and depression
“Burnout stems not only from an overload of responsibilities but from risk factors such as perceived lack of control, incongruent values between an individual and their workplace, inequitable treatment, and poor colleague-superior relationships.”
Read up on part one of her blog titled “More Than Tired: Understanding Burnout” and stay tuned for part two where she will share steps on how to alleviate burnout with a multifaceted strategy.
More About the Author
Sally Spencer-Thomas is a clinical psychologist, inspirational international speaker and an impact entrepreneur. Dr. Spencer-Thomas was moved to work in suicide prevention after her younger brother, a Denver entrepreneur, died of suicide after a difficult battle with bipolar condition.
Known as an innovator in social change, Spencer-Thomas has helped start up multiple large-scale, gap filling efforts in mental health including the award-winning campaign Man Therapy and is the lead author on the National Guidelines for Workplace Suicide Prevention. She currently serves as the Executive Secretary for the American Association of Suicidology and the President of United Suicide Survivors International. Connect with Sally at www.SallySpencerThomas.com and on Facebook (@DrSallySpeaks), Twitter (@sspencerthomas) and LinkedIn.
