The epidemic of worker fatigue. How to prevent and prevent professional burnout of staff

Burnout, missed deadlines, favorite work no longer brings satisfaction, motivation at zero, constant fatigue – these are all consequences of accumulated stress. Many people are not just tired of work; they physically cannot perform it due to sleepless nights from anxiety, constant nervous tension, and a host of other reasons that you can name yourself.

I constantly interact with representatives of various companies, and recently I have encountered very similar complaints several times. Many business owners complain that the psychological state of managers and office employees has significantly deteriorated this year.

Most of my colleagues emphasized that last year, after the initial state of confusion at the beginning of the invasion, many of their employees, as well as themselves, gathered their strength and became very productive. However, with the beginning of this year, there has been a feeling of a significant decrease in energy, motivation, and overall mood. The state of employees has become more depressive, which affects productivity and relationships. 

Most do not acknowledge this problem, but almost all cases of this general fatigue can be linked to the syndrome of accumulated stress. In other words, people have experienced a significant number of changes, often difficult and sometimes traumatic experiences, felt strong and unpleasant emotions, but most of this experience was not sufficiently processed.

Psychologists emphasize that the cause of chronic fatigue is accumulated stress. Putting off experiences for later is a bad strategy. When a person is in a state of stress, it is necessary to transform anxiety into action – for example, into physical activity, volunteering, or helping animals… A sense of purpose and active engagement quickly changes mood.

What can employees do when they feel strong fatigue at work? 

First of all, it is important to realize that recovering your strength may require more time for sleep and rest. 

Healthy sleep. Recovering from chronic fatigue may require more sleep time than usual. Try to sleep a few extra hours longer. Give yourself time to recover. If you have trouble falling asleep, try several techniques that can help you relax. For example, a walk before bed, meditation, relaxed breathing, or taking a bath in the evening. 

Active lifestyle and proper nutrition. Eat healthy food and stay physically active throughout the day: a walk in the park, yoga, jogging, morning exercises.

Programs to manage stress levels. Find out if your employer has implemented a program that can help you prevent fatigue and burnout at work. Read the information about the program and do not hesitate to ask clarifying questions if needed.

Communicate with friends and colleagues. Spend more time with your friends and colleagues, gather for lunch breaks, arrange 15-minute breaks over a cup of aromatic coffee. Look out for yourself and your colleagues for signs of fatigue, such as yawning, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating. 

Remember that teamwork and cohesion can be the most important factors in overcoming fatigue epidemics and improving the work environment for all its members.

Another reason for burnout may be your poor organization of work time. If you love your job too much and dedicate all your time to it without breaks for lunch and rest – this can lead to burnout. To prevent this, proper organization of work time is needed. 

Techniques to help you organize your time: 

• Pomodoro Technique: This method involves breaking work time into intervals (usually 25 minutes) of work, separated by short breaks (5 minutes). After every four “pomodoros,” it is recommended to take a longer break (15-30 minutes). This helps maintain high productivity and avoid overload.
• Eisenhower Matrix: It is based on classifying tasks by their importance and urgency. Tasks are divided into four categories: important and urgent, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither important nor urgent. This helps determine priorities and focus on the most important tasks.
• Pareto Principle (80/20): According to this technique, most results are achieved by investing 20% of effort into the most important tasks. It is important to identify those 20% of tasks that have the greatest impact and focus on them.
• Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology: This methodology is designed to reduce stress and improve task management. It includes the process of collecting, organizing, planning, and executing tasks using to-do lists, contexts, and reminders.
• Time blocking technique: Based on this technique, you dedicate specific blocks of time to complete particular tasks. This helps avoid distractions and ensures deep concentration on work. In the case of many projects, it is recommended to dedicate a day to one project. This way, your concentration will be maximized, and you will also avoid constant monotony on the project.
• Daily To-Do List: Every morning, create a list of what you want to achieve throughout the day. This helps you manage your time and focus on specific goals.

By applying these techniques, you will be able to better organize your time, increase productivity, and achieve a greater balance between work and personal life.

How companies can prevent employee burnout

• Implement an annual health check program for employees to assess stress levels (cortisol levels in blood, thyroid-stimulating hormone, vitamin and mineral content). Many medical laboratories now offer comprehensive programs.
• Corporate tours to holistic and retreat centers for businesses (e.g., Consciousness), medical complexes – for restoring physical and mental health.
• Ask employees to install an app on their phone or smart watch to track stress levels.
• Implement a quarterly test to diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome.
• Monitor the workload levels of employees. No matter how much an employee loves their job, if they dedicate the entire day from morning to night, forgetting about lunch, coffee breaks, and rest, sitting at the computer all the time, they risk burning out very quickly. Unfortunately, without skilled balancing, it is just a matter of time.

I will share my experience of how in my agency team, CEO Dmytro prevented burnout in the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer). Thanks to weekly reports, he noticed that throughout the month, she had constant overtime, repeating week after week. We discussed this issue in a meeting and concluded that this happened due to trying to fit as many tasks as possible into the workday and poorly planned time for their execution. Excessive responsibility and perfectionism forced her to work more than the norm in a week. Therefore, to correct the situation, we implemented the Eisenhower matrix system. If you want to know how it helped her, subscribe to our email newsletter, and we will definitely share the results with you.

Remember that mental health is not a trendy fad, but a necessary foundation. Take care of yourself!