Employee Burnout

Eric Henderson
Siena Heights University

Three Dimensions of Burnout

Burnout: When an employee begins wearing out from the pressures at

work
Emotional Exhaustion: When employees begin to feel fatigued,
frustrated, used up, or unable to face another day on the job
Lack of Personal Accomplishments: When employees begin to view
themselves as failures who are incapable of accomplishing job requirements
Depersonalization: When burnt out employees have to communicate with
others, their judgments are cloudy. They develop poor opinions of others,
creating low expectations for them, going as far as creating a disliking for
others

(Miller,

Causes of Burnout

Stress in the workplace

Aspects of the workplace that are difficult to deal with

Negative outcomes that accrue from difficult work conditions

Stressors: Aspects of the environment which create a strain on an individual

Workload

Role Conflict

Having too much work or work that is too difficult

Having two or more roles that conflict each other

Role Ambiguity

Having uncertainty about your role

(Miller,

Stressors Outside the Workplace

Major life events

Divorce

Retirement

Pregnancy

Moving

Day-to-day hassles
Work-life balance

(Trangrot811, 2015)

(Miller,

10 Occupations with the Highest Burnout Rating

Physician

Nurse

Social Worker

Teacher

School Principle

Attorney
Police Officer
Accountants
Fast Food
Retail

(White, n.d.)

10 Occupations with the Lowest Burnout Rating

Medical records technician

Jeweler

Hair stylist
Dressmaker-tailor
Medical laboratory technician

Audiologist
Precision assembler
Dietitian
Furniture upholsterer
Electrical technician

(McKendrick, 2012)

Stressors

Burnout

Outcomes

Environmental factors that

are difficult for an
individual to deal with:

Strain that results from

ongoing stressors:

Physiological, attitudinal,
and organizational results
of burnout:

Workload,
Role conflict,
Role ambiguity,
Life events,
Home/work conflict,

Emotional,
Exhaustion,
Depersonalization,
Decreased personal
accomplishment

Coronary heart disease,

High blood pressure,
Lower job satisfaction,
Less commitment,
Turnover

Figure 11.1 pg. 205, Basic Model of Stress in the

Workplace

(Miller, 2015)

Ways to Decrease Burnout

Communication

Employees, which are communicatively responsive, will experience less burnout

and more commitment to their occupations (Miller, 2015)

Supervisor-subordinate interactions

Understand situations from an external point of view

Define expectations

See things from his or her point of view

Excessive drinking, drug use, and absenteeism (Just Kidding)

(Miller, 2015)

Ways to Decrease Burnout Cont.

Employees who had an opportunity to

participate in

decisions

experienced lower levels of strain and fewer intentions to

leave their jobs (Miller, 2015)
Anything you can do to decrease role conflict and role ambiguity
Emotional support

Informational Support

Messages that boost another's self-esteem

Providing facts or advice to help an individual cope

Instrumental Support

Physically assisting an individual

(Miller, 2015)

If I was in Control

Clarify the employees roles

Who, what, where, when, why?

Monitor and control workload

Host socialization events

Work parties

Charity events

Fundraisers

Implement the coping strategies

Participation

Social Support

(Ohehir, 2014)

References

McKendrick. (2012, January 3). 10 most stressful and 10 least stressful jobs in 2012 |
ZDNet. Retrieved February 08, 2016, from
http://www.zdnet.com/article/10-most-stressful-and-10-least-stressful-jobs-in-2012/

Miller, K. (2015).Organizational communication: Approaches and processes(Seventh

ed.). Belmont (CA): Thomson/Wadsworth. (Ohehir, 2014)

Ohehir. (2014, January 4). The war over Wolf of Wall Street. Retrieved February 08,
2016, from http://www.salon.com/2014/01/04/the_war_over_wolf_of_wall_street/

Trangrot811. (2015, April 13). SysAdmin Burnout. Retrieved February 08, 2016, from
https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/893510-sysadmin-burnout?page=3

White. (n.d.). Which Professionals Are Prone to Burnout? Retrieved February 08, 2016,
from http://stress.lovetoknow.com/Which_Professionals_are_Prone_to_Burnout