CONCEPT OF BURNOUT AND ITS IMPACT ON BPOs

PERFORMANCE
GEORGIA L.THINAKARAN & NILAVATHI .K

Lecturers, Department of Business Administration

St. Joseph’s College (autonomous)

Trichy-2.
Introduction:

Every human being is the author of his own health or disease. It is health that is real
wealth and pieces of gold and silver. Health is a state of complete physical, mental and
emotional well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Lot many people
spoil their health gaining their wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their
health. The suitable example is the person who is working or works in BPOs. They fail to
realize that, health is the first of all liberties. They are fully affected by stress due to
continuous work schedule, on availability of work-life balanced. Whether they like or not
they forced to work under certain conditions .This paper clearly portraits the reason for why
people undergone burnout, the dictator methd of self assessment, the remedies to overcome
those stage.

What is Burnout?

Burnout is a syndrome wherein a person breaks down physically and emotionally due
to continuous overwork over a long period of time. It really means that management failure.
Failure to make the work meaningful, rewarding, failing to set achievable goals, failure to
inspire, failure to share a vision, failure to measure the vision.

In single line, it means “no more to give, no energy left and no hope of change in
ones current situation”. In BPOs people or individual consider as an energy source to be
fully extracted and that is person is a commodity like computer or table. They will not be
treated as someone but something.
Stages of Burnout:

The only good thing about burnout is that is proceeds gradually and not at a moment.
The following are the five important stages in burnout. It may lead to negative or positive,
based on person’s mentality.

STAGE CONDITION SYMPTOMS

I The stage of job contentment Enthusiasm to work, high
energy levels, positive
attitude, good outlook.
II The stage of fuel shortage. Physical and mental fatigue.
Frustration ,low morale
III The stage of withdrawal and Avoiding contact with
isolation co-workers
Anger, emotional distress.
IV The stage of crisis Very low self -esteem,
Absenteeism, negative
feelings
V The final breakdown Heart attacks, drug addiction.
Suicidal tendencies.

Types of burnout:

Burnout is not only function negatively, it also provides positive role. if it is positive
it will be known as Eustress which has the components of achievements ,triumph, whereas if
it is negative I called as distress that leads to disappointment ,inadequacy, defeat,
Source: Indian management, 2007

Causes of burnout:

The business process outsourcing (BPO) business may be booming, but its big
drawback is the high burnout rate. This burnout not only affects the individual output but
also affects organizational output drastically. The following are the main reasons which
induces the burnout rate highly.
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1) Nature of the job: If the job is highly routinished does not allow any liberty to change the
rules, working conditions, and very low chances for creativity and changing.

2) Personal or non-work life: social, economic conditions, the family relationships, health
condition also contributing factor for burnout.

3) Life style: The pattern of structuring ones time may be called the life style. There are two
type of life style. First one a stress-dissipating life style is characterized by a relaxed life,
taking up creative pursuits, spending adequate time with family. Second one is a stress-
absorbing life style is leads to narrow interest, limiting oneself to work, leading a sense and
structured life

4) Role style: Role styles are broadly classified into approach and avoidance.
Source: Icfai journal of management,2010

5) Coping styles: There are different modes or styles of coping with organizational stress.
Dysfunctional styles are characterized by fault-finding, showing aggression towards oneself
or towards others. Functional styles are characterized by the hope of providing solution to
the problem, jointly working with others.

6) Organizational climate: It also important factor which increases for burnout rate.
Organization climate should be in good manner which reduces the stress and increase
productivity of the individual.

Ways to improve the burnout into positive manner:

Burnout cannot be fully avoided in the working plays but if it is used in a

positive manner it leads to glow up. The following are the factors for burnout which can be
converted into a positive force to contributed towards glow up, they are

 Developing self-obligating orientation.

 Increasing self-acceptance.
 intervening in non-work life
 De-scripting (it) relation from the daily schedule.
 intervention for role-effectiveness,
 training in assertion or collaboration
 Importance to human force.
Burnout indicators:

If you undergone the following things, without doubt you have lot of stress inside
you. It may leads to negative burnout in the future course of time. Check yourself whether
you are in the custody of stress or not?

1) Being cynical always, negativity and irritability

2) Exploding at irrelevant things
3) Frequent headaches or migraines
4) Weight loss or gain
5) Pain in the heels
6) Insomnia
7) Shortness of breath
8) Tiredness and fatigue
9) Palpitations
10) Butterflies in the stomach
11) Inability to focus
12) Depression

Ways to manage burnout:

 Learn to accept situation whatever it may be

 Have a good cry or laugh. We feel better after a good cry and releases tension after
laugh.
 Talk out our problems with our near and dear.
 Take a break (i.e.) little diversion will help s to relax.
 A Warm shower and a drink which controls nervous and tense muscles.

Conclusion:

Good health is not a single part; it has the components of physical, mental,
emotional energy. The person who concentrates on wealth they fail to save their health.BPOs
gives huge amount of money to person but it also take away their health, which is first muse,
it gives us the required level of motivation and energy. We can avoid burnout by finding a
sense of importance in something beside work. Building relationship with our family and
developing a social network can also help

HAVE HEALTH ,WEALTH & HAPPINESS

REFERENCES:

1. Competition success review October 2010, pp 11-12.

2 .Icfai journal of management, September 2009, pp24-26.

3. India today, Dec 2005.

4. http// www.Stress management.com

5. http// www.burnout.com

6. Indian journal of psychology, New Delhi

7. Indian journal of social work, tata institute of social science, Mumbai

8. Strauss, j; personnel-the human problems of Management, prentice hall of India, new

Delhi 1968.

9. Human resource management, Dr. C.B.Gupta SulthanChand & Sons, 2009, pp.33.1-33.22.