We use burnout too much today. If you don't eat lunch, it's burnout. If you yawn twice, then it's burnout. If you miss a deadline, then it must be burnout. People use it for all types of tiredness. The term doesn't hold the same meaning. Burnout once meant that a person was extremely ill. They couldn't move out of bed or focus. Now it's being used when people feel annoyed or are exhausted after a hectic week.
Firms pretend to be concerned. They bring out the snacks, organize classes and grant brief periods of rest, and then they are done. But you cannot solve actual burnout by giving someone an apple or a yoga session. They really require rest. They need to be away from the workplace. They need rest, meals, sunlight and perhaps a quiet evening at home. You cannot solve weariness by giving someone a nice seating space in a conference room.
Managers shouldn't be like machines. If a team manager is working throughout the day and replying to every message, then everyone is going to expect us to follow their example. We feel we are lagging behind if we take a break for five minutes. Nobody likes to be working while everyone else watches their screens. A lot of stress is created.
Don't expect all of the employees to participate in the same wellness activities. Not all employees are going to like coaching or breathing exercises. Some might just like to take a walk, sleep in or go fishing when they have their day off. Allow them to choose what is best for them. Provide them with time or funds to take proper care of their mind and body. They know best what suits them.
Why are businesses continuing to celebrate people working every weekend or working all night? That is not strength. That is an extremely tired individual. That is not right to watch a person struggling all week and label it dedication. That is an individual who probably has been tired for years and years.
Rest should be standard. It should not be a bonus or a reward. It is simply part of life. If leaders cannot model what that is like, then nothing will ever improve. People replicate what they see, always.
Perhaps we should not call everything burnout. Perhaps we should be assisting people to live a little bit better and not glorify tiredness.
(Sourcing the image appropriately)
https://pixabay.com/illustrations/burnout-writing-fire-flames-stress-2161445/
This is my second post here, so I would love to get ratings on how well I did it.
