How to Avoid Burnout, No Matter How Stressful Your Job

You’ve probably read recently that the World Health Organization (WHO) has predicted that one in four adults will experience burnout in their lifetime. 

That means one in four people in your team, your stakeholders, your colleagues, peers and customers are likely to be impacted by this crippling mental health issue. 

While the WHO report hasn’t provided specific data on the rate of burnout in the ICT sector, it’s reasonable to assume that this industry has more than its fair share of victims. 

The rapid pace of technological change, high staff turnover, the pressures of deadline-driven projects (with associated late nights and weekends) and (oftentimes) lack of sufficient support for those projects can all add up to ICT professionals and tech leaders being subjected to prolonged periods of stress and fatigue. 

According to a 2018 reported by Gallup entitled “Employee Burnout”, there are five main reasons that employees experience burnout:

1. Unreasonable time pressure. Employees who said they had enough time to do their work were 70 per cent less likely to experience high burnout. Individuals who were not able to gain more time, such as IT workers facing down a deadline, were at a higher risk of burnout.
2. Lack of communication and support from a manager. Manager support offers a psychological buffer against stress. According to the Gallup report, employees who felt strongly supported by their manager were 70 per cent less likely to experience burnout on a regular basis.
3. Lack of role clarity. A significant percentage of employees report that they don’t know what is expected of them. When expectations feel like moving targets, employees may become exhausted simply by trying to figure out what they are supposed to be doing.
4. Unmanageable workload. When a workload feels unmanageable, even the most optimistic employees will feel hopeless. Feeling overwhelmed can quickly lead to burnout.
5. Unfair treatment. Employees who feel they are treated unfairly at work are more than twice as likely to experience a high level of burnout. Unfair treatment may include things such as favouritism, unfair compensation and mistreatment from a co-worker.

Tell-tale Signs of Burnout

Burnout typically manifests as exhaustion, cynicism (being less aligned to the organisational mission/goals or the role itself), and feelings of being less capable professionally. 

Signs to look for in yourself or others might include: 

• continual tiredness and irritability, with reduced energy to get things done,
• increased pessimism or cynicism, 
• being more easily distracted or struggling to remain focused on tasks, 
• feeling less creative, 
• being more distant or disconnected from colleagues, 
• feelings of overwhelm and avoidance behaviours,
• and even symptoms like headaches, stomach aches and intestinal issues. 

How to Respond

Burnout means the person is struggling to cope with the pressures of work and life. They’re literally running out of energy to do all the things that would make their life work. 

They already feel inadequate so it’s important that you avoid saying or doing anything that will make them feel judged or incompetent. This is particularly important if you’re the one feeling burnt out. Be gentle with yourself and turn the volume down on that inner critic.

A person suffering burnout needs understanding, rest and possibly a reduction in workload to help them achieve some quick wins and rebuild their confidence and sense of accomplishment. A holiday can help, although this is a short-term fix and not a cure. 

And, because people struggling with mental health issues typically isolate themselves rather than ask for help, providing a safe environment for them to talk through their challenges and reassuring them of their value can make a big difference.

Create Time to Recharge

Because burnout has a lot to do with energy, one of the ways I support clients struggling with this issue is by creating an Energy List. This is a list of all the things that energise, inspire and uplift you – things that brighten your day and put a smile on your face. 

My rules around these are that they need to be easily accessible, within your control and they must be sustainable i.e. they don’t fall into the category of comfort eating or any other form of substance abuse. 

My personal Energy List includes, in no particular order: 

• walking in the sunshine, (especially in a natural environment like a park or the beach),
• dancing, listening to up-tempo music (particularly if it makes me want to dance!), 
• connecting with friends, 
• a great boxing class or yoga workout, 
• singing, 
• any outdoor activity that involves movement, 
• being exposed to artistry or mastery through an exhibition, concert or inspiring talk (TED Talks are great for this!), and 
• helping my coaching clients overcome challenges and create breakthroughs. 

When you know what energises you, you always have a way to reset and regain your sense of balance. Even after a really challenging day when I’m feeling drained by constantly giving energy to clients and colleagues, putting on my headphones and turning up the volume on my favourite playlist has me tapping my toes and smiling as I make my way home. 

By making sure that I engage in at least two items from my energy list every day, I am able to maintain a positive outlook on life, even when work is busy and demanding.   

So what energises you? How can you better support yourself to handle the challenges that come with being an ICT leader? Or how can you use this idea to support those around you?