The following has been supplied by the TUC:
The closely policed pressure to perform at work is creating a
generation of burnout victims, experts have warned. Online publication
Equal Times reports almost one worker in ten is at risk of burnout.
In
some professions, the numbers affected are as high as 40 per cent. “It
is often the people most devoted to their work that suffer from
burnout,” explained Dr Patrick Mesters, director of the European
Institute for Intervention and Research on Burnout (EIIRBO) in Brussels.
“Burnout deprives companies of their best employees. And it’s not at
all surprising.” The symptoms of burnout are similar to those of
depression: persistent physical and emotional exhaustion, aggressive
behaviour. What differentiates it, however, is the fact that all the
symptoms are in fact caused by the person’s working environment – a
universe that has evolved considerably in recent decades, to the extent
that it promotes physical and emotional exhaustion.
“Many factors can
lead to burnout,” continued Dr Mesters. “They, of course, include
overwork and the imbalance between work and personal life. But many
people also complain about work losing its meaning and a lack of
recognition from their colleagues and superiors. The individual feels
increasingly isolated in his or her work. This can lead to feelings of
overload and loss of control.”
According to Equal Times: “The way the
working environment is organised appears to be a major factor in the
development of burnout. It is an environment that is increasingly
dehumanised and pressurised, an environment that is increasingly taking
over people’s personal lives.”
