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In today’s episode, JoDee and Susan discuss an issue that a staggering number of people are familiar with: burnout. Robert and Terri Bogue, authors of Extinguishing Burnout: A Practical Guide to Prevention, join The JoyPowered® Podcast today to help us learn more about burnout. Robert and Terri walk us through a detailed explanation of what causes burnout, the road to recovery, and how organizations can help prevent burnout before it starts.

According to a Gallup survey, up to two thirds of workers feel burnout out sometimes, very often, or always. Burnout leads to workers being 63% more likely to take a sick day, 2.6 times more likely to look for a new job, and 50% less likely to discuss performance goals with their manager. Burnout has implications outside of the office as well; people experiencing burnout are 23% more likely to visit the emergency room.

According to Terri, burnout is a combination of fatigue, cynicism, and inefficacy, which can be explained in simpler terms using the metaphor of a bathtub. The tub itself is your personal agency, and it is filled by the water of results, support, and self care. The drain at the bottom is the different demands that take up our attention every day. When the tub runs out of water, we hit burnout. Robert explains it another way using the idea of a rubber band.

Whichever model you use to understand burnout, it’s important to understand that almost everyone gets burnt out at some point in their career, and recovery is possible without switching jobs. Organizations need to seriously evaluate the causes of burnout and make sure they are doing their part to help prevent it amongst their employees. Encouraging employees to use their PTO, understanding the limits of employee bandwidth, and even a simple thank you can all go a long way. Although companies usually want to keep growing ad infinitum, it is important to celebrate wins instead of immediately jumping to the next goal, which can make employees feel that their work was just another drop in the bucket.

Our listener question today sees JoDee and Susan addressing a recruiter’s boss who believes it is imperative for candidates to come into the office instead of doing phone interviews. JoDee says that we really have to focus on the candidate experience in today’s job market, and coming in for an interview is more time consuming for both parties. In the news, JoDee and Susan discuss Victoria Neal’s SHRM article about employees not using all their allotted time off. Whether you are worried about job security or work piling up for your return, it’s important to acknowledge that using your paid time off can be critical in preventing burnout.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Purple Ink
• Susan Tinder White Consulting
• JoyPowered^®: Intentionally Creating an Inspired Workspace by JoDee Curtis
• The JoyPowered^® Family by JoDee Curtis and Denise McGonigal
• The JoyPowered^® Team by Erin Brothers, JoDee Curtis, Peggy Hogan, Denise McGonigal, Laura North, Susan Tinder White, and Liz Zirkelbach
• Stitcher Premium – use promo code JOYPOWERED for one month free
• Extinguish Burnout: A Practical Guide to Prevention by Robert and Terri Bogue
• extinguishburnout.com
• “Ask an HR Expert: Unused Time Off”

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