Burnout
“The bottom line on burnout is that it is a social phenomenon,
not an individual weakness.”
~ Dr. Christina Maslach, UC Berkeley
not an individual weakness.”
~ Dr. Christina Maslach, UC Berkeley
Burnout
“Burnout is a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job. It is defined by the three dimensions of exhaustion, cynicism, and professional inefficacy. As a reliably identifiable job stress syndrome, burnout clearly places the individual stress experience within a larger organizational context of people's relation to their work.” ~ Christina Maslach & Michael P. Leiter
Exhaustion: Being worn out, loss of energy, feeling depleted, debilitated, and fatigued.
Cynicism: Feeling negative and disconnected from the work, feeling irritable, unmotivated, and withdrawn.
Inefficiency: Reduced productivity or capability, low morale, and an inability to cope.
Causes of Burnout
Workload - too much to do, unrealistic deadlines, and working too many hours
Perceived lack of control - being micromanaged, lack of autonomy with work schedules and goals, retaliation for mistakes,
Lack of reward or recognition - lack of fair and equitable pay, lack of appreciation for a persons’ skills and contributions, lack of gratitude from both leadership and peers
Poor relationships - lack of a sense of inclusion, belonging, community, and social connections with work group and within the larger the organization
Lack of fairness - bias, favoritism, mistreatment by a coworker or supervisor, and unfair compensation and/or organizational policies
Values mismatch - unclear organizational values or lack of organizational support for those values, when an employees values don’t match the organizations mission
Source: Six Causes of Burnout at Work
Quick Reads
Where to Start If You Feel Burned Out at Work - UC Berkeley
Burnout Is About Your Workplace, Not Your People - Harvard Business Review
Gender Gap in Worker Burnout - Gallup
Fed up and burnt out: ‘quiet quitting’ hits academia - Nature
Commentary: Surviving scientist burnout - Physics Today
Deep Dives
The Burnout Challenge: Managing People’s Relationships With Their Jobs - Christina Maslach, Michael P. Leiter (book)
Deep Dive Videos
Understanding Job Burnout - Dr. Christina Maslach, UC Berkeley, July 2019
Self Reflection
The Maslach Burnout Inventory gives you an opportunity to reflect on your current relationship to work and explores the three dimensions of burnout: exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficiency.
This is a tool and not a test. It's designed to help you identify areas of concern and give you a snapshot of how you're feeling in the moment. We're all learning - don't forget to give yourself grace when you take the self-assessment.
Mitigating Burnout
Improve Communication & Feedback - Meet regularly to discuss workload and expectations and set realistic deadlines and goals. Create psychological safety where feedback is encouraged, people can admit mistakes and ask for support if needed. Enhance listening skills to better understand work related issues so employees feel they have the awareness, time and attention of their supervisor.
For more on this topic: Creating a culture of feedback, Psychological Safety
Encourage Autonomy - Instead of micromanaging, listen to what your employees need and act as a coach to build skills and confidence. Invite questions, ask what is needed, if possible let employees set their own schedules, work collaboratively on setting goals, encouraging employees to find meaning in their jobs.
For more on this topic: Inclusive Leadership
Acknowledgement - regularly communicate that employees' efforts matter to the supervisor, group, and organization both formally and informally. Don’t save recognition for the yearly performance review. Make sure all employees are recognized so that no one is overlooked. Encourage both leadership and peer-to-peer appreciation and gratitude.
For more on this topic: Spot Awards, Bucketlist
Create Community - A sense of inclusion and belonging is essential for mental health both inside and outside of work. When people feel a sense of community they are more likely to thrive. Make time and space for employees to connect socially around non-work related topics or encourage them to attend social events or volunteer.
For more on this topic: Fostering Connection, Employee Resource Groups & Berkeley Lab Volunteer Portal
Create a Fair and Civil Workplace - Increase your knowledge and awareness of biases, inequity, and uncivil behavior. Work to mitigate these if you see them in yourself or in your workplace: create team norms, be an upstander or ally for your team members, set up practices and systems to reduce bias and inequity in hiring, promotion and even meetings.
For more on this topic: Upstander, Allyship, Implicit Bias, Equity, Workplace Civility
Berkeley Lab’s Stewardship Values - Explore the Berkeley Lab Stewardship values with your group or team. Use the toolkit to talk about how the values show up in your work group and how the group will demonstrate them in their daily work and interactions.
For more on this topic: Berkeley Lab Stewardship Values
Create Group Norms about Work/Life Balance - Discuss what work/life balance means for your group and how you can support each other to achieve it. Encourage people to take sick leave when needed, support regular vacations, agree on whether or not email should be checked/responded to after hours, set realistic project deadlines.
For more on this topic: Molecular Foundry’s Work/Life Balance Community Agreement Case Study
Source: Six Causes of Burnout at Work & Gallup’s Perspective on Employee Burnout: Causes and Cures
Quick Reads
Preventing Staff Burnout: A Guide - UC Irvine
Deep Dives
Finding Solutions to the Problem of Burnout - Dr. Christina Maslach
Combined Interventions to Reduce Burnout Complaints and Promote Return to Work: A Systematic Review of Effectiveness and Mediators of Change - Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020
Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well-being - US Surgeon General
Deep Dive Videos
Basics of Burnout: Causes and Remedies in a Research Environment (60 min) – Berkeley Lab Workshop, June 2021
Continuing the Conversation on Burnout: Dos and Don’ts for Supervisors (60 min) - Berkeley Lab Workshop, May 2022
LinkedIn Learning Shorts:
What is burnout? (4 min)
Identify the signs of burnout (3 min)
What are the causes? (4 min)
Create sustainable goals (3 min)
Set and maintain boundaries (3 min)
*To access LinkedIn Learning courses, sign in with your Berkeley Lab ID/Password
LinkedIn Learning Full Courses:
To access LinkedIn Learning courses, sign in with your Berkeley Lab ID/Password
To access LinkedIn Learning courses, sign in with your Berkeley Lab ID/Password
A Leader's Guide to Reducing Team Burnout* (68 min)
In this course, the presenter shares insights and practical advice on how you can combat burnout for your team. You will explore some of the high-level details of burnout, including what it is, why it happens, what the signs are that your team is experiencing it, and how you can step in to intervene. Discover the importance of taking care of yourself as a leader and modeling anti-burnout behaviors for your team.
*The concepts and skills shared are applicable for all employees, not just supervisors and managers.
Managing Burnout (36 min)
In this course, you will learn how to spot the signs of burnout, complete an inventory to determine if you are burned out, and how to recognize the distinction between internal and external causes of burnout. The presenter explains ways you can address behaviors, conditions, and mindsets that lead to burnout—including overworking, unproductive responses to stress, and negative thought patterns. Finally, she shows you how to craft a strategy to prevent burnout, focusing on creating more sustainable goals, setting boundaries, finding support, and understanding what self-care is and is not.
