Opinion Sur Joven

Marina has been working for a bus company for the past five years. When she started working there, she was happy with her customer care representative position. However, after a while she began feeling tired of it and her charming boss turned into her worst nightmare. The nature of the workplace changed: it became hostile. In the mornings, she never wanted to go to work, and at times she even felt like crying.

Customer’s questions annoyed her and she became apathetic towards them. She began to call out of work frequently because of headaches or stomachaches, or simply because she didn’t feel like going. Her job was no longer satisfying; she felt that she would spend the rest of her life at the same level, stuck in that position. Her empty eyes looked enraged. Soon after, she was diagnosed with Burnout Syndrome. She was burnt.

This new century has brought about new syndromes (better yet, new studies of syndromes); such as the “Burnout Syndrome.” Even though it has been gained a lot of attention in the 21st century, tests and studies of Burnout Syndrome have been present since the 70s.

The term “burnout” refers to an increasingly frequent situation among professionals on somebody’s payroll. Maslach and Jackson are the most important “Burnout Syndrome” researchers, who define it as “the gradual loss of caring about the people they work with, which leads to increased isolation or dehumanization.”

What does this mean? You feel alienated, or that you don’t belong in the office, and undoubtedly this will impact in your performance, making you feel unhappy and worn out.

The most important concept is that Burnout is more of a process than a mental-state, and it is progressive, which means that it accumulates. Some of its symptoms include a sense of failure, low self-esteem, poor hygiene, depression without reason, annoyance, cynicism, boredom, loss of ideals, frustration, incompetence, and negative self-assessment. It is likely that readers will identify with some of these symptoms, which are not serious if they do not accumulate.

A note about professions

There are certain careers that are prone to this kind of syndrome, especially those related to customer or patient care. Teachers, doctors, psychologists are among those professions at risk, as well as corporate workers or managers with many responsibilities. Julieta is a psychologist working in the Human Resources Department of a well-known airline. “I think Customer Care Representatives is the most highly-affected group. There are many professionals that are under a lot of pressure, but because of the company standards, Customer Care Representatives are exposed to more episodes of aggression than the average worker. These circumstances may bring about extreme exhaustion as well as other disorders that could affect your health. Burnout and stress are constantly under discussion because their causes are unknown and it is not considered an occupational disease by law.”

Prevention of such situations begins with the company’s efforts to improve services in an attempt to avoid claims and dissatisfied customers. In addition, training by the company about occupational diseases allows employees to detect symptoms, to warn colleagues who show burnout symptoms and to employ personal tools used to face such disorders.

Is it personal or organizational?

“I remember some people who, due to recurrent strikes and lots of work, suffered panic attacks. One of the girls was hypersensitive and continuously crying. Finally, one day she fainted and took a medical leave to get better”, tells Julieta.

Workers who are sensitive, submissive, and who take their jobs extremely seriously are prone to this kind of syndrome; especially those who have a history of such disorders, which could be aggravated by a stressful workplace.

Your workplace: Are workers’ roles and functions clear enough? Are working hours reasonable? Are workers’ opinions taken into account? Is there any psychological or social support? Is communication effective? Is management doing their job? Does the company provide training programs? Do the employees have control over their work? Are wages fair? If the answers to all these questions are NO, we could say that this company is a burnout factory.

It is important for companies to be aware of these factors because Burnout Syndrome may result in higher costs for them. It has been proven that companies offering reasonable wages, a pleasant workplace and high motivation have reduced levels of Burnout Syndrome, whereas firms without these characteristics experience high absenteeism, low productivity, hostile workplace and workers that change jobs more frequently.

Reborn like a Phoenix

The Burnout Syndrome can be prevented, and as every other syndrome, it is better to treat it in its early stages.

It’s important to be trained in self-control techniques, time management and social relations development in an attempt to keep motivated and aware of the importance of our job and personal life. A good psychologist and regular exercise can help deal with the symptoms, as well as relaxation techniques, yoga, meditation or any other activity that help us face whatever comes our way.

This article was written with the support of Trainee Program, Sucath David