Workplace burnout is a specific kind of stress that occurs as a result of stress in your job that can lead to emotional, physical, and/or mental exhaustion. The consequences can be a negative impact on job performance and affect areas of your personal life. Many people report simultaneously experiencing a loss of self-esteem, self-doubt, and a feeling of losing one’s value as an employee (1).
As nurses, we are not only physically, but emotionally and mentally engaged in the care of others throughout our entire workday. This sets up an environment that could easily lead to burnout. There is some discrepancy in opinion as to whether or not it the responsibility of the employer to examine their work environment, policies, and procedures to set their employees up for greater success, or if it is the responsibility of the individual to recognize their professional and personal limitations. Perhaps the answers lies somewhere in between and there is equal responsibility of the employer to identify and address possible burnout and also of the individual to communicate their feelings and work with their employer to effectively address potential or current problems. Either way, building personal resilience along with person-specific primary interventions are suggested as a way to prevent(2).
· Feeling tired
· Excessive stress
· Insomnia
· Negative personal effects on home life or personal relationships
· Depression
· Anxiety
· Alcohol or substance abuse
· Heart disease
· High cholesterol
· Type 2 diabetes, especially in women
· Stroke
· Obesity
· Vulnerability to illnesses(3)
Min some clinical environments, policies are in place to prevent an employee from working too many hours with too little time in between shifts to rest. There is also their responsibility to ensure enough staff are booked in order to safely and effectively care for patients. Other in employer-based interventions may include hiring third-party organizations to assess, treat, and prevent job-related stress. Some examples of these resources in BC include:
EFAP (Employee and Family Assistance Program) (4)
Workplace Health (Fraser Health Authority) (5)
Employee Wellness Companies(6)
Some of these options are free of charge to the employee and costs covered by their employer, and some are fee for services, but a monthly payment is deducted from each paycheque making accessing services easy and affordable. Private options may include personal counseling services in order to build emotional resiliency, use assertive communication, and directly and professionally handle conflict, could also be useful when addressing these issues personally and when discussing with your employer.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!!
Do you know what your rights are as an employee? For example, do you know how much time you are legally allotted for breaks? How many nurses should be working with you at all times...are 2 nurses able to effectively take care of 30 patients (and themselves)? These are the questions to ask your employer if you are feeling the effects of job stress. Become familiar with your employer's policies and procedures manual, your union's collective agreement, and the WorkSafe BC, Occupational Health and Safety, and Labour Relations Codes. knowing your rights will give you the foundation to ensure they are being met.
1. MayoClinic.Com. (2015). Job burnout: How to spot it and take action
Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642?pg=2
2. Health Canada (2009). The personal resources avenue of influence on workplace health. Environmental Scan on Workplace Health in Canada, 84-91
3. Health Canada, (2009) & Halbesleben, et. al., (2006), p. 254
4. Employee and Family Assistance Program. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.efap.ca/
5. Workplace Health (2015). Workplace Health Call Centre. Retrieved from http://www.fraserhealth.ca/about-us/awards-and-recognition/above-and-beyond/above-and-beyond-2013awards-recipients/workplace-health-call-centre
6. Medisys (2015). Employee Wellness. Retrieved from https://www.medisys.ca/en-ca/corporate-health/employee-wellness-program?gclid=CPruwMasqccCFUSBfgodO7UL6g
As nurses, we are not only physically, but emotionally and mentally engaged in the care of others throughout our entire workday. This sets up an environment that could easily lead to burnout. There is some discrepancy in opinion as to whether or not it the responsibility of the employer to examine their work environment, policies, and procedures to set their employees up for greater success, or if it is the responsibility of the individual to recognize their professional and personal limitations. Perhaps the answers lies somewhere in between and there is equal responsibility of the employer to identify and address possible burnout and also of the individual to communicate their feelings and work with their employer to effectively address potential or current problems. Either way, building personal resilience along with person-specific primary interventions are suggested as a way to prevent(2).
· Feeling tired
· Excessive stress
· Insomnia
· Negative personal effects on home life or personal relationships
· Depression
· Anxiety
· Alcohol or substance abuse
· Heart disease
· High cholesterol
· Type 2 diabetes, especially in women
· Stroke
· Obesity
· Vulnerability to illnesses(3)
Min some clinical environments, policies are in place to prevent an employee from working too many hours with too little time in between shifts to rest. There is also their responsibility to ensure enough staff are booked in order to safely and effectively care for patients. Other in employer-based interventions may include hiring third-party organizations to assess, treat, and prevent job-related stress. Some examples of these resources in BC include:
EFAP (Employee and Family Assistance Program) (4)
Workplace Health (Fraser Health Authority) (5)
Employee Wellness Companies(6)
Some of these options are free of charge to the employee and costs covered by their employer, and some are fee for services, but a monthly payment is deducted from each paycheque making accessing services easy and affordable. Private options may include personal counseling services in order to build emotional resiliency, use assertive communication, and directly and professionally handle conflict, could also be useful when addressing these issues personally and when discussing with your employer.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!!
Do you know what your rights are as an employee? For example, do you know how much time you are legally allotted for breaks? How many nurses should be working with you at all times...are 2 nurses able to effectively take care of 30 patients (and themselves)? These are the questions to ask your employer if you are feeling the effects of job stress. Become familiar with your employer's policies and procedures manual, your union's collective agreement, and the WorkSafe BC, Occupational Health and Safety, and Labour Relations Codes. knowing your rights will give you the foundation to ensure they are being met.
1. MayoClinic.Com. (2015). Job burnout: How to spot it and take action
Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642?pg=2
2. Health Canada (2009). The personal resources avenue of influence on workplace health. Environmental Scan on Workplace Health in Canada, 84-91
3. Health Canada, (2009) & Halbesleben, et. al., (2006), p. 254
4. Employee and Family Assistance Program. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.efap.ca/
5. Workplace Health (2015). Workplace Health Call Centre. Retrieved from http://www.fraserhealth.ca/about-us/awards-and-recognition/above-and-beyond/above-and-beyond-2013awards-recipients/workplace-health-call-centre
6. Medisys (2015). Employee Wellness. Retrieved from https://www.medisys.ca/en-ca/corporate-health/employee-wellness-program?gclid=CPruwMasqccCFUSBfgodO7UL6g