By James Opon
Job burnout does not come upon us suddenly. It has telltale signs like any other change, but most of us fail to recognize these warnings and will allow events to develop beyond the point where they can be easily controlled.
The typical job-changer will wait until it is too late before taking any positive action to improve the situation. Such delays make the transition between jobs or careers more traumatic than necessary. If those early warning signals had been recognized and acted upon, job changers could save themselves much needless pain and discomfort. It is a sad fact that while the signs of burnout may be hard to see initially, they tend to grow until they are impossible to ignore.
What are some of these early warning signs of job burnout? While they may vary from person to person, the following changes indicate that a problem situation is developing:
- A loss of interest or enthusiasm at work. This can be seen in frequent absences or tardiness, excessively long lunches, or any activities that result in avoiding work. ( If you hate Sunday evening because the weekend is over or lie awake each morning dreading the thought of going to work, you have a serious problem that needs to be addressed.
- Engaging in escapist activities at work. Such activities include excessive scrolling on the internet, texting friends, shopping on Amazon, and gossiping with coworkers rather than completing your tasks.
- The deterioration of relationships at work. A sudden loss of respect for a boss or coworker can indicate that things are not going well.
- A sudden change in one’s ordinary routine or habits. This can include eating or drinking habits, excessive tiredness, frequent insomnia, and abuse of alcohol or drugs.
- A breakdown of family or personal relationships because of job-related factors. While these are by no means the only indicators of job burnout, they do show that the problem has moved to the point where some action should be taken.
By letting burnout fester, it will definitely have an effect on one’s job performance and could lead to termination. And dealing with the pressures of unemployment combined with job burnout can make for a very unpleasant job search.
Image is under license from Shutterstock.com.
Autumn careers 