Frankly, I often view this concept as a possible excuse for lowered performance. That's why I sometimes substitute the term cop-out for burnout.
In prior generations, many workers worked for exceedingly long hours, postponed vacations too, and, as a result, suffered from the natural fatigue that accompanies such sort of a schedule. The remedy was to take a vacation, and to learn to enjoy slack periods a little more. Many of these workers also became aware of their own contribution to the problem. They took on possibly difficult tasks with equally impossible deadlines and, as a result, the quality of the work perhaps slipped. But those overworked men and women did not talk about being “burned out”. Instead, they said, "I'm tired... I need a day off."
Webster defines burn out in its literal sense: "To burn till the fuel is exhausted and the fire ceases." That makes sense to me when applied to flames in a fireplace, but definitely not when applied to worker productivity.
Do people really burn out? I don't think so. I assume that the burnout trend began with such professions- teachers, law enforcement officers, and nurses-professions in which good performance often is rewarded with frustration and disillusionment. Cops arrest a criminal and see him or her walk free because of an overly lenient judicial system. Teachers watch their pupils refuse to learn or to behave responsibly. Nurses minister to patients and too often see their dedication and skill warded not by deserved increases in pay, but by a lack of respect from a variety of people, including the doctors with whom they work. And, of course, added to the nurses' plight is that they have to deal with, inevitably is the death of their patients.
While the frustration of people in these professions is certainly understandable, I still take issue with applying a term such as burnout to them. In some cases I think this label was used by certain factions within their professions to create a justification for longer vacations for teachers, shorter shifts for nurses, and higher pay for policemen.
Stress in the workplace is simply an extension of stress caused by living. Adults must learn to live with stress in their daily lives, and at the same time mechanisms must be applied in the workplace. Stress, however, isn't good enough a reason in this age to throw up our hands, and claim to be burned out, and expect others to accept this excuse for poor performance and lack of initiative. That might have been the case when times were bad in the American industry. Now every employee must not only do his or her work, but spend extra effort and drive to help American companies compete globally. This leaves little room for anyone with a tendency to burn out when the pressure is on.
If you are someone who burned out in past jobs, take whatever steps are necessary to correct the situation. The first is to realize that those who claim to be burned out are really claiming that they are victims. Quite the opposite is true. People who function at a high level of productivity, who thrive on deadlines and view the stress of any occupation as a challenge, never consider themselves victims of anything. They are in control. They make efficient use of their time, and set realistic deadlines instead of letting external factors dictate them. They're honest to themselves, and are quick to admit certain factors that contributed to lowered performance and dissatisfaction. An accountant who sees only numbers will quickly claim to be burned out through repetition and lack of challenge. Another accountant viewing those same numbers sees them as representing a duty, something larger than numbers on a sheet of paper.
Challenge the concept of burnout. Today's better jobs don’t leave any room for it.
Reminders about "Burning Out"
- Burnout? Cop-out!
- Our "golden age" didn't work. Too often, claiming to be burned out is nothing more than an excuse for lowered performance.
- People who burn out are of little use today to lean-and-mean, competitive companies.
- If you think you are prone to burning out, use steps to correct it before it gets in the way of finding a better job.
- Learn to take control of your own life. People who do that never think about becoming burn out.
