A record number of New Zealanders are experiencing burnout, with a combination of job insecurity, tight economic times and a pressure to always be on the clock contributing to the rise.
And while pushing through may seem like the best – or only – choice when it comes to being a ‘good employee’, it turns out this can actually result in a less productive workforce.
“[Burnout] affects our cognitive ability, so we tend to be able to focus less, we tend to make more mistakes, we tend to make poorer choices,” says Georgi Toma, whose company, Heart and Brain Works, consults with businesses to help make them healthier workplaces.
Burnout is categorised as an “occupational phenomenon … resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”.
But Toma stresses that stress itself isn’t inherently bad.
“It is simply a reality of life,” she says.
“This experience of a stress response is absolutely embedded in our biology … we need a measure of stress in our lives in order to experience positive emotions such as achievement.”
Toma says there is a place for stress in everyone’s life, but problems arise when it’s ongoing or not managed correctly.
“If you have an individual that is exposed to workplace stressors, such as continuous high workload, lack of support from their manager, lack of role clarity, or bullying or harassment, then irrespective of anyone’s mindset, that chronic exposure is going to have a negative impact,” she says.
One of those negative impacts can be burnout. The most recent study from Massey University found more than one in two workers (57 percent) reported suffering from severe burnout.
Dougal Sutherland, principal psychologist at Umbrella wellbeing, says on one hand, it’s good people are talking about it.
“On the other hand, it’s not so great that there are increasing levels of people reporting feeling burnt out at work,” he says.
Sutherland blames the tight economic situation, coupled with job insecurity and the drive for productivity.
“People are often working harder and putting in more effort if an organisation that they’re working for is in trouble … people are often working extra hours to try and show that they are valuable.”
Sutherland also says hustle culture has contributed to the rise.
“We’re always available, we’re always on, we’re trying to juggle multiple things, your side hustle, your main hustle. If you’re a parent, you’ve got kids, you’re involved in their activities, you’re trying to be a good partner and a great child to your parents.”
Sutherland says the introduction of technology has increased an expectation of employees to always be available beyond their rostered hours.
“I can remember, back in the late nineties, you received correspondence by mail and you had two mail runs a day and you opened your envelope, you read your letter, you typed up a response and sent it back and that took a couple of days at least, sometimes a week.
“[Now] there’s this pressure that we’ve always got to respond immediately … if somebody hasn’t responded to an email within 24 hours you start wondering if they’re there or if they’re just ignoring you,” he says.
But Sutherland does see the tide changing with the younger generation entering the workforce with a different mindset.
“People say, ‘Do you know what, there is more to my life than work and I’m going to do my job and I’m going to do it well but when I’ve worked my hours I’m actually not going to work the discretionary 15 hours a week that might have been expected in the past because that’s not doable, that’s not realistic, and it’s just not great for my wellbeing’.”
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