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Quick Quiz: Are You Burned Out at Work?
All material on
yourofficecoach.com is copyrighted to Marie G. McIntyre. All rights
reserved.
May be reproduced
for personal use with copyright and attribution to
www.yourofficecoach.com.
Do you ever experience
“Sunday night dread’? That’s the sinking feeling in your stomach when
you anticipate returning to work on Monday. If so, it may be a sign
that you’re becoming burned out at work.
“Burnout” is defined as
“mental or physical exhaustion due to prolonged stress or frustration”.
Burnout can be caused by a number of factors: toxic bosses, bad
relationships, political game-playing, repetitive tasks, lack of
results, long work hours, impossible expectations, or bad career
decisions.
The more often you
experience the symptoms below, the more likely you are to be a burn-out
victim.
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Often |
Sometimes |
Seldom |
Signs of Burnout
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1.
I hate getting up on days that I have to go to work. |
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2.
I have much more energy on weekends than on work days.
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3.
I find my coworkers more irritating than I used to. |
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4.
I feel lethargic and tired at work. |
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5.
Tasks that I used to enjoy no longer interest me very
much. |
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6.
I find myself speaking sharply to my coworkers or
employees. |
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7.
I spend a lot of time daydreaming or surfing the
Internet. |
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8.
I put off tasks so long that I have started to miss
deadlines. |
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9.
I find it more difficult to control my irritation with my
boss. |
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10.
I am irritable with family or friends when I come home
from work. |
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11.
During the workday, I find excuses to leave my desk or
work station. |
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12.
The quality of my job performance is not as good as it
used to be. |
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13.
At the end of a weekend or holiday, I start to feel
anxious or depressed. |
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14.
I am drinking, overeating, smoking, or using drugs more
than I used to. |
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15.
I feel that I am only working to get a paycheck. |
If you feel that you’re
suffering from burnout, you need to take action quickly, because your
mental and physical health could be at risk.
The best solution
depends on the specific cause of your problem, so consider which of the
steps below might help. Pick the ones that sound like the best
prescription for you.
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·
Schedule a
vacation. |
·
Put cap on
your work hours. |
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·
Update your
resume. |
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Repair
damaged relationships. |
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·
Start to
look for another job. |
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Evaluate
your choice of career. |
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·
Learn new
skills or abilities. |
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Look for
interesting projects or tasks. |
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Delegate
appropriate work to others. |
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Negotiate
expectations with your boss. |
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·
Ask your
boss to help you set priorities. |
·
Stop playing
silly political games. |
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·
Manage
perfectionistic tendencies. |
·
Eat a
healthy diet and exercise more. |
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·
Stop trying
to please everyone. |
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Control
addictive behaviors. |
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·
Don’t take
on more than you can do. |
·
Stop working
during non-work hours. |
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·
Spend more
time having fun. |
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Don’t hang
out with negative people. |
Copyright Marie G.
McIntyre. All rights reserved. May be reproduced for personal use with
copyright and attribution to
www.yourofficecoach.com .
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