Job Burnout

On the Job!
"Job burnout is becoming a growing problem today," according to Vera Gibbons, Special Correspondent with Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine.

How Big? Gibbons says 45 percent of today's workers say they're burnt out. "Employees are taking on too much work. They've picked up the slack of others who've been let go and now they are doing the job of two to three people," says Gibbons.

The Warning Signs
"Job burnout doesn't happen overnight," says Gibbons. She adds, "Job burnout happens gradually. Your emotional, your physical, your psychological state all start to deteriorate and then your family relationships start to suffer."

There are warning signs that you're giving too much to your job. Some include:

Isolation
Lack of focus
Chronic fatigue
Calling in sick
Moody and irritable

Beat the Burnout!
So, how can you beat the burnout before it beats you? Gibbons says: Concentrate on living a more balanced life. "This means eating better, sleeping better, spending more time with your family and friends, perhaps developing a hobby," she says.

Also:
Recognize the symptoms: A lot of the people who are burnt out don't even know that they have a problem, says Gibbons.

Exercise
Take better care of yourself
Put some fun and humor back into your life

"The best and easiest way to prevent job burnout is simply to understand that there is, in fact, more to life than work. You have to put things into perspective... or you'll drive yourself crazy and you'll drive those around you crazy as well," says Gibbons.

People who are burned out "stop doing the things that they love and they ultimately lose their perspective on what's important and what's not," she says.

So, how close are you to burnout? Click here!

Say no if needed!
"If the workload is getting out of control you can speak up. You should speak up, if you're doing the work of too many people and it's becoming completely unmanageable you have every right to say, 'You know what? Enough is enough, I can't handle it,'" she says.

Calling it Quits
"No one wants to quit especially in this environment but if you've tried to fix the situation repeatedly to no avail maybe it is time to move on," says Gibbons.

She adds, "But first things first, you have to get to the root of the problem and figure out if this is job burnout or something else all together."

Did You Know?
60 percent of work absences are in fact due to psychological problems, according to the American Psychological Association.

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