Time to talk about workplace burnout

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This article was published 15/12/2023 (971 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Amid what some are calling a “crisis” in workplace mental health, a psychotherapist who’s worked with NBA players advised Winnipeg’s business crowd to address burnout.

“I think so many people are still running in that hamster wheel and are afraid to get off,” said Jhanelle Peters. “They’re like, ‘If I get off, does that mean I’m not good enough?’”

The clinician had just addressed a full conference room at the Fairmont Winnipeg during a Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

She’d asked people to draw 10 circles each and fill in the bubbles with how they spend their time.

“How many of you allowed a circle to yourself?” Peters called out Thursday.

A few raised their hands. All put them down when asked if they’d written ‘me time’ first.

“If you didn’t write yourself on that list, it’s really important that you start thinking about why,” Peters told the crowd.

Workplace burnout seems to be ballooning in the business sphere, according to the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce’s president.

“The more I talk with employers, the more (I hear) they know they need to address it,” said Loren Remillard. “We do… have a crisis in the workplace around mental health.”

The mental health crisis expands beyond office walls and into the community, Remillard noted.

Nearly 40 per cent of Canadian workers reported feeling burned out in May, a poll by business consulting firm Robert Half found.

The number has likely increased since then, said David Bolton, a regional manager with the company.

Employees are returning to offices, sometimes with fewer colleagues and resources. Forty per cent of respondents told Robert Half their department was understaffed.

“As a result, people are maybe working a bit harder or longer hours than they’ve previously had to,” Bolton said.

One crowd member at Peters’ talk, who asked a question about reducing workplace stress, said, “I think a lot of people would laugh at eight-hour workdays.”

The reality is 10 to 12 hours, he continued.

The room was filled with high achievers, Peters noted.

People may be feeling extra stressed because they don’t have the time to partake in self-care activities they did during pandemic-era lockdowns, Peters added.

“I think (that’s) where it started to increase burnout — we missed the things that allowed us to feel like a person,” she said.

Workers reaching burnout are often functioning like robots, she noted.

“Burnout is what happens when we avoid being human for too long,” she told the crowd, attributing the quote to Michael Gungor.

She listed five levels of burnout: subtle dissatisfaction, subconscious disregard, conscious numbing, anxious exhaustion and full-blown trauma.

What starts as brushing off heavy workloads, saying “it’s life,” can ultimately end in illness and breaking down if not addressed, Peters explained.

“I think a lot of work environments create this mindset, like, ‘The harder you work, the better you’ll be,’” she said. “(But) the harder you work, the less you can do later.”

Often, employees are waiting on businesses to incorporate wellness into the workday, or they’re leaving the job, she continued.

“(Employers) that forget about the person that is working there… that’s how you end up losing employees,” she stated.

She recommended individuals incorporate self-care into their work lives — it could be as simple as leaving a water bottle and snack easily accessible — and that companies make employee mental wellness a priority.

Robertson College has instituted “me days” for its staff — a flex day per week used whenever, and however, the employee likes, as long as they’re reachable.

It’s a good move, Peters said.

“Twenty years ago, we wouldn’t have done a luncheon like this,” Remillard reflected. “Twenty years ago, you didn’t talk about your personal problems at work. You, quote, ‘sucked it up.’”

The business sphere is a reflection of the broader community, Remillard added.

“(There was) definitely a growing issue in the workplace around mental health,” he said. “The pandemic exacerbated it.”

Signs of burnout include low energy — “you got your full night’s rest, but you are crawling to work” — mental distance or negative feelings, and reduced energy, Peters said.

Heavy workloads and a lack of communication and support from management were the top reasons cited for burnout in Robert Half’s spring survey.

“Work never finishes,” Peters noted. “We have to start realizing that those areas of wellness are what keep us going as human beings.”

She encouraged boundary setting, doing what brings happiness and identifying the source of burnout. The latter suggestion might include talking to a professional, Peters said.

To some workers, the holiday season is a finish line to be reached as stress mounts, noted Bolton from Robert Half.

The company’s online survey encompassed 1,132 workers responding between May 4 to 26. There was no margin of error readily available.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com