Burnout can happen to any of us. Whether you are a teacher, fire worker, or executive, we are all prone to burnout.

Despite what people think – Job Burnout is not stress. Although job burnout is stressful, every job can be and is stressful. However, one expert described stress as the" fever" of job burnout. The object of most stress management is to provide individuals with tools to keep stress in the healthy levels in order to live with well-being.

What is it?
Herbert Freudenberger has been attributed to coining this phrase- "Job Burnout."

He says, Job Burnout is "a state of fatigue or frustration brought about by devotion to cause, way of life, or relationship that failed to produce the expected reward."

In other words, job burnout is a gradual process. It is both a psychological and physical response to our work. And the end result is loss of enthusiasm, or lack drive, and finally, a giving up or resignation.

Why we don’t discuss job burnout in the workplace? It is an unwritten law in work that you must like your work. It is an admission of failure to say that you have, in fact, job burnout.

Many attitudes that dismiss job burnout include:

• "You don’t have to like your work"
• "Be tough and tough it out"
• "Not working is lazy"
• "Good work will be recognized, stay the course"

Not every one has the same feelings or responses, however, these feelings might be associated with job burnout:

• Not caring about your job
  
• Feeling unappreciated by your customers, co-workers, supervisor/manager, company
• Anxiety and reluctance to go to work
• Helplessness/lack of control
• Persistent fatigue • Boredom
• Guilt • Not seeing a way out

And there are many potential and possible behaviors associated with burnout. As the individual goes deeper in the cycle of job burnout, some behaviors might be more apparent including:

• Declining work performance
• More physical ailments
• Insensitivity/lack of empathy
• Apathy
• Excessive absences of lateness
• Either drug or alcohol abuse
• Sarcasm/distasteful humor
• Mood swings

Dr. Martin Seligman, Harvard professor, studied 2,000 workers at the staff, managerial, and operational levels, and although they essentially had the same levels of stress in their jobs, it was the perception of control over their fate and workplace that determined their level of job burnout. Managers fared the best with job burnout because they felt they had more control over their work environment.

Control is key to how you handle job burnout.

Ask yourself – How much control do you have in your job?

Do others dictate how and what you do in your job?

Or rather, do you have some input or say over the direction?

There are many occupations that might be more prone to job burnout because of lack of control. Job Burnout and management expert, Dr. Bev Potter, believes it is how we deal with our work environment is key. In other words, two workers could be doing the exact same job and have different outcomes or ways of coping. One will be stressed while the other worker will not internalize the stress.

Rich Stiller, Human Resources consultant, in Silicon Valley, mentions his personal story about stress and job burnout. He mentioned that early in his career, he took time off to get away from the stress in his daily job, and what he discovered was that the time off was great, however, when he came back, the job burnout, the same work situation was still present.

Dr. Bev Potter points to several high burnout factors – from the critical boss to the incurable client.

The lack of recognition in the workplace according to Potter, can manifest itself in:

• Inadequate pay
• Underemployment

Additionally, workers want and need to have clear, career goals and information to do their jobs adequately.

Other contributing factors to job burnout mentioned by Potter include:

• Tasks without end
• No-win situations created by either conflicting job roles or politically – charged work environments.

Researchers, Maslach and Leiter, identified six potential areas in the workplace that might be causes of job burnout:

• Workload
• Control
• Reward
• Community
• Fairness
• Values

Sometimes, job burnout can be an opportunity. The opportunity burnout offers to us is to re-examine our lives, our careers, our workplaces, and planning where we are going.

So, what I do?
First and foremost, you must recognize you are in a burnout state. Self-awareness is the first step in making a change. Often times, a layoff or external event might force the issue. It makes us look at ourselves and where we are going.

Second, understanding that you and you alone, are ultimately are in control of your career. And although there might be less than ideal circumstances in your workplace, you are ultimately responsible for controlling your work destiny.

Looking at possibilities to grow outside your job might, in fact, enhance your job. Activities can range from taking classes to connecting with people.

Asking yourself, "Is my workplace the real culprit for job burnout or is it me?" Some workers can be stressed by saying "Hello" in the morning.

Look critically at your workplace. Is it a toxic workplace? Perhaps, you are in a unique pressure-cooker environment, with "No Way Out." If that is the case, you need to look at your external options.

Are you doing what you like? Are you utilizing skills that you enjoy? Does your work give you a sense of purpose and mission? If you are out of touch with this aspect of your work, it is time to consider making a career change, small or large.

And finally, is my life and career balanced? Do I have opportunities with my family, friends, or hobbies? Or am I just working incessantly with no end in sight? Every job has its peaks and valleys, however, it is important to take time to refresh and replenish ourselves.

Life-Work balance is an issue that crops up all the time when workers are asked what do they look for in a good job or workplace. It is up to you to assertively find opportunities that will promote a healthy career and life style.

There are many excellent resources on the web, as well as books.One of the best is Bev Potter’s : www.docpotter.com