When to return to work after a burnout?
The stressful race for numbers, a tense atmosphere, a toxic manager , an imbalance in personal and professional life… Burnout affects more than 3 million people in France.
As an employer, you have a role to play in preventing this from affecting your employees.
Are you an employee and have you developed a burnout ? Find out in this article what burnout is and how to get out of it.
1. Burnout in the professional world: what is it?
Burnout is a depressive state that manifests itself in physical and psychological symptoms that can be experienced after a situation of intense stress.
It usually occurs in professions involving a high level of responsibility and pressure, for example, the profession of teacher, lawyer, etc.
Burn-out is not the person’s illness, but the result of a lack of self-confidence, too much pressure, professional exhaustion, etc. In general, it is a syndrome characterized by burnout and physical and psychological symptoms.
Burnout can lead to physical problems and stress-related illnesses such as hypertension or cardiovascular disease. It is therefore necessary to pay close attention to the first symptoms.
2. The warning signs of a burnout
A burn-out is often the result of stress, exhaustion that has lasted for several months. It can be a situation of moral harassment or a professional transfer.
The professional entourage can then ask the person they are consulting to be more cautious and pay attention to themselves. They can tell her that her behavior is unusual, especially if she is not usually stressed.
It is important to pay attention to the warning signs. The symptoms that make you realize that you are going to be a victim of burnout are:
- excessive tiredness,
- A loss of self-confidence,
- irritability,
- A feeling of exhaustion,
- sleep disorder,
- Difficulty concentrating,
- The lack of desire to be active,
- Physical pain (tendonitis, back pain, etc.),
- A constant depression, even anxiety.
3. Causes and consequences of burnout
A burnout can be justified by different situations that are specific to each person. This can be the result of problems in your personal life but also in your professional life.
Here are the main causes of burnout at work :
- Full-time work that is not suited to the individual’s abilities,
- A stressful work situation over a long period,
- A job that does not respect the values and morals of the employee.
Faced with this, the employee will suffer the consequences of this malaise at work, which will also impact the company:
- A drop in productivity,
- A decline in the quality of work,
- A lack of motivation
- A depressed state of mind.
4. The treatment of burnout
You must first work on yourself, recognizing the signs of burnout before it becomes too serious. When burnout is diagnosed, the doctor will prescribe a work stoppage lasting several weeks or months.
In addition, burnout can lead to physical problems and diseases related to the immune system, such as hypothyroidism , osteoporosis or hereditary diseases.
The help of a therapist or a psychologist can allow you to find solutions to get better. It can take time to completely heal from burnout.
Depending on the period of work stoppage, vocational rehabilitation may also be necessary. Then, you have to adopt personal and professional rules of life to prevent burnout from happening again.
It is possible to rebuild after a burnout.
5. How to prevent burnout?
To avoid burnout, you have to learn to relax and listen to yourself . For this, we can take vacations, participate in physical or leisure activities or even go to the doctor to check if there is no pathology.
You must also learn to express what you feel, in your professional and personal life, to avoid keeping your troubles to yourself. You can also consult a psychologist.
You have to be able to manage your stress by discovering your own limits and taking your time for yourself. It is important to take the time to indulge in small pleasures, sports or go out with friends.
Self-balance is the key to preventing burnout .
6. How can an Interim Manager help?
When an employee experiences a burnout, it is essential to think about the reasons that caused this burnout to prevent it from happening again in the team or in the company.
Is the workspace poorly optimized? Does the manager have too high demands? Are the hours not appropriate?
A manager must motivate his teams and enable them to achieve more or less ambitious objectives. You must therefore be vigilant vis-à-vis your employees: they must be confident in their company.
It is possible to call on an interim management firm .
Indeed, an Interim Manager will have the ability to work with you and your teams in the event of an HR crisis, over a more or less significant period.
Burn-out is not inevitable, it is possible to get out of it and rebuild.
Discover Reactive Executive: our Transition Managers will offer you all their tools, skills and know-how to overcome the crises encountered internally.
