The Enemy of our Success: 5 Ways to battle burnout before it beats us
McKinsey recently published their annual Women in the Workplace report, a study of the state of women in corporate America. The study reviewed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on women, citing one of the biggest challenges that female employees faced was burnout.
The World Health Organization defines burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress characterized by:
feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and
reduced professional efficacy.
In short, it’s a recipe for unwanted outcomes - including poor health, poor work performance, or even the tough decision to quit all together. Since burnout doesn’t happen overnight, it’s important to address it as early as possible.
Here are 5 ways to beat burnout before it beats us:
Exercise self-compassion - Acknowledge that it’s an unprecedented time so it’s okay to have those days (or even months) where we don’t feel like we can’t juggle it all. Women, especially successful ones, are prone to perfectionist (aka unrealistic) tendencies. Give yourself credit in ways you’re showing up both at work and at home by celebrating even the small wins.
Schedule and prioritize your “off” time - McKinsey’s study cited that women felt the need to be “always on”. Talk to your boss and your team about the specific times you will need to be “off”. Now entering the eighth month of remote work, most companies understand the need for employees to prioritize their personal obligations, along with supporting physical and mental health. Let’s de-stigmatize the need to be chained to our inbox or Slack channels.
Use your Paid Time Off - if you haven’t or have only sparsely taken time time off since the pandemic, it’s time to use those days. Vacationing may not look like what you had originally planned this year, but the benefits of dedicated time to step away from your work obligations is still the same.
Ask for help - McKinsey’s study cited that mother’s are more than three times as likely as fathers to be responsible for most of the housework. If you’re lucky enough to have a partner or a support system to share household responsibilities, build a plan to balance the workload. The age old saying “it takes a village to raise a child” should now be considered “it takes a village to balance career and family”.
Phone a (girl)friend - As women, we should turn to each other for support - whether moral or physical ways. The sense of community with your female friends and colleagues are ways we can better ensure our collective female success.
“When we take care of ourselves, we see benefits to our physical and mental health, performance and productivity. When we don’t, we pay a price: innovation, creativity, resilience, empathy, decision-making and team building are the first to disappear when we are burned out and depleted.”
Does this resonate with you?
Comment below on ways you’re battling burnout in the age of Coronavirus?