Burnout is a common term. Perhaps you know someone who suffers from it. But what exactly is burnout and what are its causes?

In this 6-part series on burnout, we want to shed more light on this topic. This is the first part and here you can read about its meaning and possible causes.In deze 6-delige serie over burn-out willen wij meer duidelijkheid bieden over dit onderwerp. Dit is het eerste deel en hier lees je over de betekenis ervan en mogelijke oorzaken.

What is burnout?

Burnout is commonly defined as: “A work-related state of exhaustion. The balance between work demands and personal needs is disturbed. There is a detached work attitude and a reduced sense of competence.

Burnout literally means “burned out,” and that is also what someone with burnout experiences; as burned out. Everyone can feel tired after a day’s work. This is not a problem, and it can often be overcome by taking rest so that you can regain your strength. When this is no longer possible, there may be burnout.

Burnout rates in the Netherlands

In 2018, some 17% of working people in the Netherlands experience burnout symptoms. More female workers experience burnout complaints and this applies to all age groups. These complaints are most common in education and ICT, and more than 35% of workers reported that work stress is the main cause of work-related absenteeism.

So the numbers don’t lie. Not in terms of absenteeism, but also in terms of absenteeism costs. An employee with a hefty burnout falls out of work for an average of over 242 days, according to (TNO, CBS). The total cost of absenteeism per year per employee? TNO has calculated this and comes out at over €133,000. These are serious amounts for an organization to have to bear.

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Who, where, when?

Basically, it can happen to anyone at work. We keep talking about work, but you can also get it from (heavy) family care or a hopeless situation. We will limit our discussion in this series to the workplace. There are a number of predictors that increase the likelihood of burnout. These predictors are about the workplace and about character traits:

Workplace: It is often a work environment that is perceived as demotivating. Examples include a lot of repetitive work, few decision opportunities, a high work rate, mismanagement or little experience/support from supervisors, a poor work atmosphere, sexual harassment, discrimination, conflicting job demands and not experiencing job satisfaction.
Character traits: Characteristics of people who can become burnout include perfectionism, need to prove yourself, difficulty saying “no,” doing more than you can handle, taking on all the tasks on your own rather than daring to hand them over, and not knowing one’s own limits.

What can you do now?

Take a critical look within the organization and make a rough sketch of this. How is the mental fitness of the employees and how are the jobs divided? To what extent are predictors recognized regarding the risk of burnout , and if they are, what can be done?

Evoli Business Psychology is a partner in the field of vitality and absenteeism. Want to know more about our services and how to take preventive action? Then feel free to contact us for an orientation meeting. Or call 040 782 0664