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In Europe, well over 50% of workers experience symptoms of burnout. This global phenomenon is reflected in the US, where around 52% of workers also experience this syndrome.

The primary stage of becoming burnt out is known as emotional exhaustion, which can decrease productivity and have a massive impact on workers’ health. However, if employers take steps to prevent or mitigate it among their staff, it can yield huge benefits both for personal well-being and the company’s bottom line.

What is emotional exhaustion?

Workers have limited resources, in terms of time and energy, to meet the demands of their jobs. While this pressure can stimulate employee learning and motivation, it can also hinder personal growth and affect well-being.

Workers suffering from emotional exhaustion have no physical or mental energy. They are irritated, frustrated and lack the strength to work well, and do only the bare minimum in order to save energy. It therefore affects not only their personal well-being, but also a company’s productivity.

Emotionally exhausted workers feel dissatisfied with their job and may think of quitting, but this has a flipside—satisfied workers who enjoy what they do will have a positive attitude.

What causes emotional exhaustion?

Some risk factors for emotional exhaustion in the workplace are:

• Laissez-faire leadership, where managers do not get involved or take responsibility. They do not explain goals and how to achieve them, and they do little to motivate their employees.
• Excessive workload. Workers who do not have enough time to perform their tasks cannot rest, and and are left feeling overwhelmed.
• Lack of clearly defined tasks and worker responsibilities. This occurs when employees are faced with unclear requests, making it difficult for them to fulfil their duties effectively.

How can we prevent emotional exhaustion?

Human resource managers need to prevent and reduce emotional exhaustion. Here are some ways to do so:

1. Provide more workplace resources, such as time and support.
2. Give employees greater autonomy and control over their tasks and workload.
3. Improve organizational equality by encouraging polite, honest and respectful interactions in the workplace.
4. Foster constructive, supportive and motivational leadership.
5. Assign manageable workloads, which help to maintain a positive attitude.

Burnout and online work

In many organizations and workplaces, the pandemic prompted the use of available technology to make work more flexible in terms of time and place.

These new ways of working have opened up the debate on how, where and when people work, which in turn has an impact on employees’ expectations, behavior and well-being. These new ways of working can be advantageous, but they can also be another source of workplace pressure that affects physical and mental health in a number of ways.

As a benefit, online work has made working environments more flexible. However, it can also cause information overload, interruptions, misunderstandings and the need to be constantly connected. This is exacerbated by lack of support, resistance to change and difficulties in balancing work and family life.

Employers have a duty to avoid emotional and mental exhaustion. They can do this in a number of ways, such as providing a good working environment that supports workers’ emotional well-being, balancing workloads, and promoting positive and motivational leadership styles.

They can also take more concrete steps, such as providing training and professional development programs, establishing clear communication policies, and fostering respectful working environments and collaborative working relationships.

Implementing these measures can be hugely beneficial for the well-being of workers and, ultimately, the success of a company.