Burnout like all work-life balance issues has been a source of myriad of researches for a long time, it however took new dimensions during the pandemic as more women especially professional women continue to experience burnout in greater measures.
This was attributed to the fact that though women in the workplace face more stress, it became more pronounced during the pandemic because they took on new and expanded roles in and out of the workplace as a result of disruptions to schools, new job responsibilities like working from home and such other issues.
Working women have always faced unique challenges, but workplace burnout is more than stress. And due to the reality that more women fall victims to burnout, more effort is being targeted at helping them manage and cope with the situation as many people take burnout as just normal stress but it is more than this though they share common triggers for women.
A major difference is that while a stress can cause disheartening feelings which improves by slowing down activities that trigger stress, burnout is the chronic, unrelenting stress accompanied by intense negative feelings of hopelessness, exhaustion or disillusionment and can lead to mental health issues.
While burnout can affect all individuals, women are even more burned out now and it is escalating among women than men. Progression into job burnout can be rapid and without notice
Triggers of burnout include gender exclusion, hostile social interactions and abuse especially verbal abuse, lack of emotional support, sexual harassment, victimisation, pay gap, perceived poor leadership, unfriendly coworkers, organisational nonchalance, politics or sabotage, lack of resources ans work tools, work overload and poor communication amongst others.
There are also internal triggers like pressures of high expectations, juggling multiple roles at home and at work, dissatisfaction with achievement, taking on too much as well as self-doubt and self-criticism.
Managing burnout can be done a group or individually if conscious efforts is deployed; priortize work/life balance, curb work-related stress, setting realistic performance goals, making diversity, equity and inclusion a priority and minimising bullying in the workplace as well as providing day to day support ans incentives.
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