The burnout syndrome

Burnout is a serious problem which most high-performers have to deal with at some point in their career. Sudipta Dev looks at the symptoms and the solutions

Are you constantly irritated, fatigued and depressed? Do you feel unenthusiastic about your work? Is there a lack of pride in yourself and your job? Chances are that you are suffering from an affliction most IT professionals are vulnerable to—the burnout syndrome. This is not surprising in an industry where long hours of work and tight deadlines are the norm. Interestingly, it is generally the high-achievers who are more prone to burnout, driven as they are by ambition, insecurities and an obsession to excel. The impact is on both the individual and the organisation, with productivity and efficiency taking a hit. It is one of the primary reasons for behavioural problems at the workplace, absenteeism, and of course, attrition.

Both the individual and the organisation are responsible for the situation. While organisations push employees to put in more hours of work and over-stretch their limits of physical and mental endurance, overtly ambitious individuals are more than willing partners, often unaware of the repercussions.

The symptoms

Early detection and treatment is the best option. Individuals need to be cautious about their physical and behavioural changes to detect the syndrome. Unfortunately, it sometimes takes several years before people are able to understand that they are victims of this syndrome. Ajay Oberoi, senior vice-president, HR and administration, Aptech, says that the symptoms of burnout can be noticed at three levels, “The physical level (characterised by exhaustion); the characteristic level (irritability, lack of concentration, reactive attitude, feelings of helplessness); and the utility level (loss of productivity, lack of innovative decisions or actions).”

Belonging to an industry which thrives on constant change, the IT professional is always under pressure to upgrade his skills and perform faster. He pushes himself to meet and sometimes exceed his targets. Observes Yogesh Patgaonkar, global head, HR, Zensar, “A typical software industry professional thrives on the pressure of deadlines and accomplishing seemingly impossible tasks in a given period of time. However, this would work if deadlines are staggered and a logical end is defined for each module to be completed. If the work assigned appears to have no break or end in sight, it takes away the satisfaction of accomplishment. Another significant contributor to burnout is the lack of a work-life balance where a professional has increasingly less opportunities to unwind.” He believes that at the managerial level the ability to multi-task has become a must, but not everyone can deal with multiple tasks at the same time.

Antidote

The solution is to find the root cause of the problem. However, there are many complications. What many professionals are scared of is that it might backfire on them if they tell the management that they need the latter’s cooperation to deal with the problem by reducing their work hours, work load or by taking a break. The management might come to the conclusion that the employee is unable to cope with work pressure and consequently no longer suitable to remain with it.

Notes Pallavi Jha, managing director of Dale Carnegie Training India, “The good news is that all of us can prevent burnout by controlling our response to situations. With multi-tasking demands in today’s jobs, professionals need to be able to prioritise events in their workday. They should spend most of their time on important matters, and prevent these from becoming urgent or crisis situations. Effective time management is crucial.” She asserts that it is important to establish some boundaries between work and home, and not be on-call all the time.

Well-known trainer A D Narula has this advice to offer on how work-oriented professionals must deal with the situation:

• They must understand the phenomenon of a burnout.
• They must have long-term vision, mission and goals; they must realise that the current assignment is not an end in itself.
• They must sharpen the saw rather than make futile attempts to churn out better performances out of their existing knowledge and techniques.
• They must learn from consistent performers and learn to treat work as a game. In a game after you lose you rest and play again—but you don’t burnout. But if survival is at stake one loses heart, and often the soul. Then the man is burnt out, and revival is difficult.

However, smart professionals can recognise the early signs of burnout and deal with it. Preeti Desai, president of the Internet and Online Association, and a self-confessed workaholic, shares her personal antidote for burnout: “Over the years I have learnt a few tricks to avoid burnout as well as cope with stress. I have dinner with family and friends, take time to eat different cuisines, work-out at the regular stamina levels. If I don’t clock 80 kms a week, I know I will have to take a break soon.”

Impact on productivity

The burnout syndrome has a direct impact on employee productivity and efficiency. While the general awareness regarding burnout is low, many IT organisations are realising the serious implications of this malaise. Yatin Kantak, country manager, India, Net-Itech Asia Pacific, agrees that IT companies today recognise the fact that burnout is a common and serious after-effect resulting from competitive and high-stress jobs.

“One of the reasons for burnout is that many IT executives are not trained to be good managers. They are basically technicians who became managers, and are often at a loss to understand how to handle adverse situations. Good managers understand how much pressure each individual employee can take, and assign duties accordingly. Much credit for the recovery of a burnt-out employee goes to his boss if he has willingly changed the job content,” explains Kantak. He says that it is middle managers who are most affected by job burnout. They are more vulnerable to a lay-off, and are caught in the middle of decision-making and power.

The company can help

Prevention is better than cure, and the management of every organisation must formulate policies that help prevent employee burnout. A clearly demarcated and challenging career graph is one of the best solutions. So are skill development programmes to boost employee morale. “Training programmes can include coping techniques such as muscle relaxation, meditation and time management. Employers may also introduce lifestyle information into the workplace; these

can be in the form of pamphlets or newsletters which give information about health, exercise and diet,” suggests Kantak.

The work culture of the organisation makes a difference in preventing burnout. Jha of Dale Carnegie agrees that organisations need to take a holistic view of the culture they create in their workplace. “They ought to take proactive steps to create a competitive but caring environment. Over and above ensuring the right job-fit, employers must specify clear expectations and enable employees through training and other support necessary to do their jobs. It is important to respect an employee’s personal time and encourage a positive inter-personal work culture.”

Take Zensar Technologies. They have a two-pronged approach to manage burnout—they help people manage their work-life balance, and provide opportunities to socialise and unwind. The company has dedicated Employee Relation Champions who help identify stress levels on the job and provide one-stop solutions. “They drive necessary interventions for job-related stress. Typically the interventions include counselling, mentoring, team meetings to sort out issues, and regular interactions with senior management to discuss views and issues at all levels,” says Patgaonkar. He adds that in order to help professionals manage their personal time more meaningfully, Zensar provides a service called Madat-online that runs all errands free of cost. There are also interest groups to help people unwind and socialise. These groups get like-minded people together for a range of activities like dance and music shows, sports events, literary events, trekking and community service.

Can dealing with burnout reduce productivity? “In the short-term dealing with burnout does lessen productivity. However, seen in the overall scheme of things, it improves productivity and creates a better and healthier organisational environment,” answers Oberoi of Aptech.

Many international surveys have proved that burnout continues to be a major issue in IT organisations worldwide. Nevertheless, the level of awareness in India continues to be low. The continuing view is that only more work brings greater rewards. Which means that the burnout syndrome continues to claim more victims, slowly but surely.

Burnout in the ITeS industry

Burnout is high in the ITeS industry because of its highly stressful atmosphere and night shifts. "The demands on knowledge, experience and maturity, the need for instant responses and to work in shifts, make it difficult to bring forth consistent excellent performance," states Narula. Preeti Desai lists some factors responsible: It starts with the biological clock going for a toss. Break times are not conducive to socialising. The work in call centres involves managing consumer emotions positively, and anger management, which is a tough job even for mature individuals with many years of experience. To deal with irritated customers day in and day out can dramatically increase stress levels. Having to perform up to the mark each and every day to benefit from various internal incentive schemes puts additional pressure on employees.

sudipta@expresscomputeronline.com