Whether you work in healthcare, in sales, or own a small business, chances are you’ve experienced hitting that wall on the job.
You’re tired, irritable, and just not motivated. There’s a name for this phenomenon. Burnout.
According to a 2020 Gallup study, 76% of employees experience burnout at least sometimes, with 28% reporting feeling it very often or always. The study estimated that burnout costs the U.S. economy up to $190 billion in healthcare spending each year.
Nate Lauger, Operations Director at Manpower Augusta, said burnout was an issue years before the pandemic.
“It started more like 2017, 2018,” he told Augusta Business Daily. “It was very easy for companies to blame their bad behavior on 2020, like ‘Oh there was nothing we could do about it.’ But more than anything else, the burnout that I’m seeing is scheduling. Companies still are not comfortable with either finding a more livable situation for their employees; most companies still want them to work to live to work.”
Take my former industry: Television news.
A report out this week mentioned burnout in local television newsrooms is at an all-time high.
Some key take-a-ways:
- More than two-thirds (68.9%) of all TV news directors say staff burnout is worse now than it was one year ago.
- Almost nine out of ten news directors (88.8%) say they’re trying to do something about it.
- Newsrooms are stretched too thin and that gets worse each year. It’s nearly impossible to get applicants anymore.
- People are just exhausted.
Lauger said despite that burned-out feeling, many people stay in jobs they don’t like because they have no other choice.
“They continue to work because they have debts, families that they’ve probably started, and they’re not going to ever give up,” he said. “It’s putting a massive toll on their mental health.”
In 2021, I was exhausted after a year of COVID-19 coverage and nearly four years of being called “fake news” one too many times by journalist-bashers.
So, after more than 20 years as a street reporter, producer and anchor, I made the tough decision to hang up my notepad and microphone. It wasn’t because I didn’t LOVE my job telling stories, holding powerful people accountable, and making an impact on my community. I truly did enjoy the work and was very fulfilled.
But, like many of my former colleagues who exited stage left over the last decade, the hours, the daily grind, and feeling like I was always “on” took a toll, especially after I got married, had kids, and wanted to spend more time with my family.
Try telling your son you can’t go to his school event because someone got shot and you have to report live from the scene at 6:45 p.m. See what I mean?
Early in my career, when I was 20-something in Augusta, I didn’t have any of those responsibilities, so I gladly chased a story, came in on my day off if needed, and threw myself into my career. But my priorities shifted after I started a family.
Lauger said in his role as Manpower Augusta’s Operations Manager, he sees high levels of burnout across the board, but especially in the home health and heavy manufacturing industries.
He offers this advice to all employers to help them prevent employee burnout.
“Look at what you’re doing for your scheduling,” he said. “And look at what you’re paying your people.”
And, if you’re a small business owner burning yourself out looking for the right talent, he recommends leaning on a staffing agency such as his.
“We’d love to make sure that we cover that and extinguish that burnout for you,” he said.
