Causes and Costs of Burnout

As a syndrome, job burnout is a condition that has been observed for the past few years among a wide variety of helping professionals –

physicians, nurses, teachers, clergymen, counselors, social workers, policemen and administrators. Their functional are different, but what

is common to all of them is close contact with people who come from different walks of life. These professionals deal with people’s problems.

The poor, the disadvantaged, the ill, the elderly, the delinquent youth, come to them for help, for treatment, or for cure. The interchange

between them and their clients, is often charged with emotional feeling – frustration and sometime burnout. In that interchange much energy

is invested or spent. And this process goes on day by day throughout the week. Thus at the end the professionals seem to have depleted their

energy, strength and resources. They run out of fuel to keep them going.
Burnout is gradual process of physical, emotional and psychological wear and tear. It is brought about by the potential stressors that are

within the individual and without. Within the individual are the following stress factors that causes burnout:
1. Low self-esteem
2. Workaholism
3. Financial problems
4. Compromised values
5. Family demands
6. Marriage
7. Relocation – mobility
8. Hidden agenda
9. Emotional health
10. Conformity – submissiveness
11. Rigid personality
12. Competitiveness
13. Over aggressiveness
14. Impatience – pressure
15. Frustration
16. Ambiguity
17. Feeling threatened
18. Lack of control
19. Low self-actualization
20. Death of a family member
21. Serious illness
22. Low social support
23. Fear of success/failure
24. Inability to ventilate
25. Inability to let go
Burnout does not result from the occasional occurrence of one or two of the stressors mentioned above nor does it result from an occasional

bad day. Rather, burnout results from chronic, unrelieved emotional stress and from the inadequate identification and management of

stressors.
In view of these factors, the cost of burnout is astronomical. Emotionally, the individual whose expectations are not met feels frustrated,

guilty and angry. His energy depleted, he cares a little about either himself or others who need his service. Dissatisfied with his work

environment as well as with his performance, he avoids going to work, quits his job, leaves his profession, or turn to a alcohol or drugs. He

ceases to be created and innovative.
Job burnout may also spill over to the employee’s home, negatively affecting family relationships. Unless this condition is seen and

resolved, the individual may perceive that something is dreadfully wrong within the family relationships.
Because of its nature, burnout affects the quality of care and services that client and patients receive. The latter may not be fully and

promptly attended to. The attention given becomes less and less, and ultimately may receive less care. Such syndrome may also be reflected in

the administrative function and use of other resources.
Another cost of burnout is the termination and turnover of professionals. In their places others are recruited and trained. For the program

of recruiting and training new personnel, selecting a staff and making use of resources, the budget outlay is tremendously great.
Such costs can be minimized , if not totally prevented.
If you want to know more about burnout, stress and on how to remove stress, you can visit http://www.stresswiki.com.