Success is knowing when to stop and play..
Do you zero dial on your home landline? Have you ever carried you office ID badge to your friend’s party? Have you lost the fun side of working in teams? Does the mere thought of going to office burden you? Well, if your answer to all these questions is yes, then you would not be surprised to know that you are the latest prey to the venomous ‘Job Burnout’ bug!
Another victim of ‘Job Burnout’ is Maanav, 28, who, through an intriguing story of his work life in India, shows what anything in excess can do to you. Known as an intelligent and honest workaholic who would voluntarily take responsibilities, Maanav identified so strongly with his work that the line between his personal and professional life started blurring into oblivion. He would hardly devote time to his family and would spend unearthly hours at work. Eventually, job became too monotonous to handle took a toll on his health…
Just like Maanav, chances are that you too, are too exhausted with the responsibility at your workplace and after a great and a rocking vacation, you dread going back to work when your vacation ends…
You know you had it enough when:
- You no longer find joy in your work and are more often than not turn cynical about things
- Coming to work becomes a daily burden for you
- You have turned more impatient at work and increasingly irritable
- You feel you have been given all the responsibility, most of which is difficult to handle
- You do not have the same enthusiasm and zeal with which you used to work before. The energy is on a downfall and this can be seen in your performance levels
- You tend to take yourself too seriously in the office cafeteria jokes
- Your job no longer gives you fulfillment and you are disappointed
- You are having a hard time getting sound sleep or have loss of appetite and if your medical practitioner attributes it to work pressures.
- You feel sleepy whole day, and don’t get sleep when you actually try to?
Get a life! You must:
Learn when to say no and when to say yes: Everybody loves those who initiate. All the more, you cannot please all the people all the time. When at job, more than being a people pleaser, remember you have a responsibility given to you and you need to deliver that with utmost conviction and honesty. Learn to say no, when you want to say no. This would keep you in control of yourself. You must have a say in the type of assignments you will do and the number of hours you will work, else there will be neither productivity nor performance if it is against your wish. This way you will not end up overworking.
Do Work that suits you: If you are caught up in a wrong job, that the best thing is to quit and find one which suits your skills and personality. Because working in a job that doesn't fit your interests, although you are working diligently, is sure to bounce back later.
Be clear with your goals: It is important to discuss and talk it out with your supervisors about the limits and the extent of your duties in the firm. When you are not clear with your exact goals, there are good chances for conflicts to take place.
Communicate: Communication enriches understanding. It is the key to make others understand your needs and in vice versa. Keeping to oneself doesn’t always prove to be healthy in the long term, as many issues remain unresolved thereby leading to problems and misunderstandings and loss of interest. Talk to your supervisor or mentor as they could help you. Also, many organizations offer assistance programs to employees, which help in assessing one’s aptitude and interests.
Not get bullied: If you are being undermined by your colleagues or have trouble with a boss who is “over- micromanaging” your work, it is time to put your foot down and claim your space.
Align your values: If your values are different from the manner in which your company does business or handles employee grievances, it will wear on you.
Look for avenues to unwind: If and when your job gets monotonous or chaotic, the best thing is to involve yourself into something that is different from what you are doing at the moment.
C’mon, pick up your strings and get going, job burnout is not here to stay, right? You can overcome it, but it requires more of a mind change than anything else.
If Maanav can manage to get this venomous bug out of his system, Can’t you?
