Did you know that 20% of employees in the UK have had to take time away from work in the past year because of mental health issues related to stress or pressure? In this article Nikita Phillips, Candidate Support and Business Development Adviser at Bespoke Training Solutions, talks about her own experience with burnout and offers some tips on how both employees and employers can prevent it.
Burnout is now officially acknowledged by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an occupational phenomenon. It is a syndrome that occurs due to prolonged workplace stress, that has not been addressed effectively. Some of the main indicators of burnout include:
- Feeling drained of energy or completely exhausted
- Growing mentally distant from your job, or experiencing negative feelings towards your work
- Decreased effectiveness at work
- Physical symptoms such as headaches
- Trouble sleeping
I got burnt
It can be a challenge to juggle multiple responsibilities, and I have fallen victim to burnout in the past.
At a previous firm, I was working as the sole Paraplanner and was in charge of all of the suitability reports for the business. It was a busy time as it was tax-year end something I’m sure many of you can relate to from recent weeks! I was also studying for exams.
The number of reports on my plate kept increasing, as the advisers tried to complete as much business as possible before the tax-year end deadline (understandably!). Each adviser believed that their reports should be given top priority, and as a result, I found it extremely difficult to manage my workload.
I somehow managed to make it through, but by the end of that period, I was completely exhausted. There was a time when I enjoyed writing reports, personalising them as much as I possibly could to make them relevant for our clients and their circumstances. However, my work was suffering, and I was aware of it. I didn’t have the time to add all of the little details that I usually would, and I started to resent doing something that I once loved.
If only I had recognised the signs of burnout and sought support a little earlier…
Prevention is better than cure
What I am keen to get across in this article is that the best way to manage burnout is to prevent it.
So how do you prevent burnout? My top tips are as follows:
- Establish clear boundaries: I found myself starting work early and finishing work late to try and get the reports finalised. Whilst some flexibility may be necessary in your role, it is important not to consistently work beyond your designated hours. If you feel overwhelmed by your workload, discuss the possibility of adjusting deadlines with your manager and prioritise your tasks accordingly.
- Take your breaks: In addition to working over my hours, I often skipped lunch altogether or shortened my breaks. Make sure to step away from your desk and take regular breaks. You’ll often find you’re much more productive at work when you take these much-needed breaks.
- Be courageous: I kept my struggles to myself and didn’t communicate with my manager. It is so important to openly discuss your challenges and, whenever possible, delegate tasks or share your workload with colleagues. They will often be happy to help!
- Prioritise self-care: Self-care looks different for everyone, but it includes eating healthy, drinking enough water, and getting sufficient sleep to kickstart the day on a positive note.
Let’s put out the fire…
It’s great considering steps on how to prevent burnout, but what happens if you’re already there? How do you put out the fire?
Well, if you’ve got to this point, please do speak to your employer about your mental well-being and workload as soon as possible. Additionally, seeking support from your GP is highly recommended. Mental health should be prioritised just like physical health, and it’s important not to neglect it.
Once I recognised I was experiencing burnout, I took the following steps:
- Recuperate and Rest: It had been quite some time since I had taken annual leave, and so I booked in some time to allow me to recuperate and rest and this made a significant difference to my mental well-being. If it has been a while since you’ve taken some time off, this could be a great option for you too.
- Exam timing: Another thing I looked at was my exam timing. I was adding a lot of additional pressure on to myself by sitting exams during a very busy period at work. Sometimes you must be kind to yourself and defer your exams until things settle down. You will also likely find that by deferring your exam, you are much less likely to defer your success.
- Communicate: I had been hiding my challenges to myself for quite some time and just kept “plodding on”. I knew however that I would need to be open with my employer and discuss the challenges I had been facing. Many employers will be very supportive and working with my manager, we were able to put together a plan to manage my workload, work out priorities and delegate some of that workload to others. As the sole Paraplanner, I really didn’t believe this was an option, however I later came to learn that we could outsource some of the workload to external Paraplanners as and when required.
Seek support sooner!
If you take anything from this article, it is to seek support sooner. If you begin to see your stress levels creeping up, do something about it before the spark becomes a flame.
Bespoke Training Solutions have been supporting regulated exams for 20 years this year! Known as ‘the exam experts’ within the industry, BTS provide support for the CII regulated exams by way of study guides, e-learning resources, and workshops for the full R0 suite and many AF and J0 units.
Visit https://www.bespoketrainingsolutions.com and check out the brand-new Careers Zone for study plans, answers to exam FAQs and lots more to support your journey.
Main image; adrian-swancar-roCfgvkBLVY-unsplash
