Both burnout and boreout are a prolonged negative emotional response to chronic stressors on the job. Excessive workloads or failure to find meaning in one’s work can lead to long-term mental health issues. A well-rounded approach towards stress – with burnout being one of the advanced stages – will prevent these burnout and boreout symptoms from occurring and provides a solid support base to facilitate the return to work of affected workers.
Facts
Burnout versus boreout
Listlessness, irritation, fatigue… Burnout and boreout symptoms often overlap. However, the causes behind each syndrome are different. Whereas a burnout is mainly the result of having to cope with extremely high or unmanageable workloads for an extended period of time, a boreout is caused by a lack of satisfaction, non-challenging work duties, and boredom.
Boreout symptoms can be resolved by implementing changes in the job duties of the employee, or by moving the employee to a new role or a different work environment. A burnout will require professional guidance to help the affected worker return to work and regain a balance between health and job satisfaction.
Good to know: burnout has not so much to do with age or gender as with the employee’s work environment. Therefore, the best prevention lies in promoting physical and mental health among your workers and providing the best possible working conditions.
Burnout prevention is the duty of every employer
Stress and burnout have been included in the Belgian Well-Being Act since 1 September 2014, with the main emphasis being on prevention rather than remediation. As with psychosocial risks such as workplace harassment or workplace aggression, providing policies for stress and burnout prevention among your workers is now one of the employer’s duties of care.
Employees are now able to submit a request for intervention for psychosocial risks, which enables them to discuss their situation and obtain advice from an expert. Furthermore, the employer is legally required to put measures in place to assist employees who are unable to manage their situation themselves.
In addition, employers must ensure that prevention measures are in place that help guarantee the well-being of workers, e.g. raising awareness or performing risk assessments.
Recognising symptoms for timely intervention
Symptoms of workers suffering from burnout:
- emotionally and physically exhausted due to running on reserves for far too long
- feeling less committed and motivated and feeling more distant from their work, clients and colleagues
- feeling like they have failed at their work and doubting the usefulness of their work
- struggling to concentrate and being more prone to making mistakes
- frequently suffering from various physical complaints including fatigue or neck, back and muscle pain
Mensura will advise you
Ensure that your workers are self-reliant.
Being able to recognise symptoms of stress, burnout or boreout is the first step towards self-management or seeking help.Ensure that your stress and burnout prevention strategies are framed within an integrated health policy.
This will help avoid costs and problems associated with worker absenteeism. Mensura can assist you in developing a prevention policy for the well-being of your employees.
Result
- Affected workers are supported efficiently throughout their recovery process to maximise their chances of returning to work.
- Affected workers gain insight in the impact of burnout on their personal health, and are provided with the necessary tools to minimise future health risks.
- As an employer, you will be provided with tips and advice on how to prevent future burnout-related risks for your workers. This will reduce costs and improve the well-being of your staff.
Mensura will train your employees
Training courses on dealing with burnout and boreout