Employee Burnout: Why is it bad and how can we fix it? LAURA CASEY EDPY6930-SPRING 2015
Aug 11, 2015
Burnout: It’s not just stress This is a shortened list of negative consequences associated with burnout found in the literature:
• Recurrent illness: headaches, increased susceptibility to disease• Poor attendance• Low self-esteem• Substance abuse• Depression• Countertransference towards clients• Relationship problems (at work and home)• Job loss and frequent job overturn for companies• Drug and alcohol overdose• Suicide
What Causes Burnout? Factors associated with burnout found in the literature include:• Lack of social support• Poor job training• Fewer years of work experience• Rigidity in work schedule• Role confusion• Limited employee autonomy• Lack of professional resources• Overloaded caseloads • Poorly structured caseloads
The cost is STEEP Cost to employer:• Loss of employees=higher costs for hire and training• Potential loss of clients
Cost to employee:• Loss of job• Lowered self-esteem• Mental health consequences• Relationship and family strains• Stress and disease
Cost to client:• Lowered standard of care• Employee absences could lead to more errors
and gaps in client care• Loss of trust• Frustration (specifically important when
working with mentally ill populations)
Cost to community:• Loss of social workers…less help…less success
in rehabilitation and assistance• Truancy• Client failed probation• Increased client jail time• Weaker family units
Burnout is bad. Now what? Preventative measures found in the literature and well as intervention plans include:• Flexible work schedules• Increasing social support• Cognitive-behavioral stress management• Comprehensive job training• Workshops• Peer-Collaboration activities• Use of Employee Assistance Programs
Goals• Increase awareness of employee burnout• Increase employee knowledge of intervention and prevention
resources• Provide opportunities for social workers to learn and practice skills
Solution Four components:
1. Semi-annual Workshops2. Quarterly Peer Collaboration Activity Sessions3. Local Burnout Assistance Representatives4. On-site and Virtual Aid Stations
Semi-annual Workshops1. Led by volunteers and organization administration
2. Exercises such as role playing, group discussion, emotion guessing, presentation of coping skills, stress management skills, and education on the stages of burnout and preventative measures
3. Employee resources and benefits explained
4. *Rational-Emotive Education:1. Situation reframing exercises2. Role playing from negative emotional response/positive emotional response
*Russell (1987)
Local Burnout Assistance Representatives
Volunteer basis
Duties include:◦ Organizing workshops and activity sessions◦ Maintaining on-site and virtual aid stations◦ Providing assistance and resource referral to employees◦ Communicating between employees, supervisors and company administrators◦ Weekly announcements
On-site and Virtual Aid Stations
The aid station as a living structure◦ Weekly announcements◦ Weekly maintenance ◦ Presence of representative both on-site and online
◦ Do NOT want a disorganized website and table with no access to representatives or resources
Virtual Aid Station Example:
http://burnouthelpnow.weebly.com/
Outcomes If the solution plan is successful then:
•Decreased employee burnout
•Lowered costs to companies
• Increased work productivity
•Increased employee job satisfaction
•Decreased employee turnover
•Higher levels of client care and satisfaction
•Stronger families
•Stronger communities
Goals Reminder!1. Increase awareness2. Increase knowledge of skills and
prevention measures3. Provide opportunities to learn and
practice
References Acker, G. (1999). The impact of clients' mental illness on social workers' job satisfaction and burnout. Health & Social Work, 24(2), 112-119.
Acker, G. (2010). The Challenges in Providing Services to Clients with Mental Illness: Managed Care, Burnout and Somatic Symptoms Among Social Workers. Community Mental Health Journal, 46(6), 591-600. doi:10.1007/s10597-009-9269-5
Adams, R. E., Boscarino, J. A., & Figley, C. R. (2006). Compassion fatigue and psychological distress among social workers: A validation study. American Journal Of Orthopsychiatry, 76(1), 103-108. doi:10.1037/0002-9432.76.1.103
Boyle, A., Grap, M., Younger, J., & Thornby, D. (1991). Personality hardiness, ways of coping, social support and burnout in critical care nurses. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 16(7), 850-857. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.1991.tb01767.x
Cooley, E., & Yovanoff, P. ( 1996). Supporting professionals-at-risk: Evaluating interventions to reduce burnout and improve retention of special educators. Exceptional Children, 62, 336– 355.
Costello, T.W., & Zalkind, S.S., (1963). Psychology in administration: A research orientation. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Daley, M. R. (1979). 'Burnout': smoldering problem in protective services. Social Work, 24(5), 375-379.
Felton, J. S. (1998). Burnout as a clinical entity—its importance in health care workers. Occupational medicine, 48(4), 237-250.
Hartwell, T. D., Steele, P., French, M. T., Potter, F. J., Rodman, N. F., & Zarkin, G. A. (1996). Aiding troubled employees: the prevalence, cost, and characteristics of employee assistance programs in the United States.American Journal of Public Health, 86(6), 804-808.
Jenaro, C., Flores, N., & Arias, B. (2007). Burnout and coping in human service practitioners. Professional Psychology: Research And Practice, 38(1), 80-87. doi:10.1037/0735-7028.38.1.80
Lloyd, C., King, R., & Chenoweth, L. (2002). Social work, stress and burnout: a review. Journal Of Mental Health, 11(3), 255-265.
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2(2), 99-113.
Russell, T.T., (1987). THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A RATIONAL-EMOTIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR THE TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF TEACHER BURNOUT (Order No. 8712992). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text. (303592504). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/303592504?accountid=28833
Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2004). Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: A multi-sample study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(3), 293-315.
Wilkinson, S., Perry, R., Blanchard, K., & Linsell, L. (2008). Effectiveness of a three-day communication skills course in changing nurses' communication skills with cancer/palliative care patients: a randomized controlled trial. Palliative Medicine, 22(4), 365-375.
Yu, M. C., Lin, C. C., & Hsu, S. Y. (2009). Stressors and burnout: The role of employee assistance programs and self-efficacy. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 37(3), 365-377.