In honor of last month being Mental Health Awareness Month, the team at Kip & King Marketing wants to spread awareness on a very important struggle for many in the workplace, burnout. The Oxford Dictionary defines burnout as a physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress. With the whole world being thrown into a pandemic, everyone experienced more stress than usual and many weren’t the best at handling it. Below, we have broken down the five stages of burnout and how to spot them.

 

1. The Honeymoon Phase

This is most often experienced when an employee starts a new job or project. While employees will experience a predicted level of stress that goes with working, many will also experience high levels of job satisfaction, energy, creativity, and commitment.

 

2. Onset of Stress

In this stage, employees will feel less optimism towards the job or project. Symptoms to look out for include an inability to focus, change in appetite or diet, and/or lack of sleep or reduced sleep quality.

 

3. Chronic Stress

Chronic Stress includes possibly higher levels of stress or stress on a more frequent basis. Employees may feel more intense symptoms from the second stage as well as feeling threatened or panicked, consuming more caffeine, and/or experiencing a lack of hobbies.

 

4. Burnout

In this stage, the actual burnout occurs. This is also where the symptoms become critical, and it is imperative that employees seek intervention. Symptoms at this stage may include behavioral changes, social isolation, and/or an obsession over problems at work or in life.

 

5. Habitual Burnout

In the final stage of burnout, the symptoms are so embedded into the employees life that there is an increased chance of a significant and ongoing problem. The major symptoms of this stage can include depression, chronic mental fatigue, and/or chronic physical fatigue.

 

In a field like marketing, it’s important that our employees stay motivated and creative to give our clients the best work we can do. Stay tuned for next month’s post about ways to avoid burnout in the workplace!