Reducing Burnout Stigma
A Brief Guide to Help Our Work
We've all been exposed to quotes from successful and famous people who have told us that good things come to those who work hard. My favorite comes from the American businesswoman Estée Lauder, who once said, "I never dreamt of success. I worked for it." Simple enough?
There is a problem; an unfortunate error of attribution is going on. Our successes and failures at work are not entirely ours. Our work is part of a larger ecology of which we are a part. These broader contextual forces shape our successes and our failures.
This is a crucial thing to consider when talking about burnout, because people who experience burnout tend to think it happened to them because they were not strong enough, resilient enough, or successful enough. This is often referred to as burnout stigma, which is shaped by this highly individualistic worldview.
Burnout stigma flourishes in a culture that believes 'you get what you deserve.' It is fertilized by unhelpful cultural motifs about what one should do with their bootstraps. It is sustained in a workplace that suggests that burnout is not the responsibility of a workplace to manage.
However, burnout is not an individual psychological experience; it results from an interaction between workers and workplaces. One way to reduce burnout stigma is to abstain from notions that burnout is caused by, maintained by, or solved by only individual factors.
To help reduce burnout stigma, consider the following:
Target systems, not people. Burnout comes from workplace ecology. Think about the forest, not the trees. What is going on in the workplace that might be significant promoters of burnout reactions? How is leadership responding to worker burnout? Systemic solutions to burnout are challenging, but they are the only sustainable way to address the burnout problem. Those who say otherwise are probably selling snake oil for a complex systemic issue.
Burnout is not about weakness, incompetence, or insufficient self-care! I've written extensively about how self-care is not the solution to burnout. Yes, for the individual, it is essential to engage in self-care for the purpose of protecting yourself from burnout forces. But there are more (or better) solutions for workplace burnout in the long term. Suppose you are experiencing burnout; it's important not to blame yourself. There are things you can do to improve your circumstances, but there are no quick fixes.
Resilience comes from community, not just grit. In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the concept of resiliency. But humans have been resilient as a species specifically for our communal capacities. When our workplaces are isolating, indifferent, cold, hostile, or inhumane, no amount of grit will overcome the psychological erosion produced by these kinds of workplaces. We have to work deliberately to improve workplace wellbeing.
Our workplaces and workers are under immense strain and pressure. Burnout is an alarming and growing concern in many workplace sectors. Burnout stigma will only insulate the pain and suffering of workers. It is essential to consider how the workplace affects the mental health and wellbeing of workers. From a community orientation, we can reduce the stigma and find sustainable solutions for our future.