very important to put on the agenda a few hours to devote to their interests, outside of work and family commitments. Companies should know that even for productivity it is not worth squeezing employees too much
In a hyper-competitive company and after a year and a half of pandemic which has put a lot of work to the test for many different reasons, it is not surprising that the burnout is estimated to be growing. But is it possible to prevent it and then, if you really can’t avoid it, get out of it? The answer knows both questions, but it is certainly not obvious to succeed. There prevention for example it is fundamental, but first of all employers need to understand its importance and not always so: Prevention is seen as a useless cost, instead an investment to avoid future expenses if employees go into burnout, explains Alessandro Lo Presti , professor of work and organization psychology at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli. In fact, this syndrome affects the individual worker but reduces it productivit it has inevitable consequences on organizational costs, not to mention the expenses to temporarily or permanently replace those who are absent due to illness or resign.
Strategic action
How do you know if your company is doing what it can to prevent employee burnout? The organizational and working mechanisms that favor the problem are largely superimposable to those at the basis of work-related stress: the legislation in this regard, or the Legislative Decree 81/08, requires companies to carry out the stress assessment and intervene on risk factors and this can also reduce the probability of burnout, replies Lo Presti. Preventive effectiveness depends on each case: in some contexts, for example health or school, awareness of the phenomenon is already high and interventions are often planned; in emerging or “peripheral” areas in terms of economic importance, social value or number of employees, on the other hand, there is less sensitivity and greater risks are possible. time who have no fixed full-time contracts, ed).
Stress assessment
To protect themselves from a legal point of view, the worker can expect the company to regularly carry out an assessment of work-related stress and to seriously intervene on any critical issues: sometimes, however, we stop at a “compliant” logic, test they are made because they are mandatory but the results are not really taken into account and the critical issues are diluted in the risk assessment document. Furthermore, a virtuous company should train and inform employees on the subject and be attentive to their needs, as well as improve work organization where possible. Unfortunately, workers can hardly influence these aspects.
Individual resources
Individual resources therefore come into play: given that if you realize you are working in a toxic environment it is not always easy to quit and change, it is good to at least be able to distance yourself psychologically from work and compensate with personal activities that help recovery. As the psychologist advises: Don’t take your work home and know how detach relaxing the first rule. Meditation is fine, but also dedicating oneself to one’s hobby or a sporting activity: the essential thing is to find time for oneself away from work, literally putting free time on the agenda. We don’t have to cut it out when it happens, it must be a real priority to which we dedicate space every day, recommends Lo Presti. Being aware of one’s limits is equally necessary: planning the work in the best possible way by delegating or asking for help, reducing excess hours, sharing one’s work experiences are useful methods to safeguard oneself and not to push too hard on the accelerator, intervenes Andrea Fiorillo, president of the Italian Society of Social Psychiatry. The protective role of family and friends should not be underestimated: nurturing relationships also prevents burnout. If you slowly slip into the syndrome, it is essential to know how to recognize your emotions and ask for help, without thinking of being able to get out of them alone: if the work pressure increases too much, it can also lead to a real mental disorder. The solutions are those implemented to solve work-related stress: Relaxation and meditation techniques, mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral techniques of cognitive restructuring or psychological recovery can help, concludes Lo Presti.
August 21, 2021 (change August 21, 2021 | 21:44)
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