What does it depend on whether we burn out in our job?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), burnout syndrome is a set of symptoms resulting from chronic work stress characterized by a general, strong feeling of exhaustion; increased mental distance from work or feelings of negativism or cynicism about work and decreased professional effectiveness.

Given the harmful effects of the above in the lives of individuals and in the world of work, and since burnout has been an increasingly serious problem at the social level since the middle of the twentieth century, many scientific studies have already dealt with the topic.

Since the literature basically defines burnout as “the experience of the individual in relation to the given work conditions” (Maslach, Schaufeli, Leiter, 2001), research until the beginning of the 2000s only focused on situational factors, e.g. the workplace environment, working conditions, but after that other factors, such as individual characteristics predisposing to burnout, were also examined.

Maslach, Scahufeli, and Leiter in their article “Job burnout” (2001) already define 1. typical jobs and working conditions, 2. some typical professions, 3. typical organizational characteristics, and 4. individual demographic characteristics, characteristics, and attitudes, which according to research results lead to burnout (Maslach, Schaufeli, Leiter, 2001).

Therefore, by now, it has been scientifically proven that burnout can be associated with some typical jobs, professions, working conditions and organizational characteristics, which are further colored by the effects of the quality of management and the individual qualities of managers and employees, but factors beyond all of these can also have an effect.

Among the factors mapped so far, there are some that can easily be linked to the fact that the individual experiences his situation as hopeless, even without thinking about it for a long time.

This can be, for example, excessive workload. It’s clear that both quantitative and qualitative overload contribute to exhaustion, as both can exhaust a person’s capacities, making it impossible to recharge and maintain a healthy personal life alongside work.

In the same way, it’s easy to see that if the tasks and responsibilities are not clear, if there is uncertainty as to why the individual can be called upon and why not, or if his work is not appreciated, this can all lead to the fact that he will experience the signs of the burnout syndrome.

But why does someone burn out after a while doing a certain job in a certain place, while others in the same situation don’t?

In addition to the fact that the concept of resilience, i.e. mental resilience, has been known for some time, which can also be interpreted as the ability to successfully adapt to changing or stressful circumstances and characterizes individuals to varying degrees, the matching of work and working conditions to the individual is less often discussed.

Our personal interests are decisive in the field in which we are willing to make efforts in order to be good at it and to improve. If we do an activity that we are passionate about, in which we are happy to delve into, it is easier to spend a longer time becoming an expert, and it is easier to take on the difficulties that arise. The topic we deal with can provide motivation that can help overcome the possible negative aspects of work or working conditions.

At the same time, our personality and characteristic traits can also determine what kind of lifestyle, work method, and working conditions are suitable for us, among which we feel comfortable. If our work requires skills that we are good at or has inherent qualities that we enjoy, we can activate sources of joy during work that can protect against mental exhaustion caused by difficulties.

In addition, it can also play a role in what kind of work is most suitable for us, what stage of life and life situation we are in, which changes from time to time, so it is also good if the work performed can be adapted to the changes.

If, on the other hand, our chosen job does not meet the above requirements, or in the worst case, it was not even chosen by us, even the “ideal” workplace can be excessively exhausting and can lead to burnout for us.

So, even when choosing a career, we should be conscious and go in a direction that suits our inner interests and personality, and then also keep the above in mind when choosing a job or a workplace.

And if we find ourselves in a situation where we don’t feel good at our workplace, it can be useful, even with professional assistance, to look at the real cause of the dissatisfaction and try to find what an effective solution would be taken into consideration the above.

Because the direction to take and the possible solution can be different in the event that the cooperation with the manager doesn’t work well, or if only the working conditions don’t match the life situation. But a completely approach is needed if it turns out that certain aspects of the work performed don’t suit the individual.