The Burnout Epidemic

No matter if you’re a university student, a young professional, or have been a working adult for decades, burnout is affecting many of us.

Do you get the Sunday night blues? Hate when people ask how work’s going? Find yourself caring less and less about the quality of your work? You might be experiencing burnout.

You’re not alone, especially as the cost of living crisis may cause you to pick up extra shifts and fear being made redundant, studies show the cost of living crisis is causing 84% of UK workers stress and anxiety.

However, burnout is not just stress. According to the National Library of Medicine, burnout is defined as “a prolonged response to chronic interpersonal stressors on the job.” Symptoms of burnout include “overwhelming exhaustion, feelings of cynicism and detachment from the job, and a sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment.”

No wonder the new buzzword, quiet quitting, is making the rounds, the act of putting no more effort into your work than is absolutely necessary. Feeling exhausted and cynical and like their work isn’t meaningful is a big reason why quiet quitters are giving up.

Quiet quitting is mostly a Gen Z movement, starting on TikTok. Many feel that they are not given any purposeful tasks and are going unrecognised for their hard work. It is a rebellion against the idea that your worth is defined by your labour and the burnout that is caused by overworking yourself with no achievement to show for it.

“My pay does not match the actual amount of work I do”

I spoke to Gabriel, a 22-year-old support worker, who works with young adults who have learning difficulties and behavioural problems. Gabriel’s responsibilities of helping with personal care and daily activities means his job is very demanding.

Gabriel told me, “I would say I feel stressed almost daily, I often have to pick up slack if our team is understaffed or the staff is untrained, which means I have to work twice as hard.”

“My pay does not match the actual amount of work I do. I take a practical and motivated approach so my clients can achieve the most they can everyday. I have developed a deep relationship with my clients for the 5 years I have been working there, and so my team and I often go above and beyond our duties which is certainly not reflected in our pay.”

Gabriel’s work situation could easily lead to burnout, as he often feels stressed and feels he has to work harder than he is being compensated for. Despite his relationship with his clients, Gabriel could easily begin to not enjoy his job anymore because of this.

It’s not just working Gen Z-ers that are feeling burned out, but university students too. It is no secret that university can be difficult, with piling essays, exams and dissertations looming overhead.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused huge disruptions in education, moving classes online for all students across the country. Many students might feel like there are gaps in their education that make them feel unprepared for university and a huge pressure to perform.

Burnout from work or education can easily affect your quality of life, such as depression, insomnia and a poor diet. Students may also experience poor academic performance and can even feel like they need to drop out.

“Some of my friends have to ask for extensions because they’re too stressed to even finish their assignments”

Georgia, a 19-year-old Psychology student, is one of many students that often feel burned out. She told me, “I do feel burned out at uni, especially after an assignment or in exam week. I tend to get headaches and feel very tired, and it makes me feel very unproductive.”

Georgia’s friends are also under the same amount of stress. “Some of my friends have to ask for extensions because they’re too stressed to even finish their assignments.”

“At uni we have weekly wellbeing sessions that we can go to to learn how to take care of our mental health, but I still feel like I don’t have good ways to manage the stress, it only goes away once my work is done. Then, I won’t go out for a few days and that helps me reset.”

A record number of 210,000 students sought mental health support in the year 2020/21, directly coinciding with the pandemic. While it is clear that young people today are more aware of their own mental health and more likely to seek help, stress is something that affects 45% of university students.

Georgia said, “at college I would say lockdown affected my education, but I found out that I liked working from home. At university I like that my exams are online and that I have the option to do lectures online. I think the fact that uni is more independent makes it easier to work online.”

Working from home has become commonplace since the 2020 lockdown, and it looks like it is here to stay. Many jobs are entirely remote, or are remote for a few days a week. The convenience and flexibility that comes with working remotely contributes to higher levels of happiness and productivity, with 56% of employees reporting an increase in happiness levels when working from home.

Hybrid working can bring a better work/life balance, lowers costs for the employer, reduces the need to commute, and gives time to go to appointments, pick kids up from school and exercise without taking time off. Many employees report improved mental health due to these advantages.

“I can organise my day better and my stress levels have improved”

Joanna, a 51-year-old bookkeeper, works remotely. She said, “I prefer working from home. We have offices across the country so even before lockdown I was used to connecting with my colleagues on the telephone anyway. I have to do more telephone conversations and Teams meetings, but from a work point of view it hasn’t changed much at all.”

“It’s easy to stay on top of my work and put a load of washing in, or do the hoovering. I can keep my dogs company all day and it’s easy to take them out for a walk at lunchtime which is a great way to break up the day and move around. I can organise my day better, and my stress levels have improved.”

However, Joanna also told me, “my younger colleagues like the social aspect, one of my colleagues is quite junior and it’s easier to ask questions in person than over the phone. The disadvantage is training her remotely has been more difficult. We do still try to get together for a lunch meeting once a week so we can still have face-to-face contact.”

Despite remote working being more commonplace, there are still many jobs that can only be done in person. Jobs such as bartending, waiting and shopkeeping are all often held by young people. 65% of people aged 16-24 report the inability to work from home, making them the age group with the least amount of home workers.

The leisure and hospitality, retail and healthcare industries are seeing high levels of people quitting their jobs. This ‘Great Resignation’ started in 2021 and is yet another result of burnout from working high-stress jobs with low pay, with many feeling they are treated as expendable and resort to looking for better opportunities.

Many of the benefits of working from home that Joanna described might not be reachable for Gabriel and Georgia so early in their careers. Perhaps this is why Gen Z are responding by quiet quitting their jobs, as they are not afforded the better work/life balance that comes with remote working.

So, how can you manage stress and prevent burnout? Mind, a mental health charity, suggests some coping mechanisms such as taking short breaks, focussing on life outside of work, and developing end-of-day habits to help switch off from work.

The NHS also recommends maintaining a healthy lifestyle, such as staying physically active and getting enough sleep. Asking for help is another great way to relieve stress, as talking things out with another person can help to find solutions to your problems.

Amid economic crises, feelings of stress around money, work and the future have skyrocketed. It is important to recognise burnout and be able to deal with it, as it could lead to more severe problems such as depression and anxiety. The NHS and Mind are just a couple of the many resources out there to help you cope with stress.

Feature image by Leeloo Thefirst via Pexels.