This is a collection of processed notes by me from the free viewable presentation titled Understanding Job Burnout by Dr. Christina Maslach, who coined the concept and has researched Burnout for decades. These findings are backed by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Lecture by Christina Maslach. Professor of Psychology, Emerita. University of California, Berkeley. Notes transcribed by April Cyr

World Health Organization (WHO)

"The World Health Organization recognized the serious effects of burnout from chronic workplace stress. Burnout levels among doctors are at new highs, far worse than the general population, and increasing relentlessly. Burnout among nurses is similarly rising and is highest among those on the front line of patient care. Doctors and nurses commit suicide at higher rates than in almost any other profession. Higher levels of burnout are also associated with more medical errors and compromised patient safety."

Ofri, D. (2019, June 14). _Opinion | The Business of Health Care Depends on Exploiting Doctors and Nurses_. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/08/opinion/sunday/hospitals-doctors-nurses-burnout.html (Published pre-Pandemic!!!!!!!)

Changing Workplace

Occupational Groups

Professions that traditionally have had a higher risk for burnout are: Healthcare, Human Services, Social Activism. Now burnout is a risk in many other professions including Tech Industries and Customer Service.

Changes in the Social Dynamics of Work

    • Multiple part-time jobs, rather than full-time career
    • Less concern and commitment for employees
    • Destructive competition between co-workers
    • Divisive tactics that reward "talent" but not everyone
    • People getting shut out of opportunities
    • Loss of "the common good" as core value

The Burnout Shop as a Business Model

Short-term "start-up" self-sacrifice is now a long-term model. Forced competition erodes social relationships in the workplace.

There are no metrics of the human costs..

    • Long-term stress and health problems
    • Physical Exhaustion
    • Sleep Deprivation
    • Disruptions of Personal LIfe
    • Loss of Self-Worth and meaningful achievements
    • Burnout
    • Depression, Anxiety
    • Suicide

The underlying assumption is that employees who burn out are not the best ones, so they are expendable and disposable.

"Burnout is often an engineering term. My father worked for NASA as an Engineer for the space program. He would talk about the rocket boosters that would burn out as they are carrying things into space. Ball Bearings, burn out, because they are in an abrasive environment without adequate resources(oil)." - Christina Maslach

*We're a burnout shop, we only want type a+++ people, we will work you to death for a couple of years 24-7. That's our motto. When you burn-out, and have nothing left to give or do, you will leave and we will get someone else. We have to do more with less, we expect more from you, longer harder work, more responsibilities, but we acn't hire more people, we can't pay you more or bring in the resources needed."

Anecdote from Dr. Christina Maslach: "I remember running into a CEO who said 'I love burnout! it's a really wonderful thing' I asked 'Okay, why do you think that?' He said, 'Well if they burnout it must mean they aren't good enough, not strong enough, can't take it. This is not a good person I want to hang onto. If they burnout, they will quit! I don't have to go through the process of firing them! So I think it's a good thing.'"

Unhealthy Jobs & Workplace

There are certain types of job conditions that are highly stressful and toxic for human beings.

    • Long working hours and high demands
    • Job insecurity and lack of control
    • Low social support and work-family conflict

These stressors pose a danger to the worker's wellbeing

    • Increase in annual unnecessary deaths and healthcare costs
    • Lower worker life expectancy and more working years lost
    • Greater risk of burnout and depression

These problems show up at work as absenses, sick leaves, turnover, mistakes and errors, not high quality work. There isn't good evidence these bad practices ensure productivity, quality, or economic bottom line success. Estimates in financial losses from these practices is 200 to 300 billion a year.

Six Major Burnout Predictors

  1. Workload

    Demand Overload: There is way too much to do, can't be done without the appropriate resources(time people capital) to do the job well.

  2. Control

    Tied in, boxed in, tied down about how you can do the work the best you can. Lack of Autonomy.

  3. Reward

    Salary, Benefits, Social Rewards, Recognition of good work. You do a good job, and nothing happens.

  4. Community

    People you come into contact regularly. Colleagues, supervisors, vendors, clients, bosses, etc. Is there good support and ability to work together? Can you count on others? or is it a socially toxic environment? (lack of trust, fighting, bullying, etc.)

  5. Fairness

    Procedures and practices where we work are fairly administered. Are people doing good work getting the opportunities and promotions? Or are other things going on like nepotism(who you know). Where discrimination and glass ceilings live. Erodes values and commitment.

  6. Values

    Is this worthwhile? Am I making a difference? Do I have passion for this? Why am I waking up every day to show up at this job? Am I having to do things wrong and unethical? Are there discrepancies between job values, my values, and what I am supposed to do at work?

Burnout: Stress Phenomenon

"Burnout has been classified as an occupational phenomenon and given a code in the ICD(International Classification of Diseases) but it is not a disease, and the WHO has endorsed this. It is a major predictor for major health issues or to go to health institutions for help. It is a response to Chronic Stressors in the workplace which have not been managed successfully."

Prolonged response to chronic situational stressors on the job. Three dimensions:

    • Exhaustion / Individual Stress ("I can't take it anymore")
    • Cynicism / Negative Response to Job ("Socially toxic workplace")
    • Professional Inefficacy / Negative self-evaluation ("erosion of my soul, no future")

These individual solutions do not make the job less toxic

Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)

Assesses three dimensions of Exhaustion, Cynicism, and Inefficacy. Frequency based ratings from 0-6 with each point identified

    • 0 - Never
    • 1 - A few times a year or less
    • 2 - Once a month or less
    • 3 - A few times a month
    • 4 - Once a week
    • 5 - A few times a week
    • 6 - Every day

Three scores looked at separately, not combined into single overall score, to yield different pattern profiles. Does not simplify into a one dimension cut-off score.

MBI Profiles of Work Experience

Burnout - Three high negative scores
Disengaged - one high negative score - cynicism What is the least I can do to still get a paycheck?
Overextended - one high negative score - Exhaustion
Ineffective - one high negative score - Inefficacy
Engagement - no negative scores (all three are positive)

Canary in the Coal Mine Metaphor

When the canary in the coal mine dies, that is a warning sign of a toxic work environment. The focus is on making the environment less toxic, not make the canary stronger and more resilient.

Fitting people to the job

Training and Education: Development and skills, Practical experience
Coping with Stressors: resilience, strength, time away from work
What creates person-job "fit"?: Satisfaction of core psychological needs promotes worker motivation and psychological well-being.

Seven Core Needs

Autonomy, Belongingness, Competence, Positive Emotions, Psychological Safety, Fairness, Meaning

Six Paths to a Healthy Workplace

There are many possibilities, within all six areas to improve the "good fit" between people and their job. These changes can be small, inexpensive, and customizable. They can be done with teams, groups, or units, rather than just individuals.

    • Sustainable Workload
    • Choice and Control
    • Recognition and Reward
    • Supportive Work Community
    • Fairness, Respect, and Social Justice
    • Clear Values and Meaningful Work

Conclusion

The burnout shop is not a viable, or desirable, future for our workplace or our society. Experts from a variety of areas (architecture, Psychology, IT, Sociology, Economics, Medicine, Public Health) must partner to design, and help create the healthy workpalce of the future. Healthy Workplaces is an interdisciplinary center at UC-Berkeley that is undertaking that challenge.

Dying for a Paycheck: How Modern Management Harms Employee Health and Company Performance―and What We Can Do About It: Pfeffer, Jeffrey: 9780062800923: