By Anja van Beek, Agile Talent Strategist, Leadership & HR Expert and Executive Coach
Many South Africans are currently concerned about the energy crisis and the impact of loadshedding on the economy. An even bigger concern is the global trend of exhaustion and low energy levels of the workforce.
When I speak to leaders and managers, there are a few words that continue to be mentioned in conversations and they are: “fatigue / exhaustion / burnout”.
This isn’t surprising.
Many of us started 2022 in a survival mode; still recovering from the challenges and changes the pandemic brought. We were expected to deliver our best this year… but in fact…many were still recuperating and adjusting to what the new working world will look like.
Fast forward to now
Burnout is a global concern. It refers to feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion. It is an increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job and reduced professional efficiency.
A new study by Asana, looked at over 10,000 knowledge workers across seven countries, and found approximately 70% of people experienced burnout in the last year.
Burnout is hard on people, and it also hurts businesses. According to the Asana study, when people experience burnout, they are more likely to have lower morale (36% of people), be less engaged (30%), make more mistakes (27%) and miscommunicate (25%). They are also more likely to leave the company (25%).
Another study done by Deloitte, the Workplace Intelligence research, found that 47% of employees have quit in the past when a job negatively affected their wellbeing, and 57% are considering quitting to find a role that better supports their wellbeing.
