Burnout is often caused by chronic stress, which depletes mental, emotional, and physical reserves. A team of researchers has developed a tool to identify people who are most at risk of burnout.
This tool, the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT), works through a series of questions designed to assess a person’s mental and physical state at work through self-reported answers.
According to a report in Science Alert, burnout is not an official symptom, so there is no official diagnosis. Workplace burnout can have negative mental and physical effects, and can often lead to other health problems.
According to the researchers, the tool finds and assesses signs of risk based on data collected from 493 adults. He then calculates a score for a particular symptom compared to the national average for one of the seven countries. Being able to identify that risk means you can take steps to prevent burnout from occurring.
It is worth noting that the list of relevant countries is currently limited to Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, and the Netherlands. Results will need to be creatively interpreted for the rest of the world.
Leon de Beer, a psychologist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), said: “To date, there are not enough studies that can be used in both practice and research to identify workers at risk of burnout.” We didn’t have detailed measurement tools.” Cited by Science Alert.
Interestingly, this tool focuses on areas such as work-family conflict, workload, job satisfaction, and psychological stress. Questions include feeling like you’re on autopilot at work, feeling sad without knowing why, and unsure about the value of your work.
If the risk of employee burnout is not addressed, it can have long-term consequences,” De Beer said.
De Beer and his colleagues also note several factors that increase the risk of burnout. Among others, unrealistically high expectations, rapid institutional change, low self-esteem, and lack of opportunity can all play a role.
Researchers say burnout can quickly lead to exhaustion, emotional distance, and a reduced ability to regulate emotions. Scientists also stress that it is treatable. It is important to emphasize that the earlier burnout is recognized and treatment begins, the better. Additionally, BAT should help both employees and employers identify risks and address personal and organizational change.
The study was published in the Scandinavian Journal of Psychology.
