burnout at work: advice from a mental health expert

Earlier this year, we published our Shining a Light on Mental Health white paper, which revealed 55% of accountants are suffering from stress and burnout, with 79% saying poor mental health is a problem within the accountancy profession.

Given the impact of the pandemic on our working and personal life and the cost-of-living crisis, not to mention major global events, as well as the everyday challenges we face, it’s not surprising burnout is becoming more widespread.

Research carried out by the independent thinktank, Infinite Potential, last year, found that burnout is a growing problem, significantly negatively impacting people’s wellbeing, productivity and quality of work. 

However, while studies have indicated self-care is an important part of preventing and recovering from stress and burnout at work, it’s not enough. Organisations need to play a greater role in creating structures and cultures that successfully manage mental health-focused workplace psychosocial risk factors.

burnout is an occupational syndrome  

Burnout was defined as an occupational syndrome by the World Health Organisation in 2019 that can be identified as

1.  Emotional exhaustion. 
2.  Depersonalisation or negative, cynical attitudes towards work, colleagues and clients. 
3.  Reduced personal accomplishment. 

Further to this, multi-dimensional approaches are increasingly being recognised as the solution to dealing with any form of burnout, with people being encouraged to take proactive action to prevent and deal with it, such as:

1. Approaching and being honest with your line manager  

Identify areas of your role that are causing the most difficulty, see if you can identify some workable solutions and share them with your line manager. 

Working together to identify ways forward and managing expectations is key. High demands, reduced resources and little sense of control are key features of workplace stress. 

Explore the factors that contributed to your burnout. Try to pinpoint when it started and how it developed and work out an action plan, with the support of others, to deal with it. 

Your burnout experience is unique to you…. 

We all have different capacities, resources and live in different situations, so comparing your ability to cope with how other people function is counterproductive. 

Create your own personal toolkit and recognise that your health and wellbeing is pivotal to being able to live your life as fully as possible. It’s also worth noting that many of the ideas suggested above will need the support of your line manager and organisation as a whole. 

…but you shouldn’t have to tackle it alone  

If you need help because you’re feeling burnt out, we provide confidential counselling online or over the phone from registered counsellors, who can work with you to find the answers to your situation. 

About Kirsty Lilley 

Kirsty is an experienced mental health specialist, registered general nurse, psychotherapist, mental health first aid instructor, coach and mindfulness practitioner. 

She delivers mindfulness and self-compassion courses to public and private sector organisations and develops wellbeing policies and training to improve workplace mental health and wellbeing.