Causes and Prevention of Burnout in Human Services Staff

Running Head: Causes and Prevention of Burnout in Human Services Staff

Causes and Prevention of Burnout in Human Services Staff

Burnout is an occupational disease that creates team members to possess less than acceptable performance behaviors. These behaviors if left ignored can create low productivity within the organization and lower morale in departments. Individuals who experience from burnout will suffer from dissatisfaction in performance and become detached from duties causing clientele satisfaction to suffer. Burnout is preventable if the organizations understands the reasons and overcome if preventable methods are used.

Burnout

Burnout can happen in any organizational setting. This physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion occurs in individuals whose job duties are emotionally demanding (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2007). Burnout is also a possibility if an individual's job causes excessive stress that has happened over a long period.

Burnout, unlike stress that produces exhaustion, anxiety, and physical ailments, causes an individual to appear unmotivated and unproductive (Smith & Segal, 2012). The signs of burnout may be perceived as laziness to outside evaluators. If left unattended the team member will continue to become disengaged from responsibilities, emotionless, and become detached to the organization (Smith & Segal, 2012).

Reasons for Burnout and Leader Responsibility

There are several reasons for team member burnout. These unproductive behaviors that result from the occupational disease is not only caused from a stressful professional atmosphere or too much responsibility. An individual's detachment from organizational contentment may be possessing a negative outlook, the inability to overcome work-related issues, or environmental factors.

A team member's personality traits help contribute to burnout. The personalities that interfere with happiness is perfectionistic desires, pessimistic views, controlling tendencies, and Type A personalities (Smith & Segal, 2012). Team members who demand perfection in themselves and possess a Type A personality have a difficult time obtaining and maintaining high standards. Disappointment when things do not go as planned is frustrating and the team member will see failure in the attempt. Pessimistic individuals believe failure is only evident or he or she cannot live up to set standards. When team members refuse to delegate duties, for fear of others not meeting standards, pressure and additional stress are the results (Smith & Segal, 2012).

Ambiguity within the organization is key factor in burnout. Team members who receive unclear or mixed expectations can become frustrated. Frustration can produce feelings of helplessness or hopelessness (Smith & Segal, 2012). Leadership styles also contributes to the organizational disease. A bureaucratic atmosphere where flexible management styles occur and lack of openness happen results to team member burnout (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2007). Team members desire an atmosphere where expectations are clear, concise, and consistent.

Burnouts are likely when team members are unsupervised and unsupported (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2007). Team members who have unsolved issues with management or do not receive constructive criticism believe that his or her efforts are unappreciated. Autonomy is important in a position but these efforts and successes need recognition. Leaders should involve team members in decisions that affect the company and individual duties. Team members who participate in the decision-making process are more likely to understand the need for change and portray necessary behavior performances to create successful change.

Cultural factors that contribute to organizational