Work exhaustion, or "burnout" is certainly nothing new, but downsizing and the demands of new information and communications technology have made it more serious than ever. In fact, the problem is reaching epidemic proportions around the globe. And doing more with less is costing businesses more. According to one source, in the U.S. alone, job stress costs employers around $200 billion each year in reduced productivity, accidents, absenteeism, turnover, and insurance expenses.

Suveys bear witness to a problem that, until recently, was never talked about. A recent study by Northwestern National Life Insurance Co., for example, found that one-fourth of employees view their jobs as the number-one stress factor in their lives. A survey by St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co. found that problems at work were more strongly associated with health complaints than financial difficulties. Burnout was a major factor in people leaving current positions for new jobs, according to a survey by Society for Human Resource Management (Alexandria, Va.), which, in another survey last year, found 18% of respondents burned out, most of them attributing the problem to forces outside their control.

For many others, the extended hours and crammed schedules aren’t driven by a desire for personal achievement or the need to accumulate wealth. Instead, they are driven by the ever-decreasing level of security in most jobs. Employees are working harder than ever to prove themselves indispensable, or, at least, to convince management that their names shouldn’t be on the next list of staffers to be laid off.

Three realities in today’s corporate environment increase the potential for employee burnout. First and foremost is increased performance demands. In the exhaustion of working 80-hour weeks, while dealing with his young child’s serious health problem, one man vented his frustrations and fatigue in the office through a few sarcastic remarks. The comments weren’t taken lightly by this dedicated manager’s colleagues. I met Frank after he was accused of sexual harassment, and his probation agreement required behavioral counseling. Frank had no history of inappropriate behavior. He had just reached his emotional breaking point. However, he wound up saying things that he will regret for the rest of his professional career. Appropriate intervention by managers, and some scheduling flexibility, might have prevented this incident.

Rising customer expectations now make 24/7 availability a way of life for many, even when immediate response is unnecessary. Promising continuous availability, and answering that chiming e-mail message at 11 p.m., becomes another strategy for beating the competition.

The second major factor is corporate churnover. In the U.S. last year, 2.9 million jobs were created in 1998. Less than 700,000 were cut, a number that seems tiny until you consider that, if you worked a 40-hour week last year, every hour you worked, 300 people were terminated. According to one report, 43% of U.S. workers go to work each day worried that they might be laid off. Another survey of 1,500 workers found 57% of employees aren’t satisfied with their jobs.

An extremely unsettled workforce is living every day with the possibility of an unexpected job transition, putting in more face time, working longer hours, taking on special assignments, enrolling in classes after work, or volunteering for community organizations in which they can network and learn new job skills. Unfortunately, though, this uncertainty often progresses into anger, and internalized anger leads to burnout.

To protect yourself from the possibility of burnout, here are some tips:

Be sure that you can find a bottomline value for what you do.

Build on your strengths

Identify what you are wired to do, and do it, instead of trying to get competent in areas that don’t interest you. An eagle kept in water won’t become a good swimmer, just a soggy bird.

In the global market, your value to your organization is in what you do and in whom you know. People who are resilient have meaningful relationships with diverse people.

What gets you promoted to management is your technical ability. What makes you capable as a manager is your ability to relate to others.

Expand your marketability

If your salary is good but the company doesn’t encourage growth, your financial gains will soon be overtaken by your obsolescence.

Get what you need - within or outside of your company - from friends, colleagues or performance coaches.

You will probably never find balance between your personal and professional lives. Learn to choose options that support the values at the center of your life.

As Peter Drucker wisely reminds us, "The danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic. As global competition increases, individuals and firms must continue to optimize results. However, corporate growth and meeting employee needs aren’t mutually exclusive. Manage yourself and those you lead for long-term effectiveness. Beat burnout, before you’re toast.

Edited by Agnes Shanley

1. Olson, C., "Battling Burnout: Employers Seeing Benefits in Reducing Stress at Work," Omaha World-Herald, April 12, 1999, p. 14.

2. Statistics reported by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, in "Stress ... at Work," publication no. 99-101.

3. 1997 Retention Practices Minisurvey, The Soc. for Human Resources Management (SHRM; Alexandria, Va., 1998.

4. Moore, J., "Are You Burning Out Valuable Resources?", HR Magazine, January 1999, SHRM, Alexandria, Va.

Joseph Jordan - As principal of Jordan Development, Inc. (800 Snapdragon Lane, Plano, TX 75075-2365; Phone: 972-633-2524, Fax: 972-633-8440; E-mail: joegjordandev.com), he specializes in helping organizations and individuals improve corporate, and personal, effectiveness. Prior to establishing his own business, he worked as a corporate trainer for such staffing companies as Thomas Staffing and Adia Personnel, now Adecco. He began his career as a minister and pastor, leading a congregation in Madison, WI., for 4.5 years before moving into the staffing and human resources business.