Burnout 101: Stress and Rest
Burnout is described as “a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands.” It is such a common word nowadays, and that might not be a good thing.
We asked our employees several questions regarding this topic – what the word means to them and some of the consequences they suffer from it. We are hoping to gather some insight into their perspectives as individuals working for and with Xilium.
Is burnout real for you? What are the “symptoms” you experience when you feel burnout starting?
“Yes, burnout is a real thing for me. Based on my experience, the symptoms you may experience when burnout is starting is lack of motivation to work. That every task you do just feels ‘empty’ and you do not know the purpose of what you are doing.”
“Yes, it is very real. Lack of drive or motivation to keep pushing through. When work and effort are not appreciated, motivation and drive slow down. I’m thankful I haven’t had any moments of burnout yet.”
“Yes. I was going to work and it felt like I’m not happy anymore. It’s the feeling that I’ll just go to work because I have to but I’m not happy or not enjoying it.”
“Yes, it is very real. Lack of drive or motivation to keep pushing through. When work and effort are not appreciated, motivation and drive slow down. I’m thankful I haven’t had any moments of burnout yet.”
Do you have coping mechanisms? How do you deal with burnout?
“Usually sleeping. Deep breathing, eating, sleeping, and praying.”
“Yes. I do breathing exercises whenever I feel tired. Good food and good company are always the best combos may it be at work or at home. I watch variety shows or feel-good movies and have a good laugh if I have time before, after work, or on weekends. Of course, our friends will always cheer us up (the never-ending plan of our get-aways, lol!).
Always looking forward to my days off, especially pre-pandemic so I can go home and pour my heart out to my mother. It is best to release those emotions from time to time. I used to request food from Nanay and she will happily cook for me but I am mostly happy whenever I cook for my family.
I also found out that gardening is therapeutic. Blooming flowers and fruit-bearing trees at home or anywhere makes me happy. Walking or biking on a good day makes me feel relaxed as it reminds me to slow down, enjoy the moment and appreciate the littlest thing. Sometimes all we need is to breathe in the fresh air.”
Does the company help you with how you cope? Are you comfortable enough to bring up work burnout to your workmates and/or the management?
“Yes. Of course, we need to be vocal with our physical, emotional, and mental health.”
“Comfortable enough to bring it up but it is rarely dealt with effectively.”
“I cannot say it right now for it is just my first month with Xilium, but the efforts, especially with this platform of a survey, I am sure the company has planned about it.”
“The fact that we are allowed to open entertainment sites like Youtube helps a lot.”
What do you suggest the company can do to help you with a burnout in the future apart from adjusting the workload if necessary?
“I guess to get to know the employees on how they take their mind off the work. For example, some might say hiking, some might say gaming, etc.”
“Some time for team buildings, although it’s already implemented, maybe more time to bond with each other where we can talk freely and enjoy”
“I’m glad that Xilium started the program for the employee’s mental health, activities for us to loosen up and breath for a while especially when we started to work from home, and recently the Yoga session. These activities are well appreciated. But I hope the company can also probe deeper, maybe a questionnaire to hint whether a VMA is experiencing high demands from the client. “