Burnout, often caused due to chronic stress, depletes one’s mental, emotional, and physical reserves. A team of researchers has developed a tool to identify people who are at the most risk of getting burnt out.
The tool, 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 responses.
According to a report by Science Alert, as burnout is not an official condition, there is no formal diagnosis. Workplace burnout negatively affects us mentally and physically, and can often lead to other health problems.
According to researchers, the tool spots signs and assesses risks based on data collected from 493 adults. Later, it calculates a score for certain symptoms in comparison to a national average of one of seven countries. Being able to identify that risk means steps can be taken to stop burnout from happening.
It is noteworthy that the list of relevant countries is currently limited to Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, and the Netherlands. It would require some creative interpretation of the results for the rest of the world.
“Previously, we have not had a detailed enough measurement tool for use in both the field of practice and research that identifies workers who are at risk of burnout,” says psychologist Leon De Beer, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) as quoted by Science Alert.
Interestingly, the tool focuses on areas such as work-home conflict, workload, job satisfaction, and emotional stress. Questions include ones about feeling on autopilot at work, feeling sad without knowing why, and feeling unsure about the work’s value.
Not addressing the risk of employee burnout in time can have long-term consequences,” De Beer said.
De Beer and his colleagues have also noted some of the factors that increase the risk of burnout: among others, unrealistically high expectations, rapid institutional change, low self-esteem, and a lack of opportunity can all play a role.
According to the researchers, burnout can quickly lead to exhaustion, mental distancing, and a reduced ability to regulate emotions. The scientists also emphasise that it can be treated. It is important to highlight that the earlier burnout is recognized and those treatments are started, the better. Moreover, the BAT should help both employees and employers in identifying the risk, and addressing individual as well as institutional change.
The research has been published in the Scandinavian Journal of Psychology.
