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THE SUPERVISOR’S

GUIDE TO BURNOUT

Presented by: Judith GissyPCC, LICDC, NCAC II, SAP

“© 2016 Bethesda Healthcare, Inc. All rights reserved.

Copying or reproducing this document is strictly prohibited."

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TriHealth EAP is a part of the Corporate Health division of the TriHealth Healthcare

System. We provide:

• Assessment

• Referral

• Counseling

• Crisis Intervention

• Work/life services

• Management Consultation

• Workplace Training

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• To become completed depleted of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual energy

• Is caused by long-term involvement with emotionally demanding situations

• Is a combination of emotional exhaustion and a loss of personal accomplishment

WORKPLACE BURNOUT

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• Burnout is a process rather than a fixed condition.

• It starts gradually, becoming more intense and debilitating over time.

• It often affects the “best and the brightest” employees.

• Stress can play a role, but burnout is very different from feeling stressed

• Supervisors themselves can be very vulnerable to the effects of workplace burnout

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SIGNS OF BURNOUT

• Feeling constantly empty, hopeless, helpless, cynical, unnoticed and unrewarded.

• Losing the enthusiasm for the job, activities that were fun now feel like drudgery.

• Feeling so drained and depleted that the simplest problems are confounding

• Feeling negative about work and life in general

• Becoming easily angry & upset

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• Overly demanding

work expectations

• An emotionally demanding job

• Lack of recognition for good work

• A low feeling of accomplishment

• Little or no control over the job

• Inadequate job resources

• Feels unsupported by the Company

• Low levels of social support

• Strong rules regulating the expression of emotions

• Confusion regarding their job role

• A job with risk and safety factors

THE CAUSES OF BURNOUT

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• Taking care of both the employee’s needs and the company’s needs

• Inability to share what you’re experiencing with employees

• Less opportunities for open sharing with peers

• Dealing with downsizing & restructuring, being asked to “do more with less”

FOR SUPERVISORS

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CARETAKING

• The Supervisor over-gives so much to the job and to the client that he/she neglects their own needs.

• The boundaries between the Supervisor and the employee get blurred. The Helper experiences the same level of intensity over the problem as the employee

• The Supervisor takes on more responsibility for fixing the problem than the employee.

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HOW CAN EMPLOYEES &

SUPERVISORS PREVENT

BURNOUT ?

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AWARENESS

• Becoming alert to the signs of burnout, and intervene when we recognize them

• Becoming aware of our own personal issues

• Getting information on wellness through trainings, readings, and professional organizations

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STRESS

MANAGEMENT

• Create a calming and comfortable workspace

• Take all your breaks and lunchtimes, and go somewhere else for them.

• Learn to delegate, at work and at home.

• Try to leave work on time, no matter what occurs.

• Use humor to relieve tension and to reinforce that life isn’t serious all the time.

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MONITORING BOUNDARIES

• Boundaries define the work relationship.

• Healthy boundaries empower the customer, while also minimizing the impact of the client.

• Basic boundaries are set by the employee’s codes of ethics, and are utilized daily.

• However, all employees struggle with “case specific boundary issues” occasionally.

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• Schedules their employee’s needs around their own emotional well-being.

• Exhibits healthy emotional detachment, leaving the employee to own the problem.

• Places the responsibility for success and failure directly into the employee’s hands.

• Allows the employee to experience the consequences of their own actions.

THE SUPERVISOR:

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• A cultivated network of family, friendships, colleagues, acquaintances, and social activities

• It imparts the secure feeling that we belong to a community of people who value us.

• It helps us cope with the problems of daily life.

• Our supports act as listeners, mentors, debriefers, commisserators, cheerleaders, sounding boards, and advice-givers.

• The greater the daily challenges, the more important a support system becomes, to help us restore our stability.

USING A SUPPORT SYSTEM

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• Accepting that it’s normal to feel the way you feel, and practice the habit of releasing it on a regular basis

• Applies to day-to-day issues as well as major crises

• Ventilating can mean debriefing with friends, can journaling, music, or art.

• Counseling can also provide a helpful outlet.

VENTILATING FEELINGS

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SELF-CARE

• There are needs only we can fill in ourselves, such as self-esteem, serenity, and self-satisfaction.

• Find ways to place yourself at the top of your “to do list”

• Work on self-growth and self-actualization; discover what you enjoy beyond your job, household and family responsibilities.

• Nurture your spirituality, generating the core feelings of serenity and self-balance

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INTERVENING ON BURNOUT:

----Viktor Frankl

“WHAT IS TO GIVE LIGHT MUST ENDURE

BURNING.”

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HOW SUPERVISORS CAN

HELP EMPLOYEES

• Be open to changing the employees job position and job responsibilities, if necessary

• Be aware that serious burnout needs intensive and comprehensive long-term intervention

• Approach the employee – don’t just ignore it

• Encourage time out, and the use of the EAP

• Keep lines of communication open

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• Give frequent positive feedback and recognition

• Give employees an outlet to debrief difficult situations/customers

• Empower employees to set healthy boundaries to protect themselves emotionally

• Encourage pride and ownership in the job

• Increase employee participation in decision making

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THE MORE

RESILIENT WE BECOME, THE MORE

AFFECTIVE WE ARE IN HELPING OURSELVES

HELP OTHERS