Burned out at work?

Burned out at work?
Use Your EAP to get back on track.

By: Sherry Ryon Courtemanche

Burnout is an ever-present workplace hazard that can affect anyone. In a 2024 survey conducted by SHRM, 44% of U.S. employees reported feeling burned out. Fending off burnout in the early stages will help preserve your wellbeing and protect your professional objectives. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of burnout is the first step in understanding how to halt it. The good news is if you are a federal employee, you have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that offers free, 24/7 support and resources to address workplace burnout and get you back on track.

What is burnout?

Burnout is a type of stress triggered by prolonged or excessive workplace stress. It manifests in workers as feeling overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and falling behind in work demands.

Contributors to burnout

Work stressors can be driven by situational pressures as well as internal factors. High work demands, such as tight deadlines or work volume, can lead to burnout. Feeling unclear about performance expectations or lack of control over your work may lead to stress and burnout. A lack of recognition for work or ethical struggles without support can also cause undue stress and contribute to burnout. Looming personal issues can leave little time or energy to manage busy periods of a demanding career contributing to burnout.

What are the common signs of burnout?

The signs of burnout are a combination of emotional, physical, and mental symptoms. Be on the lookout for some of the most common symptoms — fatigue, irritability, detachment from work, and/or pervasive negativity toward work or people you work with. You may also experience physical symptoms like difficulty concentrating, headaches, and muscle tension. As burnout progresses, you may find yourself struggling to complete tasks, pulling away from colleagues and work-related activities. Prolonged stress can even weaken your immune system and cause you to get sick more often.

What you can do to fend off burnout

Recognizing the signs of burnout are a major step in regaining control over your wellbeing. Your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers 24/7 support and resources to get you back on track. If you need support to work through a stressful work period or personal situation, EAPs provide no cost confidential counseling. Work one-on-one with a seasoned counselor to deal with challenging situations, reset healthy boundaries with work, understand your thoughts and feelings, develop relationship skills, and manage stress and anxiety with new strategies to decompress physically and mentally. Do you feel personally or professionally stuck and want to improve your life satisfaction? Consider working with a certified coach to achieve unrealized goals. Get work-life balance assistance to cope with additional life pressures that are squeezing your time and energy. Do you have a legal issue that needs to be addressed, but don’t know where to start? The EAP can provide no-cost legal consultation with a lawyer for your specific legal needs. If you have money on your mind and need help with financial issues that are stressing you out, the EAP can connect you with a free money coach session to sort through questions and worries. If you are a caregiver, EAP services can assist with caregiving resources for pets, children, elder or dependent adults. Need someone to help with the leg work? Your EAP can help with that too. Find a plumber to deal with the leaky faucet or a tutor for your child. Need a vacation but don’t have time for the planning? Your EAP can probably do that too!

If you are burned out, don’t go it alone. EAP services and resources will help you build a personal strategy to get your wellbeing back on track and protect your professional objectives.