Burnout Prevention: Cultivating quality over quantity

“We think, mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of time we put in at work, instead of the quality of time we put in.” – Arianna Huffington

High Quantity

Amassing great quantities of nearly anything and everything seems to have become a way of life for many people in the United States over the past 3-4 decades. In the workplace, those in the Baby Boomer (1946-1964) and Generation X (1965-1980) age groups have been trained on the notion that working extra hours is expected and necessary not only to keep a job, but also to advance up career ladders. Arriving early and staying late at work has been looked upon with approval by most managers for so many years that co-workers now use it – consciously and unconsciously – as criteria for judging each other’s, and their own, commitment to the job.

How often have you heard others, or yourself, say, “So-and-so must not care much about their job since they never get here until after 8:00 a.m., take long lunches, leave early, are working ‘out of the office,’ or never take extra shifts?”

Contrary to what has been the popular belief for so long, productivity actually decreases per hour when the workweek exceeds 50 hours according to a study from Stanford¹. And, people working as much as 70+ hours per week are wasting their time in most cases because it has been proven that they get the same amount accomplished as those working 55 hours per week.

We’ve been making a false assumption in believing that time spent equals desired outcomes. Time is only one of many elements that contribute to positive outcomes and the amount spent is certainly not directly proportionate to the amount of success achieved in most cases.

The Toll of Too Much Time

It’s time to make a change. Of course, timeliness and accountability are essential soft skills in the workplace that should always be upheld. However, this overtime attitude that has crept into our post-World War II culture and carried into our 21^st century global workplace is not only unhealthy and unwise, but also ineffective and costly to employers and employees.

When our bodies and minds are out of balance with the symptoms of fatigue and stress, we make mistakes, take longer to process information, and are slower to respond with intelligent and focused answers to daily challenges and routine tasks. In professions such as health care and engineering, for instance, the impact of this imbalance too often means the difference between life and death for patients and end users.

This may sound dramatic, yet it is absolutely true. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University reported through the National Center for Health Statistics in The Washington Post that “medical error” is now the third leading cause of death in the United States.² Several sources responding to this research, including an article in the New England Journal of Medicine discussing a Mayo Clinic study with the American College of Surgeons,³ say that there’s a strong link between errors and burnout.

The National Safety Council has launched an initiative to help employers combat fatigue³ with solutions to implement in their workplaces ranging from scheduling recommendations to promoting the importance of sleep. Finding time for sleep can be difficult when working a lot of hours at one or more jobs.

Employers can help in other ways as well. They can simply raise awareness of the issue by talking about it from the top down. They can also offer innovative benefits to their employees like life care personal assistant services to alleviate some of the time-consuming tasks of everyday life that consume precious time off so workers can use that time to restore their energy instead of further draining their physical, mental and emotional stamina.

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine defines fatigue as the body’s response to sleep deprivation or lengthy physical or mental hard work. They have declared it an unsafe condition in the 24/7 workplaces of our world and have released a guidance statement that outlines risk factors and management in an article published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM),⁴ Volume 54, Number 2, February 2012. 

Creating Environments that Value High Quality

So, if employees shouldn’t spend extra time working in an effort to avoid fatigue, burnout and costly errors, how can they improve quality outcomes?

In addition to getting enough good sleep, the first steps are ensuring employees are taking care of themselves physically and emotionally. Adequate exercise, healthy meals, meditation, and supportive connections with a caring circle of people in their lives are important. Just like the instructions received on every airline flight, “in the event of an emergency place the oxygen mask over your mouth first before assisting others.” Burnout can feel as if they are being choked, or so overwhelmed and apathetic, they just don’t care about the outcome of their efforts. If a person is out of oxygen to breathe, they cannot be expected to do their job well.

The next step to finding greater productivity and quality outcomes is to help employees find ways to save time. Looking to small business best practices⁵ where employers and employees are used to running as lean as possible for transferrable ideas to larger health systems and corporate environments, it is clear that workers need to be empowered to develop, discuss, and implement ideas for improvement. Also:

• Remove no-longer-needed or redundant processes and tasks that take up valuable time;
• Improve training and communication to avoid wasted time spent on trying to find information;
• Establish goals and make a commitment to carry through:
• Implement changes gradually to ensure they are easily adopted and not disruptive;
• Track mistakes, ⁶ but do not dwell on them, and make adjustments in processes that will help avoid them in the future; and,
• Be positive, encourage positive thinking, and have fun.

Using weekends, or at least two consecutive days off during the week, to disconnect from work, reconnect with supportive people you like, and enjoy hobbies is an important part of work-life balance. Taking time to relax, meditate, and shift gears feeds productivity far more than constantly working. A recent article¹ recommends disconnecting for large chunks of time during days off as well as minimizing chores and errands that can easily overtake an entire day. The same chores being referenced by this Ladders writer are those that Balance Concierge and its team within each facility can take care of for employees during the week. 

Interested in learning more about how Balance Concierge can help your teams prevent burnout, live healthier lives, and recognize quality work?

Contact us to learn more at 877.502.2201 or Click Here.

REFERENCES

¹ Bradberry, Travis. “10 ways smart people work less and get more done,” September 11, 2018, https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/smart-people-work-less-get-more-done

² Eunjung Cha , Ariana. “Researchers: Medical errors now third leading cause of death in United States,” May 3, 2016, The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/05/03/researchers-medical-errors-now-third-leading-cause-of-death-in-united-states/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c024368979ad

³ Shanafelt, MD, Tait, Sinsky, MD, FACP, Christine A., Swensen, MD, MMM, FACR, Stephen. “Preventable Deaths in American Hospitals” last modified January 23, 2017, The New England Journal of Medicine. https://catalyst.nejm.org/medical-errors-preventable-deaths/

⁴ Trotto, Sarah. “Fatigue and worker safety,” February 26, 2017, Safety + Health: The Official Magazine of the NSC Congress & Expo. https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/15271-fatigue-and-worker-safety

⁵ Joseph, Chris. "Ways to Improve Quality, Productivity & Process Time" last modified June 30, 2018, Small Business Chronicle. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ways-improve-quality-productivity-process-time-4828.html

⁶ Inc. Staff; “5 Ways to Improve Quality” last modified September 2, 2010, Inc. https://www.inc.com/guides/2010/09/5-ways-to-improve-quality.html