ABQ Times

In recent years, burnout has become a common term in discussions about workplace stress. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic, unmanageable workplace stress and recognized it as an occupational phenomenon in 2019.

A new study from The University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management highlights the importance of receiving help at work to mitigate exhaustion levels. The research, titled “Receiving help at work mitigates the negative consequences of performance pressure: implications for depletion and citizenship behavior,” was published in the Journal of Social Psychology. It was led by UNM Associate Professor Andrea Hetrick with co-author UNM Professor Ryan Jacobson.

The study involved full-time employees across various industries in the United States, including 51.5% in managerial roles. A total of 268 participants were asked to recall instances when they received or did not receive help at work and to describe their experiences with pressure and exhaustion.

“We found that those who received help were less exhausted than employees who didn’t. When under a lot of pressure at work, exhaustion was exacerbated, and receiving help was more beneficial in those situations,” explained Hetrick.

The findings also indicated that exhausted workers tend to self-isolate and are less likely to assist coworkers. “If there isn’t a lot of help going on at work and people are overwhelmed, then that leads to employees becoming more and more exhausted. This leads to a downward spiral type of phenomenon,” Hetrick said.

This cycle creates a domino effect where fewer employees receive help, increasing feelings of being overwhelmed and burned out. “This research points to the importance of us working together. Being able to find unique and creative ways to still foster those relationships, even virtually, is extremely important,” Hetrick emphasized.

Hetrick advises companies to encourage collaboration among employees and suggests mindfulness techniques such as physical activity, meditation, yoga, and self-care as methods to combat burnout.

Managers may be unaware that their employees feel overwhelmed if they are isolated from coworkers who could share the workload. Hetrick recommends speaking up if feeling overwhelmed: “If you are in a supportive environment, it could also be helpful to speak up and let your boss know because they may not know that you have too much on your plate.”

With remote work becoming more common due to the pandemic, Hetrick encourages using tools like Zoom and Teams for fostering relationships within the workforce. “We can uniquely use the situation of Zoom and other virtual avenues to foster those relationships, even virtually,” concluded Hetrick.