January 2024
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• Avoid Workplace Burnout

• Book Review
  The Burnout Challenge: A Comprehensive Approach
  to Workplace Well-Being

Avoid Workplace Burnout

Work-related burnout can impact your energy level, with almost half of the respondents of a recent study reporting low energy at the end of a workday. Studies have shown that prolonged work without breaks can reduce motivation and increase stress and burnout. Taking breaks during the workday is crucial for aligning your brain's natural rhythm, which cycles between heightened focus and rest. Regular breaks can significantly improve your focus, creativity, and job satisfaction.

Develop a work break strategy.

• Start incorporating breaks during working hours to enhance your productivity, mental health, and overall job satisfaction.
• Balance relaxation and engagement breaks by switching between physical, cognitive, and social activities.
• Find the optimal balance for break frequency and length, recognizing the benefits of regular, brief breaks for cognitive refreshment and increased productivity.

Prioritize breaks for mental health to enhance serotonin and dopamine, the chemicals that influence happiness and focus.

• Add breaks to your calendar to avoid skipping them.
• Disconnect mentally and physically from work-related tasks during breaks.
• Stay hydrated and choose healthy, nourishing snacks to fuel your body and mind.
• Practice deep breathing exercises during breaks to calm your mind and reduce stress.
• Spend breaks outside in nature for a refreshing experience, if possible.
• Use mental health apps to learn best practices for meditation, breathing, or stress reduction.

Taking work breaks may be essential to sustain a well-rounded and satisfying work life. You can combat work-related burnout by implementing a deliberate break strategy to improve productivity and job satisfaction. Rather than a luxury, view breaks as an essential activity for resilience and overall well-being.

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Wellness Works® Book Review ​

The Burnout Challenge: A Comprehensive Approach to Workplace Well-Being

In The Burnout Challenge, co-authored by Christina Maslach and Michael P. Leiter, the focus shifts from coping with job burnout to preventing it at its core. The book delves into the roots of burnout, identifying it as a stress response to chronic job stressors and advocating for effective stress management.

Highlights

Prevent Burnout
The book emphasizes a proactive approach to prevent burnout, acknowledging it as a stress response rather than a medical condition. It underscores the importance of managing chronic job stressors for long-term well-being.

Be Guided in Six Core Areas
Maslach and Leiter introduce a comprehensive framework of six core areas—workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values. These areas serve as a guide to assess workplace problems and design effective solutions.

Focus on Prevention
The book challenges the common question of "who is burned out" and redirects attention to "why people are burned out." Focusing on long-term prevention solutions aims to modify job stressors and create sustainable workplace well-being.

The Final Word
The Burnout Challenge envisions a workplace where individuals can flourish, emphasizing the need to design better job environments for improved outcomes at all levels. By systematically addressing burnout, the book contributes to creating a win-win situation where workers and organizations thrive.

About UBA
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