Preventing Burnout: Workplace
By: Nicollette Violante
Tags: Work Life Balance, Mental Health, Burnout, Workplace, Social Work

I knew going into social work that no matter the job, position, or title, the work would be difficult. It doesn’t matter if I’m a social worker in an emergency room or a community outpatient center, a school counselor, child protective services investigator, or clinical professor, the nature of the social work profession means that the work is going to be hard and potentially heartbreaking. We hear, read, and see some of the most disturbing things that occur in the lives of others, and this is a profession that is not for the faint of heart.

I believe that despite the nature of the profession being inherently difficult, workplace and company culture can make a huge difference in preventing burnout. A lot goes into whether or not your workplace or company culture is contributing to burnout:

· Pay

· Support

· Fit

· Schedule

· Relationships

Pay

In Texas, there was a bit of a crisis when it came to state employees, especially welfare workers: retention was at an all-time low. Child welfare workers were paid dismally, and the work is so stressful that many quit within a year of working there. All of the money spent on training the workers was essentially wasted. Many of them have bachelor or master’s degrees, but were paid less than $30K a year and could have a caseload of over 60 clients and a 70 hour work week. During the Texas Legislature in 2017, there seemed to be two options on the table: pay the welfare workers more, or lower the education requirements. The second option did not bode over well with many working in social services, and I’m happy to say that the Texas legislature raised the salaries and wages of welfare workers. Since then, less people have been quitting and the state has a higher retention rate among welfare workers, going from an average of 131 employees quitting per month, to an average of only 72 quitting each month. It’s far from perfect, but hopefully the state continues to give their welfare workers adequate compensation, pay, and benefits.

When you’re not paid enough for what you do, and especially with increasing costs of living, you’re going to feel burned out. No matter how hard you work or how many corners and costs you cut in an effort to save, you will still feel burned out. Are you being paid fairly for your work? Can you negotiate a raise? If your inadequate pay is causing significant feelings of stress and burnout, and you’ve exhausted all options in terms of negotiating a raise, then I think it’s only fair that you look for another job that will pay you more.

Support

“Support” can take on multiple definitions and can and will look different for everyone. When I say support, it could mean a variety of things: what kind of benefits does your workplace offer? Do your coworkers and colleagues encourage you, or cut you down? Do you feel that your immediate supervisor or boss has your back? Can you take time off without fearing some sort of backlash? Are you treated as a competent professional and is your work appreciated and respected?

Some workplaces are totally unsupportive; coworkers are nasty, supervisors don’t look out for you, taking time off is frowned upon, and you’re not treated as an experienced professional or expert. If that’s the case, I recommend finding a new workplace where the company culture is healthier. If you’re simply needing other ways of support, I recommend talking it over with your manager or supervisor and see if they are willing and able to provide that. If not, you have every right to either seek out that kind of support through professional associations or groups, or you find employment elsewhere.

For example, I know plenty bilingual social workers who feel that while they love and enjoy their workplace, their supervisors and coworkers don’t truly understand the challenges of working with a multiethnic population, and are unable to provide that kind of support to their employees. So these social workers started their own consultation group where they can discuss cultural issues specific to certain populations. They’re still able to maintain employment, and they receive the support that they need through a professional community that they created.

Fit

Sometimes there’s nothing wrong with a workplace but it’s not the right fit for your professional goals or needs, and that knowledge only comes with time and experience. For example, at my first job, I worked at an outpatient community health center where there was flexible scheduling, adequate pay, benefits, support through interdisciplinary case staffing and supervision, and therapists had autonomy and independence in terms of how they schedule their hours. During my time there, I learned a few things about myself: I felt isolated and wanted to be a part of a team environment, I didn’t enjoy my position as a therapist in the sense that I wanted to do more case management and interdisciplinary work rather than therapy, and my professional goals changed in that I wanted to work in integrated medicine and health.

As a medical social worker at the integrated clinic I’m currently working at, I still conduct therapy, but sit in on psychiatric consults and provide case management services. I work on an interdisciplinary team and providers often consult with me about their patients. While I’m free to schedule my therapy patients as I see fit, taking time off is more difficult due to the need for coverage at the clinic, and sometimes working on an interdisciplinary team can be frustrating and challenging. However, I’m receiving the support that I need in the form of weekly social work team meetings and am a part of care teams at the clinic as well. The position and work environment is a better fit for my professional interests.

Never force yourself to work in an industry, profession, or workplace that does not align with your values, needs, or professional goals, because you’ll burnout. If you’ve been working with children and no longer want to, you can always work with adults. If you’re working in hospice and want to do recovery, go ahead! Most people spend over forty hours a week at their job, so choose something that is fulfilling and a good fit for you. Don’t worry about experience or being a noob at a new industry; you have plenty of transferrable skills and experience that will complement whatever new profession or position you apply for.

Schedule

Scheduling can make or break someone’s experience at work, and everyone’s idea of the “ideal” work schedule is different. Sometimes I’m jealous of my husband’s scheduling flexibility; he can work from home, meetings can be done remotely, and he can go in and out of the office as he pleases. Sounds perfect, right? Wrong. He’s a test engineer, meaning that he often has to travel to where the factories are or take meetings at odd times in order to communicate with employees in China. He can lose a whole day’s worth of work by not checking his email in the evening to see what’s happening with the factories in China. His phone goes off at night sometimes because he’s receiving pings and instant messages from coworkers in China, who might not immediately remember the time difference. My husband easily puts in 60–70 hours a week at work, and in especially stressful times, he’s taking his work home. He sometimes works on the weekends.

When I’m done with work, I’m done. I don’t take my laptop home with me to chart, because I have at least 72 hours to get any charting done before the notes are locked. My patients do not have my cell phone number and I’m not given a mobile work phone, so no one is texting me at odd hours. While sometimes difficult, I can leave my work problems at work and be more present at home. The best part: my weekends are mine, no additional working hours required. Is it more difficult for me to leave work or miss work? Absolutely, but I enjoy my work, can manage the size of my caseload, and like the fact that there’s a part of my work day that is unpredictable.

Some people prefer off hours, working evenings, or working in shifts. Other people hate the 9–5, and enjoy working at their own schedule or pace. Some people need and crave the structure of a 9–5. I know plenty of school social workers who get summers off, and while they might not be receiving any income for those months, they are able to take the time to travel, spend time with their families, or work PRN shifts at hospitals or clinics and gain other experience. Our needs will change with time, so right now my schedule might work for me, but when I have kids, I might need something different.

My husband doesn’t mind the evening meeting times because it can help with his work day; he appreciates that no one is micromanaging him, and as long as the work gets done and he attends the meetings he’s required to attend, he can schedule his day as he pleases. I would hate to have to take work meetings most evenings, and no amount of autonomy would ever make me feel less stressed about always being connected to my job.

Ask yourself: is your schedule contributing to your burnout? Do you feel that you don’t have enough hours in a day to get what you need done? Can your schedule be tinkered with? Can you alternate late starts and early starts? What kind of schedule works for you and helps you be productive?

Relationships

Human beings are social creatures, and the quality of our relationships matter. What we all seek in any kind of relationship is a sense of being seen, understood, and cared for. Your coworkers or supervisor don’t have to be the devil incarnate for you to not like them or connect with them. Do you get along with your coworkers? Do you feel seen, understood, and cared for by your supervisor? I know social workers who aren’t paid a lot (none of us are), have a hectic work schedule, and have incredibly difficult work, but feel a strong camaraderie and connection with their fellow coworkers and supervisors. When I interviewed for the current position I have now, every single social worker on the team said that their favorite part of the job, the one thing that they look forward to the most in coming to work, is their team. I cried when I handed my notice to my supervisor at my last job, because I was going to miss all of my coworkers.

Having strong relationships with your supervisor or coworkers can make any tough work situation feel more tolerable, and being surrounded by a group of people who understand you and who you feel connected to are important. For example, I have a pretty dark sense of humor, and while maybe the majority of my coworkers at my previous job wouldn’t have found it funny, my supervisor did.

There will always be certain people who you don’t feel connected to or feel like you’re walking on eggshells with, but if you feel like you’re walking on eggshells with everyone at your workplace, or don’t feel appreciated by your boss and coworkers, take a step back and examine those work relationships. Do you feel better or worse about yourself after interacting with someone? Are you constantly worried about getting fired or making a mistake? Do you feel judged?

You spend more time with your coworkers and colleagues than you do with your spouse, parents, or even children. It’s important to find and maintain connections in your workplace. If you’re feeling drained and don’t look forward to going to work, or feel that you’re isolated from your colleagues, perhaps joining workgroups, participating in employee wellness activities, or taking initiative and starting something yourself might open up opportunities for you to connect with your coworkers. If none of that seems feasible or you’ve tried it and didn’t have good results, there are two options: 1) change your mindset about your coworkers, or 2) seek employment elsewhere if the situation is truly unbearable. Relationships have a huge impact on our self-esteem, sense of worth, productivity, and mental health. Maintaining a healthy distance from coworkers or leaving all together is not “giving up;” its putting yourself first. Keep relationships in mind when interviewing for new positions, or evaluating whether or not your workplace is a good fit for you.

Final Thoughts

Obviously this is not a comprehensive or exhaustive list of all the ways your workplace could be contributing to your burnout. What was your experience like? What should I have included? Any other advice or words of wisdom regarding workplace burnout?

Thanks for stopping by,

Nico