As a social epidemiologist studying contemporary emotional distress in the context of public health crises, I have been interested in understanding what factors contribute to burnout and how it can be successfully managed, particularly given the ongoing challenges created by COVID-19.
You might think that researchers know everything there is to know about burnout right now. After all, burnout has been studied since at least the late 1970s. Many of the studies since then have focused on workplace conditions such as pay, hours, management styles, and nebulous “workplace culture”.
As such, managing burnout has often focused on reshaping work environments and reforming bad managers. While these are, of course, necessary, it is not immediately clear that they are sufficient.
With the outbreak of the pandemic, many people have new levels of awareness about the impossibility of separating work from life. For some, that awareness comes from how tired they are when they get home from a shift. For others who work from home, it may come from the blurring of the divide between home and office.
In any case, our emotional and psychological well-being accompanies us both at work and at home. As such, it makes sense that we take a holistic view of burnout. Social connection is a key driver of burnout.
COSTS AND BENEFITS OF WORKING FROM HOME
In a recent study conducted by my lab at Simon Fraser University, we sought to identify the most important risk factors for burnout.
We examined a variety of variables, including the classic factors of workload, satisfaction with pay, dignity in the workplace, control over one’s work, and adequacy of pay, as well as newer variables such as ownership. of housing, a variety of demographic factors, social support, and loneliness.
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