Burnout Prevention

To prevent the appearance of the phenomenon of professional burnout, it is recommended to ensure that the organization of work and the constraints it generates do not overload employees and do not put them at odds with with respect to the rules and values ​​of their profession. It is also important to enable teamwork and encourage social support. And more generally, it is recommended to implement a collective PSR prevention approach

Identify burnout situations

At the individual level, the employer, management, those involved in prevention within the company, and the occupational health service must be vigilant for a set of signals that could suggest that an employee may be in danger. burnout situation:

Does the employee complain of lacking the energy to accomplish his work?

Does he report concentration problems or lack of mental availability at work?

Is he easily irritable?

Does he devalue the work he does, his own efficiency and his skills?

Does he show signs of professional disinvestment?

A change in the employee's attitude, a withdrawal into oneself, an unusual disengagement are all signals which must concern the professional environment.

At the collective level, psychosocial risk screening indicators can be examined.

Burnout can also be identified using questionnaires (see the FRPS questionnaire sheets).

Implement collective prevention measures

Appropriate prevention measures must be sought and implemented. Their objective is to reduce the professional demands placed on employees and to increase the resources at their disposal.

Examples of collective burnout prevention measures:

Be careful not to overload certain positions or certain employees,

Promote social support and avoid isolation: establishment of discussion groups on professional practices, strengthening of teamwork (working time reserved for job rotations, spaces for sharing experience and exchanges),

Improve feedback on work efficiency, recognition of work accomplished,

Be vigilant about the fair treatment of employees,

Avoid ethical conflicts around the quality of work, by sharing objectives and ways of achieving them.

Caring for people with burnout

When one or more people are victims of exhaustion, management can offer them an interview to take stock of their difficulties. The reasons for their condition related to work must be sought. At the same time, they can contact the occupational doctor. This will assess the need for referral to specialized care and will assess the opportunity for a job adjustment or a redefinition of the objectives and means at their disposal. The occupational health service can also help the company identify occupational risk factors linked to cases of burnout brought to its attention.