How to Avoid Work Burnout

Workplace stress is all too common in our society.  Chances are if for any reason you are unhappy with your job you can probably classify yourself in one of these categories: there’s the “frenetic” type who are usually involved and ambitious workers who are willing to sacrifice their health and personal lives for their jobs; the “underchallenged” are workers that are indifferent toward their job and no longer feel challenged by it, and the “worn-out” where the workers feel neglected and that their accomplishments will go unnoticed.  People who tend to work more than 40 hours a week run the risk of becoming a “frenetic” type worker, and people who have been employed with a company for more than 16 years run the risk of being the “worn-out” type.

So much stress can make a great job difficult and a bad job practically unbearable.  However, if your job is worth it, here are some tips to get you through your day.

• Make sure you gel with your boss.  Though it seems obvious, the effectiveness of your boss might have as much to do with your own personality as his or hers.  Friendly employees do not work well for angry bosses. However, angry people with a less-than-friendly disposition actually thrive under stricter form of management.  Finding a boss that can match your personality and skills will have a major impact on your workplace personality.

• Work from home.  Twenty to 30 million people work from home at least one day a week, and there’s good reason for it.  Research found that workers who telecommuted to work were both more productive and less stressed than their office-bound coworkers. They also had a higher overall satisfaction with their jobs than those who physically came into the office.  Never underestimate your productivity in pajamas!

• Decorate your office. If your cubicle is where you spend your eight-hour workdays, you might want to consider putting up pictures of nature as research suggests that natural scenes have a more positive impact on the brain than industrial imagery.  The pictures will be a good reminder that there’s more to life than the office and it could inspire working hard for that upcoming vacation.

Work place stress is as common as the workplace itself.  While you may be happier unemployed, if you assess the situation you are in at work, stress can be completely manageable.  For more information on stress management at work, read this article.

The supporting research

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