Hurtling towards any given December is stressful, but doing so in the South African socio-economic climate of 2015 is arguably more so.
Violent student protests, a significantly increased crime rate in Gauteng, an alarming exchange rate and a tense political environment are all factors that work on the typical South African’s psyche. Coupled to these “living in South Africa” factors, which are arguably beyond any given individual’s immediate control, are the demands of any particular individual’s job.
Recent research by HR Future magazine shows that the rate of absenteeism in the South African corporate culture has increased to a significant 4.5 percent or more. While this crippling absenteeism rate costs the South African economy up to R12bn or more a year, it also tells us, quite simply, that enough employees are unhappy, unable to cope, overwhelmed, dissatisfied, and in other words, increasingly burnt out.
Maslach et al, 2001 define burnout as “an individual’s response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors within the workplace”.
They identify three dimensions of burnout, namely:
* Exhaustion (the stressed-out, overworked/overwhelmed employee).
* Inefficacy (the disgruntled employee who feels no personal accomplishment in their work).
* Cynicism (the disgruntled employee with a disconnected attitude to work).
Common causes of burnout in the workplace include work overload, conflicting job demands, role ambiguity, inadequate resources coupled with high expectations, minimal or absent social support, poor feedback mechanisms and stifled participation in decision-making.
Context also has a significant impact on an individual’s ability to not only cope, but thrive in the workplace. Workload mismatch, lack of control over resources which impacts work efficacy, lack of financial, social and intrinsic rewards, dissimilar group values, unfairness be it in payload or promotions and value conflict all have the potential to disrupt the employee.
The effects of burnout on an individual has a significant knock-on effect. A burnt-out employee impacts on team performance, work environment and depending on the position can even affect a company’s bottom line.
So when you notice that Andrew is no longer bantering with Sam over who really should have won the Rugby World Cup and that his weekly reports are frequently three weeks late and incomplete, and when you walk around and observe his desk now faces the wall instead of his colleague’s and the company’s vision motto, “Equality For Everyone”, which once sat next to his cactus is now absent, well... stop.
Andrew is quite likely no longer effective, committed or satisfied and is rather quite likely withdrawn, conflicted and disruptive.
No employer wants to watch an employee in whom training, money and time have been invested, burn out. It simply doesn’t make good business sense. Fortunately, research increasingly shows that the work environment and wellness can play a pivotal role in productivity, employee engagement and job satisfaction.
Certainly, implementing strategies and mechanisms in the workplace to counteract work overload and mismatch or creating better communications channels are pivotal to creating a better work environment. However, research also now shows us that the value of a simple human connection has a remarkable effect on employee wellness and satisfaction. Specifically, the value of human touch.
Studies have found that regular 15-minute corporate massages, done by therapists at an employee’s desk, significantly reduces anxiety levels.
The emotional signals triggered by the reciprocity of touch between a therapist and employee are powerful. Shorn of the burden and oft invasiveness of words, massage as a non-verbal tool tells the employee that you, the employer, truly do care.
It is a remarkably simple way - one that harks back to the nurturing relationship between mother and child - of treating staff, letting them “defrag” unconsciously and thereby slow down, stop and regroup effectively.
So if unproductive protestations, fractious behaviour and strained inter-personal relationships are impacting your office environment, consider what your response might be to these symptoms of burnout.
One’s first instinct may be disciplinary, yet by addressing the situation with the gift of a caring touch you not only impart a calming respite but also then focus an employee’s self-control which ultimately results in a more productive engagement with problems.
As the Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius said: “You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.” Using the right touch can help your employer get there.
* Martina Laurie is chief executive at Hands on Treatment, The Mobile Massage Company.
THE STAR