Business Overdrafts
Be financially flexible with a business overdraft.
Read time: 6 mins Added date: 26/02/2024
The world has transformed massively in recent years with social and technological changes alongside global events such as the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. Modern ways of life have significantly affected our work-life balance causing many of us to experience burnout.
Mental Health UK has launched their annual benchmark report capturing the public’s perceptions of burnout and contributing factors. The report warns that the UK risks becoming a ‘burnt-out nation’.
‘Burnout’ is recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an ‘occupational phenomenon’ and is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. Symptoms of burnout include:
The polling of over 2,060 UK adults by YouGov reveals that one in five workers (20%) needed to take time off due to poor mental health caused by pressure or stress in the past year. Over a third (35%) of adults experienced high or extreme levels of pressure and stress always or often in the past year.
Though the causes of people taking time off work due to poor mental health are complex, polling reveals that poor working relationships and processes could be pushing people into burnout, with more than one third (35%) of working adults saying they do not feel comfortable letting their line managers or senior leaders know if they are experiencing high or extreme levels of pressure and stress at work. Additionally, nearly one in three (31%) said being bullied or intimidated by other colleagues had caused stress in the last year.
Meanwhile, the survey suggests workplaces could be ill-prepared to support staff experiencing high levels of stress, with nearly half of workers (49%) saying their employer doesn’t have a plan to spot signs of chronic stress and prevent burnout, while a further 22% don’t know if their employer has such a plan in place.
Other factors in our jobs causing stress and contributing to burnout include:
When it comes to what best helps alleviate stress and prevents burnout at work, the following factors were cited:
Employers have a duty of care to protect both the physical and mental health of employees. There are numerous recommendations you could put in place to ensure working practices encourage positive mental health at work, below are some suggestions:
Recognising the growing evidence that the UK is grappling with high levels of work absence and the subsequent cost to individuals, employers, and the taxpayer, Mental Health UK is calling on the prime minister to convene a national summit, bringing together government ministers, employers, and experts to determine how we can create healthy workplaces and best support people to stay in or return to work if they’re struggling with stress and poor mental health.
Burnout isn’t something that goes away on its own. Rather, it can worsen unless you address the underlying issues causing it. Ignoring the signs of burnout could cause further harm to your physical and mental health. You could lose the ability and energy to effectively meet the demands of your job, and there could also be effects on other areas of your life.
Being proactive about your mental wellbeing is an essential investment in your business. This approach contributes to resilience, defined as the capacity to recover quickly from setbacks. But if you don’t feel like it’s something you currently have, don’t worry, resilience can be developed.
If you think that you could be experiencing burnout, it is important to speak to somebody. A great first step is speaking to your loved ones and your GP. If you require urgent support for your mental health, you can find the information you need here.
You can read Mental Health UK’s burnout report here
Find out more information about burnout here
Mental Health UK has a dedicated workplace mental health and training team. We pride ourselves on our tailored approach to supporting mental health at work. Find out more about how we can support your business.
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