Excessive work pressure, an unpleasant working climate, a boss who demands a lot: burnout is often attributed to work, but is this correct? Whether or not you burn out also depends on how busy your private life is, experts say.
According to Oscar Breetveld, a registered work and health psychologist, it is certainly true that work is never the only reason for burnout. “A burnout is caused by various facets that ultimately ensure that you are completely burnt out,” he says.
It also often depends on how a person is made up and what someone considers important in life, Breetveld points out. “They are often idealistic people who like to do their best, are perfectionists and fear failure. Because of this combination, they often find it difficult to set their limits and say ‘no’.”
These are often employees who take their work home and always do something extra. As a result, they blur the line between their work and private life. A wrong approach, says the psychologist. “Early in the twentieth century you had such a beautiful union poster that said very large ‘3 x 8 hours’ for how you should divide up the day. Actually, this still applies: Is it healthy to eat at eight on a day or ‘work clock, eight hours on yourself and eight hours on sleep.”
Is less planning in private time a solution?
Does it help if people plan their private time less? “I think you can’t do enough fun stuff,” says Breetveld. “Only when you’re too busy for yourself, do you have to make decisions about it. You have to decide for yourself if you really need to go to that party, or if it’s better to just stay on the couch and read a good book. It’s also a matter of saying ‘ no’ and create quality time for yourself.”
Wilmar Schaufeli, professor of work and organizational psychology at Utrecht University, knows that it’s not always easy to make choices in private life or say no to certain situations.
One is more resistant to stress than the other.
“Mostly you see that people who have a difficult private situation at home are more likely to fail. Think of someone who is a caregiver or has a disabled child at home. Then you can’t indicate that you are awake. You are the one they have to calculate .”
Burnout often triggered by work
Schaufeli points out that scientific research shows that there are indeed more facets to a burnout than just work. However, burnout is often triggered by work. ‘You can largely determine how you organize your private life yourself. If that’s not possible for some things, then it’s very important that you have a flexible employer who sees how hard you work, but can also slow you down. Say, ‘ Leave that project alone for a while and take a day to see your sick mother.'”
According to the professor, many employers still have a long way to go. “By giving employees enough space to spend on sick family members, for example, and to catch up on work at times of their own choosing. So give an employee more rest.”
However, Schaufeli also indicates that it differs from person to person whether or not someone experiences a breakdown. “One is more resistant to stress than the other. There are also people who are used to putting themselves in the background, for example.” These are often people who work in the health or education sector. “With their responsibilities, they can’t just leave the job to someone else if they’re not feeling well. But they also have to let family and colleagues know in good time that things are not going well.”
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