How My Generation Combats Burnout and Find Balance in Our Lives

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Abstract: This article explores the growing problem of burnout among young professionals today. It examines the key causes fueling burnout, including unrealistic workloads, lack of work-life balance, unclear job expectations, insufficient support, and constant organizational change. The article outlines the significant impacts of burnout on employee health, engagement, turnover, and organizational productivity. To address this issue, the article provides recommendations for employers to foster supportive leadership, establish clear boundaries, enable flexible scheduling, encourage time off, and offer wellness resources. It also suggests individual strategies workers can adopt, such as setting boundaries, maintaining outside interests, and practicing self-care. By understanding the root causes and implementing these evidence-based recommendations, the article argues that organizations can help mitigate burnout and promote employee well-being.

Burnout - a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion - is rampant among young professionals today. With constantly changing technologies, unrealistic workloads, and blurred boundaries between work and home life, many in my generation struggle under immense pressure and stress. However, burnout is not inevitable.

Today we will explore the root causes of burnout among today’s workers, examine the impacts on individuals and organizations, and outline practical steps that employers and employees can take to mitigate burnout and promote well-being. By understanding the issues and implementing recommendations grounded in research, today’s workers do not have to remain super burned out.

Causes of Burnout

Extensive research has identified key factors that contribute to feelings of burnout. The following subsections explore how these apply particularly to professionals in their 20s and 30s today.

Unrealistic Workloads: A common complaint among young professionals is feeling overwhelmed by the volume of work. With advances in technology allowing constant connectivity, the boundaries between work and personal life have become blurred (Cotte & Ratneshwar, 2003). Employees are expected to be “always on” and available outside of regular hours via email, messaging apps, and video calls. Unrealistic workloads and expectations lead to a persistent state of overwork that is difficult to sustain long-term (Maslach & Leiter, 2016).
Lack of Work-Life Balance: Related to unrealistic workloads is the inability to achieve a healthy work-life balance. For many young professionals, their careers have taken over their lives as they work long hours with little time for rest, recovery, social activities, or other interests outside the office (Graves et al., 2007). This imbalance promotes depletion of mental, physical and emotional resources over time.
Unclear Expectations and Roles: The fast pace of change in many industries means job roles and responsibilities are also constantly in flux. Young workers often find themselves in new positions or tasks without clear expectations or guidance on priorities (Hallsten, 2005). Not understanding what is required of them can be a major source of stress.
Lack of Support: Having supportive leadership and colleagues has been shown to mitigate burnout (Bakker et al., 2005). However, in highly competitive work environments, asking for help can be seen as a weakness. Young professionals may feel pressure to handle everything independently without relying on others for support or guidance. A lack of community and companionship at work contributes to exhaustion.
Constant Change and Insecurity: Today’s workplace demands constant upskilling and adaptation to new technologies, work processes, and business models. While change can be exciting, the pace and lack of stability leaves many young workers feeling uncertain in their roles and anxious about the future (Danna & Griffin, 1999). Economic insecurity may also take a toll on well-being as the working world becomes more precarious.

Impacts of Burnout

Understanding the root causes that promote burnout is important, but organizations must also recognize the impacts it has on both individuals and business performance. The following sections explore key consequences of unchecked burnout.

Health and Well-Being: Extended periods of stress and overwork exact a heavy physical and emotional toll on employees. Research shows high levels of burnout are linked to increased risks of cardiovascular disease, insomnia, depression, and other mental health issues (Willerton et al., 2008). It prevents workers from engaging in self-care and living balanced lives outside of work.
Engagement and Motivation: Burned out employees disengage from their work and lose motivation. Studies indicate burnout negatively impacts job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and performance (Halbesleben & Buckley, 2004). Workers experiencing burnout feel cynical, distrustful of management, and uninterested in their duties. This undermines a positive work culture.
Turnover and Absenteeism: The strain of prolonged burnout often leads people to consider leaving their jobs or taking unexpected time off. Turnover is costly for organizations due to lost productivity during transitions and hiring/training new staff (Dawley et al., 2010). Frequent absenteeism also disrupts operations and places additional burden on coworkers.
Productivity and Quality: Mental fatigue inhibits focus, decision-making abilities, and creativity. Research suggests burnout is linked to lower productivity, increased errors, weaker quality of work, and impaired client/customer service (Schaufeli et al., 2009). This diminishes an organization’s ability to meet goals, gain competitive advantages, and maintain standards of excellence.

Recommendations for Employers

An organizational culture that promotes well-being and prevents burnout requires commitment from leadership as well as standard practices and policies that support work-life harmony. The following recommendations can help employers protect employees from excessive stress and exhaustion:

Foster Supportive Leadership: Managers play a key role in alleviating or exacerbating burnout. Leaders should check-in regularly with direct reports, provide guidance and feedback, acknowledge work well done, and encourage employees to utilize available resources and support systems (Erickson & Grove, 2007). This demonstrates care for individuals' well-being.
Establish Clear Boundaries: Organizations should establish workplace norms discouraging emails, calls and meetings outside core working hours unless absolutely critical. Leaders can model this boundary-setting by not contacting staff late at night or on weekends (Derks & Bakker, 2014). This provides much needed respite.
Empower Flexible Scheduling: Where possible, allowing flexible start/finish times, work-from-home options, compressed work weeks or occasional remote workdays gives employees more control over integrating personal and professional responsibilities (Hill et al., 2008). Flexibility reduces daily stress and burnout risks.
Encourage Taking Time Off: Promoting the structured use of vacation days and scheduling downtime between projects protects against chronic job stress and replenishes resources. Paid time off policies should reflect this priority rather than pressure employees to avoid using allotted leave (Diddams & Chang, 2019).
Offer Wellness Resources: Employee assistance programs, counseling services, fitness subsidies, relaxation rooms and lunchtime workshops on stress management allow staff opportunities to improve mental and physical wellness on the company's dime. These promote engagement while preventing issues associated with long-term exhaustion.

Recommendations for Individuals

While organizational culture change remains crucial, workers themselves can adopt personal habits to avoid burnout and stay energized:

Set boundaries to separate work from personal life and avoid bringing work home (Kinnunen et al., 2016).
Maintain interests, hobbies and social activities outside of the job to nurture well-roundedness and fulfillment in life.
Practice stress-relieving activities like exercise, meditation, yoga or deep breathing daily to decompress from work pressures (Hultell & Gustavsson, 2011).
Develop strong support networks with trusted friends and family to unload stresses and gain perspective outside of the office.
Learn to say "no" respectfully when faced with competing deadlines or unrealistic expectations in order to preserve energy levels.
Monitor workloads & emotions for early warning signs of burnout and proactively seek guidance from managers or counseling resources before issues worsen.
Maintain a balanced, nutritious diet and healthy sleep routines to support physical and mental resilience during demanding periods.

Conclusion

High rates of burnout among young professionals signal a need for organizational culture changes and greater prioritization of employee well-being. Proactively addressing issues like unrealistic workloads, lack of work-life harmony, change fatigue and insufficient resources through supportive leadership, flexible policies, and wellness initiatives protects both individuals and business performance over the long run. While challenging economic conditions fuel overwork trends, a renewed focus on sustainability demands that we care for employees as valuable assets rather than temporary resources. By understanding root causes and implementing research-backed recommendations, organizations can help ensure my generation and those to come avoid super high levels of chronic job stress and burnout. Our health, engagement and productivity depend on it.

References

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Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.

Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2025). How My Generation Combat Burnout and Find Balance in Our Lives. Human Capital Leadership Review, 18(4). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.18.4.6