How to cope with emotional burnout. How to deal with professional burnout? Do what you love

Scientists believe that burnout is not just a mental state, but a disease that affects the entire body.

The term “burnout” was coined in 1974 by American psychiatrist Herbert Freudenberger. At the same time, he compared the state of a “burnt out” person with a burned-out house. From the outside, the building may look intact, but it is only when you go inside that the extent of the devastation becomes apparent.

Now psychologists identify three elements of emotional burnout:

• exhaustion;
• cynical attitude towards work;
• feeling of one's own inadequacy.

Exhaustion makes us easily upset, sleep poorly, get sick more often, and have difficulty concentrating.

A cynical attitude towards our activities makes us feel disconnected from our colleagues and lack motivation.

And the feeling of inadequacy makes us doubt our own abilities and perform our responsibilities worse.

Why does emotional burnout occur?

We tend to think that burnout occurs simply because we work too much. In fact, it is caused by the fact that our work schedule, responsibilities, deadlines and other stressors outweigh our job satisfaction.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, identify six factors associated with employee burnout:

• workload;
• control;
• rewards;
• relationships in a team;
• justice;
• values.

We experience burnout when one of these aspects of work (or more) does not meet our needs.

What are the dangers of burnout?

Fatigue and lack of motivation are not the worst consequences of emotional burnout.

• According to researchers, chronic stress, which occurs in people with burnout syndrome, negatively affects thinking and communication skills, and also overloads our neuroendocrine system. And over time, the effects of burnout can lead to problems with memory, attention and emotions.
• One study found that those who experienced burnout experienced accelerated thinning of the prefrontal cortex, the region responsible for cognitive functioning. Although the cortex naturally thins as we age, those who experienced burnout experienced a more pronounced effect.
• It's not just the brain that is at risk. According to another study, burnout significantly increases the likelihood of developing coronary heart disease.

How to deal with burnout?

Psychologists advise looking for ways to reduce your workload: delegating some responsibilities, saying “no” more often, and writing down what causes you stress. In addition, you need to learn to relax and enjoy life again.

Don't forget to take care of yourself

It's easy to forget about yourself when you don't have the strength to do anything. In our condition, it seems to us that taking care of ourselves is the last thing we need to spend time on. However, according to psychologists, it is precisely this that should not be neglected.

When you feel like you're close to burnout, it's especially important to eat well, drink plenty of water, exercise, and get enough sleep.

Also, remember what helps you relax and spend more time on it.

Do what you love

Burnout can occur if you are unable to regularly devote time to what you love.

To prevent job dissatisfaction from turning into burnout, think about what is most important to you and include it in your schedule.

Do something you love at least a little every day, and devote more time to it once a week. Then you will never have the feeling that you do not have time to do the most important things.

Try something new

Do something new, for example, something you have long dreamed of. This may seem counterintuitive since you're already so busy all the time, but in fact, doing something new can help you avoid burnout.

The main thing is to choose something that will restore strength and energize you.

If adding something new to your schedule is completely impossible, start by taking care of yourself. Focus on sleep and nutrition, and try to get at least a little exercise every day. This will help you avoid the consequences of burnout and get back on track.

Everyone has periods of fatigue, apathy, and emotional exhaustion. A person becomes distracted, begins to value his personal space more, and people on the subway become more and more annoying. Sometimes you don’t even have the strength to get out from under the blanket, and your motivation disappears even before you open your eyes in the morning. This is not yet a reason to panic, but a reason to think about why this happened. Burnout syndrome can lead to serious depression. Clinical psychologist, director of the Center for Systemic Family Psychotherapy Inna Khamitova and life coach Timur Yadgarov explained how to recognize and prevent emotional burnout. Their opinions sometimes contradict each other, you can choose the point of view that is closer to you.

What is emotional burnout

THEIR.: Burnout syndrome manifests itself in three areas: intellectual - it is difficult to master new knowledge, problems with memory arise; physical - general fatigue, lethargy; emotional - a decrease in mood, when nothing makes a person happy. The source of this, as a rule, is the following: you put much more into your work than you get in return. And here we are talking about physical, intellectual, and emotional resources.

T.Ya.: Our life is not focused on positive emotions, but rather on short-term goals, on what society demands. Because of this, we lose something very important that fills our lives with meaning. The idea of ​​balancing personal life and work is very complex, and it is difficult to find a person who combines both with ease. After all, concentration of effort requires full dedication, and the result is achieved in either one or the other. If you strive to achieve high results and overcome great environmental resistance, tension naturally occurs, and here everything depends on how much a person is able to withstand this tension. Lack of freedom is also a common cause of burnout: dependence on bosses, organizations, other people, the feeling that a person cannot be responsible for himself.

Who's at risk

THEIR.: As a rule, people of intellectual and creative professions, and of any age, are susceptible to burnout syndrome. The first at risk are the workaholics: those who actually live by their work. Extremely sensitive, empathic, mentally sensitive people also end up there. The main condition is the return from work (both emotional and material): the lower it is, the greater the likelihood of burning out. In addition to the lack of results from work, burnout syndrome is promoted by routine, monotonous activities, petty nagging and tyranny on the part of superiors, conflicts in the team, and lack of encouragement. That is, everything that complicates the work environment and the work process itself.

T.Ya.: First of all, emotionally irresponsible, passive and uninitiative people are susceptible to burnout. This is also facilitated by a violation of the so-called emotional integrity: when people think and feel one thing, but say and do something else. I would say that emotional burnout is a responsibility: you, as the owner of your body, must understand that you have emotions in your household that can become exhausted and burn out. If a person has joy, love, recognition, respect, a sense of accomplishment, and connection with other good people in his life, he is much less likely to burn out. Every morning when we wake up, we can run either driven by fears or driven by dreams. Question: do you have a dream and do you follow it every day? A person who follows his dreams rather than his fears will burn out less.

How to deal with burnout

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Burnout syndrome is the scourge of modern man. We are bombarded with so many things and responsibilities that need to be done right now or even yesterday that sooner or later we can’t stand it. The result is stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue, apathy and even serious physical illness.

The phrase “burnt out at work” doesn’t seem like someone’s joke: many of us know very well what it’s like. Fortunately, burnout syndrome can be noticed in time and prevented from taking over. How? Let's talk.

The frantic pace of life is the cause of troubles

Humans were not created to live in the 21st century right away. However, we adapted perfectly, but it came at a high price. In the past, people lived in small villages and knew each other well - even the appearance of a random traveler or a fair was a big event. Any person knew what he would become when he grew up, since everyone, as a rule, continued the work of their fathers and mothers. They went to bed at nightfall and got up at dawn. Life was predictable.

Now humanity is in a state of permanent stress due to fundamental changes.

• Too much stimulation. We are bombarded by a flood of information: from television, the Internet, our mobile phones, magazines and newspapers. We constantly make choices and decisions, which drains our willpower.
• Insufficient security. Life is completely unpredictable. Work, home, family, intimate relationships, patriotism, freedom - these concepts have changed radically over the past decades.
• Crisis of the meaning of life. Previously, we knew where to derive the meaning of life. We believed that if a person lives a righteous life, then God will reward him and send him to heaven. Now we don’t really know why we should live a righteous life if we can’t even understand what it means.

Millennia of living this way have shaped our brains, our perceptions, and our response to stress. As long as we are young, everything is fine. But as we get older, the situation gets worse. We are faced with burnout syndrome.

Where does the energy go?

If you waste energy only on staying busy at work and managing things at home, an imbalance will arise. This in turn leads to burnout. Burnout occurs when we do the same thing day after day and feel no progress.

Health deteriorates due to stress. We make impulse purchases to please ourselves a little. Or we lose income because due to lack of ambition we work worse. We break relationships with people. We fixate on what prevents us from relaxing, and, of course, we always find many such obstacles. Controlling consciousness in moments of stress is a paradoxical process: when we try too hard to relax, or be happy, or not think about something, we inevitably fail.

And the more the consciousness tries to control what should be involuntary, the worse it becomes for us (next time you are going for a walk, try to think about how you move your feet): “This is what usually happens - the one who thirsted more for happiness falls becomes depressed, and the one who most wanted to calm down becomes anxious.”

The answer to the question of how not to completely stall is to let success into your life. The desire for success will eliminate the feeling of running in place. Balance will reign and everything will be possible.

Is there a balance?

The problem of balance is not far-fetched. Steve McCletchy, in his book From Urgent to Important, cites research showing that 88% of people have difficulty choosing between work and personal life, 57% consider this a serious problem, and 64% say they feel physically exhausted after work.

At the same time, we are forced to value work. The phrases “record unemployment” and “how to survive the crisis” are heard all around. We have to take on more responsibilities just to stay in the same position. Everyday life has turned into a race: to have time to cross things off the daily list in order to meet other people's expectations. But this is not a search for balance. It's about finding a way to survive.

Distributing a certain number of hours between work and personal life will also not bring balance. The stress that has accumulated during working hours will not disappear if you spend half the day in the office and the second half of the day at home. Balance is an immeasurable value.

Those who work 60 hours a week in high-paying jobs say they love their work. This is because they pursue success every day. The drive to succeed helps them survive grueling work hours and increased demands.

Success is not necessarily better or more. The point is to move towards the goal. An effective way to overcome burnout is to never stop seeking to develop aspects of your life.

Getting out of the clutches of fatigue, or Preventing burnout

The main thing in the fight against stress, chronic fatigue and disappointment is to pull yourself together and give life a new meaning. Let's say you set unattainable goals for yourself or were in too much of a hurry. The circle is closed. But no matter what way we choose to deal with the vicious circle of stress, there is always a chance to break it. By acknowledging the problems, we already win half the battle.

1. Be prepared for stress
Learn relaxation exercises, meditation, breathing practices. And try to come to an awareness of your emotions. As soon as you realize that everything is about to go to hell, turn to the life-saving techniques that you have learned.

2. Don't give in to immediate desires
Some of our most regrettable actions are motivated by a desire to get rid of difficult experiences. However, these actions still did not help solve the problem or alleviate the stress. There is a great temptation to take medicine or look into the bar around the corner, scream and say offensive words when the mood is at zero. Take your time! Analyze your judgments and desires. If the situation requires your intervention, wait until you can control yourself.

3. Don't forget about the main thing
Remember your fundamental values ​​and act accordingly. What is more important - letting off steam or maintaining a relationship with your loved one? Remember your core values ​​and act accordingly.

4. Get a pet
The presence of an animal in the house will help you better cope with stress, and walking with your dog will open up new opportunities for communication with people. When we are faced with making difficult psychological decisions, pets help reduce high blood pressure better than any beta blockers.

5. Pay attention to the condition of your body
If you are too anxious, angry or scared, first calm down by doing relaxation exercises. Go to the gym and do aerobics - this will help relieve stress. Engage in physical labor, it helps to get out of the situation. A long walk is also great therapy.

6. Tell yourself “Stop”
STOP is an acronym coined by Alcoholics Anonymous: Never make decisions when you are Angry, Anxious, Lonely or Depressed. Take care of your own needs first.

7. Make up your mind
If you have a really serious problem, you need to do something about it. Hard work? Look for a new one. Are your relationships with your partner at an impasse? Maybe you should break up (but just think it over carefully). Sometimes we need an escape plan.

For example, the most common problem: if the job is too demanding (long hours, no help, a lot of pressure), start developing an escape plan. Don't spend money, don't buy a new house or a new car, don't make any expensive investments that could tie you to this job for a long time. Save your money. Think about a job that suits you best and look for options.

Even if you can't change something right away, the fact that you have a plan can alleviate stress.

“I don’t control my life!”

You probably know people (or are one of them yourself) who managed their own lives so poorly that now they hate everything about themselves? They feel locked in a never-ending cycle of unpleasant work situations, crushing debt, overwhelming responsibilities, broken relationships, and even health problems due to stress and fatigue.

People feel that everything around them is a responsibility, and they themselves have no control. Burnout and stress rule their lives, and they are at their lowest point in motivation and productivity.

Control over your responsibilities, time and results... How does that sound? Peace? Calm? Productivity? Maybe even a triumph?

We cannot experience all the amazing opportunities that life has to offer if we are constantly busy and stressed. But you don't deserve more. Is not it? Learn to notice the signs of emotional burnout in time and take action. Then every day will be filled with happiness and joy.

Humanity only recently learned about such a psychological problem as emotional burnout. Although today many are inclined to consider such a problem as “inflammation of cunning,” doctors admit that modern people are increasingly exposed to professional stress, in other words, “burning out” at work. Considering that more and more people have been facing this problem lately, the question arises: is this disease really a serious problem, and if so, how to deal with it?

Medical history

For the first time, humanity learned about the syndrome of “emotional burnout” in the 70s of the 20th century. Doctors paid attention to people who increasingly turned to psychologists with complaints about their work. It turned out that they experienced weakness and malaise, sleep problems and frequent headaches, all because of the hated work. During communication, it turned out that their work ceased to bring them satisfaction, began to irritate them, and the team began to disgust them. Patients with this syndrome felt helpless and incompetent; they began to lose motivation, which ultimately led to a decrease in professional achievements.

Interestingly, this condition was not similar to depression. It was not accompanied by a depressed state and feelings of guilt; on the contrary, patients often expressed aggression and increased emotional arousal. Moreover, psychotherapy methods practically did not work in this case. All this served as a reason for a close study of the anomaly, which was later called the “emotional burnout” syndrome.

Why does “emotional burnout” occur?

It's funny, but at the dawn of the 20th century, economists predicted financial well-being and consumer abundance for humanity. Moreover, the problem of excess leisure time for future generations was discussed quite seriously. True, the reality turned out to be more severe than analysts predicted. Just look at the statistics, according to which 85% of the full-time employed population in Russia constantly works.

The bleak economic climate is forcing people to work long hours, work weekends, and forgo vacations, all amid economic instability and ever-increasing unemployment. In such conditions, it is extremely difficult not to become a victim of work stress.

Who is susceptible to emotional burnout?

Many people are interested in knowing in which professions people are most often exposed to “emotional” burnout? Initially, scientists came to the conclusion that, first of all, people whose profession involves close communication with others are exposed to stress in the workplace. Doctors and teachers, psychologists and journalists, managers and artists are at risk. Doctors explained it this way: “The more often you communicate with people, sympathize, help, ask, answer, argue, swear or listen to sob stories, the more likely you begin to hate others and dislike your job.”

However, today it has been established that almost any specialist can suffer from “emotional burnout”. And this can bring huge losses to society. For example, an experienced pilot who suddenly begins to be afraid of flying and doubt the correctness of his own actions can “burn out” at work. This situation threatens a catastrophe in which innocent people may suffer.

But even if a “burnt out” person manages to avoid extremes, over time he will begin to develop real protracted stress, accompanied by weakened immunity, stomach ulcers, neuroses and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, a person develops indifference, and even disgust, towards the work he is doing. Psychologists call this state “professional cynicism.” A person in this state develops grievances, a desire to scold others, the government, or complain about fate. But special hostility appears towards clients, work colleagues, patients or students. Such “burnout” in a professional environment is called “people poisoning.”

Why does burnout happen?

Initially, let's say that each person has a certain limit on communication, i.e. per day, a specialist, without harm to himself, can help a certain number of people. When their number increases, the nervous system gradually becomes exhausted. A person reaches a similar limit in solving problems. The limit is different for everyone and depends on the stability of the nervous system. And let’s not forget that in addition to professional activities, our nerves are tested for strength by everyday and personal problems, as well as the lack of proper sleep.

It is generally accepted that communication with a person always gives a response, i.e. attention is responded to with attention, and a gesture of respect is responded to with a similar gesture. But not all patients or students are capable of such a return. Usually, a person is “rewarded” for his efforts with indifference, indifference, or even complete neglect and a hostile attitude. All this only aggravates the emotional state, reducing self-esteem and professional motivation.

Finally, emotional burnout develops due to the lack of tangible results in work. Let's take, for example, the job of a teacher. You can try your best, you can work “carelessly”, visually no one will notice the result: the kids will still go to school and get grades. All this forces a person to look for motivation in work, and not every teacher, doctor or manager finds this motivation.

There are extremely many reasons for stress at work, but even without a long enumeration, everyone understands perfectly well that uninteresting, monotonous work is much more exhausting than solving an emergency, difficult, but interesting task.

The influence of personality traits

It is also worth adding that the development of work stress is influenced by the character of the employee. For example, there are “sprinters” workers who rush to do work headlong, but very quickly “slow down.” These individuals react painfully to criticism directed at them. There are “stayers” workers who are ideal for performing routine work over a long period of time. There are people with high performance, but lack of imagination, and there are incredibly creative individuals who have huge problems with performance. And if the tasks assigned to a person do not suit his character, the process of “burnout” develops faster and causes more damage to the person.

What personality traits are most conducive to professional burnout? Let's list them:

1. extremes of perception. A person tends to perceive what is happening in black and white;
2. integrity. Excessively inflexible, rigid and principled position;
3. perfectionism. The desire to do everything flawlessly, the desire for perfection, inflated demands on oneself;
4. exceptional performance;
5. excessively high level of self-discipline, self-control and responsibility;
6. tendency to self-sacrifice;
7. being in a world of illusions. Romanticism, enthusiasm, lack of real perception of events;
8. extreme intolerance, presence of fanatical ideas;
9. reduced self-esteem.

In order to prevent emotional and professional burnout, it is important to work on yourself, soberly and sensibly assessing your psychological mood and the characteristics of your own character.

How to prevent burnout

Having realized the problem, a completely legitimate question arises: how to deal with “emotional burnout”? Psychologists say that there are many methods to combat stress in the workplace. True, some of them are very negative.

Negative ways to deal with burnout

For example, as a teacher, you can keep children at a distance, avoid touching, and not delve into their experiences and life problems. This approach helps you not to absorb other people’s problems, thereby protecting your state of mind. But is it possible to give knowledge to children without feeling affection for them?

Other people, in order not to “waste themselves,” have to resort to ritualization. To do this, when communicating with their wards, they adhere to a certain routine and demand strict adherence to instructions from their opponents. In this case, the interaction occurs without any emotional outbursts (met, worked, separated).

“Energy vampirism” helps some individuals avoid stress. They themselves provoke awkward situations, take advantage of moments of failure, or even completely humiliate another person in order to rise at his expense. This scheme motivates the “vampire”, allowing him to feel satisfaction and avoid stress, although, in its essence, it is destructive.

Some people, in order to avoid burnout, need to constantly emphasize their importance and indispensability. For example, in every team there is a person responsible for material assets or documents, without whose permission it is impossible to resolve the issue. Such a person feels absolutely indispensable, and even if it is just an illusion, the belief that the world will collapse without him allows him to not “burn out” at work.

Other ways to relieve stress include taking psychotropic medications. In the USA and European countries, various tranquilizers are used for this purpose, but in our country cigarettes and alcoholic beverages are used.

The right ways to deal with burnout

To smooth out or prevent aversion and indifference to work, without participating in conflicts and without bullying other people, positive methods are used that are recommended by psychologists.

First of all, this is training. If a person constantly strives to expand his horizons and acquire new knowledge in order not only to get a higher position, but also to challenge himself, he will never “burn out.” Moreover, it is very important that in memory of the transition to each new level a person retains some symbol - a prize, diploma or any other award. And in itself, participation in various trainings and personal growth courses is a good way to diversify your routine and prevent stress. In addition, such events make it possible to get rid of “professional personality deformation” - a phenomenon in which a teacher initially sees his student as a would-be student, and a lawyer as a criminal.

Constructive assessment is another incentive to develop and prevent “emotional burnout.” Regardless of gender, age or position, every person needs someone to appreciate their work. A person who sees the objective as well as the subjective result of his work (feedback from management, colleagues, clients and students) is reliably protected from psychological problems associated with professional activity.

Another way to avoid burning out at work is novelty. In this regard, the use of new technologies, the use of technical innovations or a change in activity helps to avoid stress at work. By the way, staff rotation is common in developed countries. For example, in Japan, the director of an enterprise, after 5 years in a management position, is required to work for a year as a regular worker. This allows you to look at the production process from the very bottom, understand the problems of workers, and besides, this is an excellent way to temporarily change the type of activity and avoid “burnout.”

It is worth saying that personal resentment, conflict with management or with a work colleague, as well as collective “bullying” can strike a blow to a person’s performance. In this case, to prevent stress, you will need to neutralize this negative process (with punitive measures, persuasion, encouragement or other tricks). True, for this you need to master methods of avoiding psychological conflicts.

I could write for a long time about methods of avoiding conflicts. Western teachers have especially advanced in this regard, surprising with their emphatic friendliness and ability to avoid conflicts. For example, after giving a student a bad mark, they can write the following as feedback: “Quite an interesting job! It is clear that an analysis has been carried out and facts have been selected. True, the answer is somewhat unfinished and was not submitted on time. We have no doubt that the author will enjoy success in his future activities!” Yes, there is insincerity here. But it is useful, since it is an element of mental hygiene aimed at avoiding conflict and aiming to motivate the student to further progress. Here's a reverse example. The teacher gives a C, with the following review: “It’s amazing, the work was written without errors. Apparently I wrote it off. However, the presence of blots, a crumpled notebook, and the general level of knowledge do not allow us to give a higher rating.”

An element of hygiene is a person’s positive attitude, the ability to find 90% of the positives and point out the 10% of mistakes. And it’s a pity that teachers and representatives of other professions who experience “burnout” develop “professional personality deformation” - the desire to look for mistakes and flaws in their clients and students. This harms the student’s mood, but even more harms the teacher himself, who gradually “burns out” emotionally. To prevent this from happening, it is better to evaluate a student not by the number of errors found, but by the amount of merit. The man tried, overcame his busyness, and by this alone he “earned” a good grade. It is better not to kill any desire in him to continue working, but to give him tasks from simple to complex. By doing this, you will help the student find his level of competence, from which he can build on and grow. With such actions, the specialist allows himself to grow, avoiding “burnout.”

Finally, in order to continue to love your work and engage in it with enthusiasm, it is important to learn how to dose it and be able to complete it in a timely manner. When we start another life project, we try to make it endless. We are very upset when, after a successful career, a popular musical group breaks up or a fashion magazine closes. In fact, life shows that the lifespan of successful projects is limited to 7–8 years. Then the inevitable process of “burnout” begins, which means something needs to be changed. It is not necessary to close the project, you can, for example, continue development in a new format, the main thing is that the people working in it feel a surge of strength, become infected with a new idea and strive to achieve new heights!
Good mental and physical health to you!

In professional language, burnout syndrome is called “demotivation” - the employee develops a cynical attitude towards work and emotional exhaustion sets in. The return on such an employee is usually small. In addition, he can infect the entire team with a decadent mood. It is possible to overcome burnout syndrome. But we need to fight not the consequences of demotivation, but its causes.

Why is staff motivation decreasing?

Usually, at the initial stage of the relationship with an employee, the organization takes an extremely advantageous position for itself. When an employee first starts a new job, intrinsic motivation is often strong and can be a major factor determining behavior in the workplace. For many specialists, this is a challenge: new tasks, obstacles, an opportunity to learn something. Even an employee with solid experience will have to delve into unfamiliar problems, establish relationships with colleagues and clients, and learn to take advantage of advantages. In this situation, the main task of the manager is not to lose an advantageous position.

Burnout syndrome is not a personal problem of the employee. The company that did not minimize the risk of “burnout” also bears responsibility. First of all, the syndrome appears in employees in communication positions - managers of negotiation processes, personnel service employees, specialists in external communication relations of the company. Employees who experience constant stress in the workplace are also susceptible to burnout syndrome. In any case, the likelihood of “burnout” depends not on the personal characteristics of a particular employee, but on the moral and psychological climate in the company, employment conditions and the management system as a whole. That is why it is necessary to fight not with the consequences - exhaustion, demoralization, fatigue and other signs, but with the causes. If the first signs of “burnout” do appear in an employee, he needs moral support in the form of positive optimistic attitudes from management. This will allow the subordinate not to be left alone with his depressed state. Active involvement of the employee in work will also help, not only in his area, but also in adjacent ones. For some people, the opportunity to learn new things has a more beneficial effect than, for example, material encouragement.

How to deal with burnout

It is quite possible to prevent the development of staff burnout syndrome. To do this, you need to know the reasons for demotivation.

• Breaking gentleman's agreements

Motivation may decline some time after the employee arrives at work. Hopes often do not come true, since many important issues are left behind the scenes during negotiations with the employer.

During the interview, the nature and mode of work, rest time and remuneration are usually discussed, but issues of the corporate climate are practically not discussed. Often, an employer only talks about the advantages of a future job.

The candidate’s expectations diverge from the actual state of affairs in the company, and soon after starting work the employee discovers that he has drawn the wrong card: the training is formal, there are no prospects for growth, the team consists of closed groups of employees. As a result, not a trace remains of the candidate’s energy and enthusiasm.

Recommendations. During the selection process, HR specialists must provide the candidate with as much information as possible about the company. Candidates who are not afraid of possible complications will have realistic expectations.

• Unclaimed talents

Overqualification is often worse than underqualification. Experienced managers know that hiring someone who is overqualified for the position is dangerous. There is a high probability that in a few months he will get bored and will try to realize his unclaimed talents. Until the employee finds a worthy use for himself, his colleagues will have to watch his attempts to “sit in” with less qualified management or stick his nose in everywhere with his advice. There are no perfect matches. A candidate may not have absolutely all the skills you need, but this can be easily corrected with the help of internal training and internships. It is more difficult with the skills that he has and which will not be useful to him in a new place. Carelessly discarding such skills can lead to serious demotivation over time.

Recommendations. We must try to use unclaimed skills and knowledge of employees to solve new problems. Even short-term projects will let the subordinate understand that the company values ​​all his knowledge and skills. For example, an employee who speaks a foreign language can be instructed to find the information you need on foreign websites or review foreign specialized press. The employee will be grateful to you for the opportunity not to forget the best of what he knows.

• Ignoring ideas and initiatives

When starting a new job, employees are usually bursting with new ideas - from improving work methods to rearranging furniture in the office. Most often, management simply brushes aside these ideas - due to distrust of newcomers, reluctance to part with the usual working environment, etc.

Recommendations. All company employees should have the opportunity to express ideas and suggestions. Even if they are not brilliant enough to bring to life, they are worth considering. This activity can be organized by the development department or personnel service. It is useful to create a section “Questions and suggestions for management” on the internal Internet portal. Employees must receive feedback and explanations as to why this or that idea is premature or not suitable for implementation in the company.

• Low ownership

This demotivator is most relevant for employees working outside the company's office or for support staff. An employee who does not feel part of the company will perform his duties carelessly. This problem can affect not only employees working on the road, but also staff members, and sometimes entire departments.

Recommendations. The feeling of involvement in a common cause and team spirit are a strong motivating factor. Employees with this motive are ready to sacrifice their personal interests and time, working to achieve the company's goals. That is why we need company-wide events and regular information about what is happening.

• Lack of visible achievements

Quite often, due to the nature of their work, employees cannot immediately see the results of their activities. Work “without results” turns into a routine and after a certain time neutralizes internal motivation. The lack of interesting work is especially painful for people in creative professions.

Recommendations. For employees in “routine” areas, create projects from time to time - short-term tasks, including in areas related to their specialization. This will break up the routine and allow them to learn something. Divide long-term projects into observable stages, actively discuss intermediate results and, of course, encourage participants.

• Lack of recognition

Not so long ago, Honor Boards were a strong motivator in work. Ambitious workers (and these are the majority) went out of their way to be able to show their portrait to others. Recognition was more important than a bonus: bonuses are spent alone, but many people recognize the best employee by sight. And today, opinion polls show that employees suffer if colleagues do not notice their achievements.

• No change in status

If all the bosses start carrying logs, there won’t be enough logs for everyone. If all the log bearers become bosses, the result will be the same. In other words, structural limitations are the most common reason for a slowdown (stop) in career growth. For years, workers have been unable to achieve a change in their status, that is, to gain greater authority, the opportunity to solve new problems and grow. The situation is typical for large companies with a rigid hierarchy. To cope with it, instead of increasing the status, the organization's management offers a decent compensation package and many other opportunities. But, as a rule, such companies cannot boast of a high level of motivation and loyalty of employees.

Not the least important demotivator is the subjectivity of management when making decisions on the relocation of employees. Imagine how an employee feels, having spent too much time in his position and clearly grown out of it, at the moment when another person is appointed to the vacant position.

Stages of decreased motivation

In management psychology, the following stages of decreased motivation are traditionally distinguished:

Stage 1. Confusion. The first symptoms of stress begin to appear. They are a consequence of the confusion of the employee, who ceases to understand what he needs to do and why his work is not going well. This does not yet have a significant impact on labor productivity, but the load on the nervous system increases.

Stage 2. Irritation. If the employee feels that the situation is not improving, he begins to experience irritation associated with a feeling of powerlessness. His behavior is somewhat demonstrative. He tends to deliberately withdraw into himself or take a pointedly defensive position. At the same time, his labor productivity increases. The employee makes more and more efforts, hoping that he will be able to cope with the stressful situation.

Stage 3. Dual role. Noticing that the immediate manager makes no attempts to correct the situation, the employee stops doubting who is to blame for the difficulties and changes tactics. He may disrupt the work process in the hope of drawing the attention of others to the problem, and begins to avoid his boss. This stage can be noticed by insufficient contacts between the manager and the subordinate.

Stage 4. Disappointment. From this stage on, it is much more difficult to restore damaged interest in work. Labor productivity is reduced to the minimum acceptable level. The duration of this phase may vary depending on the employee’s self-confidence, energy and moral value system. Personal contact between a boss and a subordinate with an open discussion of the problem can restore interest in work.

Stage 5. Loss of willingness to cooperate. The most obvious symptom of this stage is the employee’s attempt to emphasize through words or actions that “this and that is none of my business.” The employee crosses out the boundaries of his responsibilities, trying to narrow them as much as possible. Some begin to behave defiantly, neglecting work. At this stage, relationships with colleagues also deteriorate.