Burnout 911: What’s YOUR Job Emergency?

Posted on October 13, 2019 by Gina DeRosa, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

When I was an undergrad social work student, I completed a practicum at a continuum of care facility near the university (#GoOrange). One of the social workers there gave me a copy of a copy of a copy of an illustration of a firefighter with a quote that read, “In order to burn out, you must first be on fire.” In all of the jobs I have had since then, my copy of that picture has traveled with me – from New York to Massachusetts to Missouri and then back to Massachusetts – and has been prominently displayed in each of my cubicles and offices.

At first it was like a subtle badge of honor that I leveraged as not only a cautionary warning but also a statement to the world that social workers work their asses off for the greater purpose of saving the world. That firefighter dude did his best to remind me that I needed to work as hard at preventing myself from igniting as I worked to save the world, but I am just as human as the person who created him; alas, I have experienced burnout multiple times in my career, even after moving on from clinical roles. I am making a bold assumption that you have experienced it to some extent at least once in your life, personally (perhaps as a caregiver or with family drama) or professionally (perhaps working long hours without an apparent end in sight).

Shortly before Labor Day this year, there was a news story that really rattled me to my core – as a person who cares about others (i.e. a normal human being) and as a professional coach/licensed behavioral health clinician who understands burnout in both personal experience and professional work with others. I’ve unpacked the story here with the goal of giving you two things:

1) A window into how others express burnout so that you can think of more/better ways to prevent it for yourself, your staff and loved ones
2) A raw example of how your unconscious bias creeps up when you see/hear about situations like this

SCENARIO, TAKE #1:

An employee submitted a 2-week notice of resignation to the employer. The employee was permitted to continue performing assigned duties for the next two weeks, which involved direct interaction with consumers during that time. In the final hours of the employee’s last shift on the job, the employee had an interaction with a consumer who was in need of the highly-specialized services the company offers. Complaints were made about the quality of services delivered to this consumer, and as of the writing of this article, the employer is still looking into its policies to assess the need for modifications.

Objective Assumptions:

—Upon submission of resignation, the employee was committed to performing duties as assigned for the remaining two weeks at the company
—Employer had no critical reason to make the employee cease performance of assigned duties upon submission of resignation
—During the course of the remaining two weeks at the company, the employee’s commitment to the job diminished

SCENARIO, TAKE #2:

[A 911 dispatcher] submitted a 2-week notice of resignation to the employer. The [911 dispatcher] was permitted to continue [taking 911 calls] for the next two weeks, which involved direct interaction with [callers reporting life-threatening emergencies] during that time. In the final hours of the employee’s last shift on the job, the employee had an interaction with a [person in crisis] who was [in a vehicle being gradually overtaken by rising flood water]. Complaints were made about the [blaming, shaming, scolding, taunting, dismissing, minimizing, etc. exhibited by the dispatcher while serving] this [person in crisis], and as of the writing of this article, the [911 Communications Unit] is reportedly still [crafting a reasonable explanation for allowing this type of interaction to occur while also minimizing risk of a lawsuit for possibly contributing to the caller’s death].

Let’s look at those assumptions again…

—Upon submission of resignation, the employee was committed to performing duties as assigned for the remaining two weeks at the company…maybe because she needed the money, or couldn’t start her new job yet, or didn’t have another job lined up…
—Employer had no critical reason to make the employee cease performance of assigned duties upon submission of resignation…maybe because the dispatcher had good performance to date, or they didn’t have an immediate replacement for her, or they didn’t have any other jobs for her to take on during her last two weeks…
—During the course of the remaining two weeks at the company, the employee’s commitment to the job diminished…maybe because she’s a terrible person, or she was under the influence of drugs, or she is mentally ill, or she wasn’t feeling well, or she has anger issues, or she hates her life, or she was burned out from the job…

I’ve made the assumption that the root cause of this person’s behavior was burnout because 1) I choose to give people the benefit of the doubt in situations like this and 2) I am aware of the astronomical pressures of this job. A 911 dispatcher with whom I’m connected said to me recently, “We as Emergency Dispatchers do not get recognized very much and to that point, never ever feel that we matter. I’m…just trying to do my part in this crazy world.” (Side note: Stay tuned for an interview I’ll be conducting with her!)

The person in the news story is likely a decent human being with an average level of integrity who cares about others and was well-trained to do her job, but subconsciously allowed the phenomenon of burnout to take over her rational conscience and manifest itself in the maladaptive behaviors that simply exacerbated the tragic outcome of the 911 call.

Burnout sucks. A LOT. It’s physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually draining. You see it coming, your friends/family/colleagues see it coming, and while it is a phenomenon that you have 100% control to prevent, there is something inside of you that subconsciously chooses to let it happen. If you are currently experiencing burnout or anticipate that you may experience it again in the near future, sign up for a FREEEE, no-strings-attached Pre-Commitment Chat with me to see how I can support you in your efforts to successfully overcome or prevent burnout from taking over your mind and life!

#burnout #jobemergency #seeGseeYou #sixthgearseries

Gina DeRosa is owner and founder of Sixth Gear Series LLC, a professional coaching firm based out of Massachusetts. She provides rapidly effective, affordable, authentic, and personalized 1:1 and team coaching services for emerging professionals, company leaders, and others who are ready to accelerate past personal and professional roadblocks and drive towards success in their careers and beyond.

It’s time to accelerate your potential.