My respected reader, before beginning with this article, I consider it necessary to place the accent and submit to your reflection the following premise, rather the following axiom (in common use, an axiom is usually understood as a statement whose truth is so obvious that it does not requires a demonstration): Personnel administration and with it, the organizational and labor characteristics, have a clear and profound impact on the mental health of the knowledge worker.
The original Anglo-Saxon expression "Burnout syndrome" has been translated in different ways into Spanish, in fact it is known in the literature as the burnout syndrome, and more recently as the burnout syndrome, but it is also called: burned, emotional fatigue syndrome, chronic work stress syndrome, care work stress, professional stress, psychic burnout, etc.
Although the term "burn out" ("Burnout") had already been coined before, it is Freudenberger (1974) who incorporates it into the world of occupational psychology. This psychiatrist in 1974, in a clinic (“Free Clinic”) of drug addicts (drug addicts) in New York, observed how the volunteer personnel, in a period of between 1 and 3 years, due to chronic work stress, showed a loss of energy until exhaustion coupled with the presence of symptoms of anxiety and depression as well as a huge demotivation for work, with a feeling of failure and powerlessness, repercussions of an individual nature and by domino effect are generated, with a direct incidence to a good range organizational and social aspects (generating a clear deterioration in the quality of service offered by organizations),it becomes one of the main causes of deterioration at work level and a source of constant accidents, ranking among psychosocial occupational risks that can trigger possible psychopathological disorders in the individual as described by Freudenberger.
Initially, when speaking of Burnout, reference was made to health personnel (medical professionals, nursing professionals, etc.), teachers, prison officials, police, social workers, etc., basically all those who provide humanitarian support.
However, thanks to the considerable number of investigations (from the 70s of the last century to the present), today we know precisely that Burnout syndrome appears when the compensatory adaptation mechanisms fail in work situations with sustained stress. It is seen more frequently in jobs with a mismatch and mismatch between demands and resources, between what is given and what is received (when cognitive and behavioral efforts are not adequately compensated), and especially in people with idealistic expectations who are faced with a frustrating reality.
Today, this syndrome is considered one of the most important psychosocial occupational injuries and basically has a pathology derived from the interaction of the individual with certain harmful psychosocial conditions of work, this arises as a consequence of chronic work stress in which They combine variables of an individual, social and organizational nature: in simple words, when the work is not adapted to the person, but the person accepts it for multiple reasons.
In the Journal of the Chilean Society of Nursing in Dialysis and Renal Transplantation Vol. 3 No. 7 Year 2006, we find the article "Stress and Burnout" where the psychologist and family therapist María Soledad Molina C., tells us that people who they are more exposed to suffering from the “burn syndrome” are characterized by having certain particular personality traits, a high self-demand, low tolerance for failure, need for control, excellence and perfection; characteristics that ultimately make them vulnerable.
María Soledad in the same article lists some symptoms of this syndrome:
- Cardiovascular disorders (hypertension, coronary heart disease). Chronic fatigue. Headaches and migraine. Gastrointestinal disorders (abdominal pain, irritable colon, duodenal ulcer). Muscle pains. Respiratory disorders (asthma). Sleep disturbances. Eating disorders. drugs, drugs and alcohol. Absenteeism from work. High risk behaviors (reckless driving, smoking, among others). Sometimes defensive paradoxical behaviors (eg excessive development of hobbies that fill the person's mind, even during working hours). Increasing dedication to study to break free from routine (with less attention to "uninteresting" cases). Pseudo-absenteeism with the development of activities aimed at limiting the number of actual hours in the workplace (union activities,Continuous training).Anxiety, depression, irritability. Low self-esteem, lack of motivation. Difficulty concentrating. Emotional distancing. Feelings of professional frustration. Desire to leave work.
And we can add:
- Conduct geared toward finding another job and quitting. Palpitations; tachycardia and chest punctures. Exhaustion. Demotivation. Nervous tics, hand tremor. Frustration, cynicism and other negative emotions. Cognitive problems. Loss of performance at work. Interpersonal problems at home and at work. arterial.Do not take care of your own health.Skin conditions or infections.Weight loss.Worried about work when you are not at it.Decreased satisfaction in general.Health problems.Emotional explosions. Increased violent behavior and high-risk behaviors.
Based on experience, I dare to assure that the main responsibility that circumscribes this syndrome (professional burnout) falls on the company where we work, to be more specific, with the “exception” of organizations that provide humanitarian support, in those companies such as: agriculture, livestock, fishing, water, minerals, oil, electrical energy, telecommunications, television, radio, construction, textiles, transportation, banks, commerce, insurance, hotels, consulting, etc., etc., the responsibility falls mainly on the Management of Human Management for not having the proper processes for the correct Management of the Knowledge Worker and acting accordingly.
Burnout syndrome
Perhaps, what was pointed out in the previous paragraph sounded drastic, but, my respected reader:
- If we do not have an adequate process for the entry of personnel, if we do not place the knowledge worker in the position according to his abilities, if we do not guarantee an organizational structure according to the guidelines of Strategic Planning, if we do not guarantee the correct alignment of the Management Objectives and Indicators. If we do not guarantee the faithful fulfillment of the functions associated with the different positions in the organization. If we do not guarantee the correct training and education of the knowledge worker. If we do not guarantee the necessary equity in the different functional positions. If we do not guarantee the correct flow of information, if we do not guarantee the correct assignment of supervisory personnel (supervisors, managers and executives).If we do not guarantee a harmonious Organizational and Psychological Climate of the organization. If we do not guarantee the correct definition of processes and procedures and with them, their correct execution. If we do not guarantee the harmonious interrelation between the different organizational units of the company. If we do not guarantee respect for the human being, etc., etc.
You will say to me, "Excuse me but all of the aforementioned. It is not the sole responsibility of the management of Human Management", I am afraid that you are correct, but I ask you what percentage of responsibility corresponds to said management?
Just for reflection, the formulation of the budget is the responsibility of each manager, but is it not the responsibility of the Human Management Management to guarantee that said manager fully complies with the profile, with the capacities, with the knowledge and expertise to formulate it?
Every organization, every company is made up of Homo Sapiens (from the Latin “homo”, “man”, and “sapiens”, “wise”) and in fact, it is the knowledge worker who gives it shape, color and texture. It is the Human Being, N is the machine, It is not the team, it is exclusively the human being who gives life to that organization, to that company. I guarantee that your survival, in the competitive jungle, rests in the hands of your collaborators, the human being, the knowledge worker.
I apologize, but if the burnout syndrome has to do with the mental health of knowledge workers, who has the greatest responsibility? Is it the Finance Management, the Infrastructure Management or perhaps the Operations Management? categorically it is the management that administers the personnel, it is the Human Management Management.
Footnotes:
- Mingote Adam JC. Burnout syndrome. Professional burnout syndrome. Psychiatry Monographs. 1977; 5: 1-44.Moreno-Jiménez B, González JL, Garrosa E. Professional Burnout, Personality and Perceived Health. Cited in: Buendía J, Ramos F. Employment, stress and health. Madrid: Pyramid Psychology; 2001. Gil-Monte PR, Peiró JM. Journal of Psychology of Work and Organizations. 2000; 16 (2): 135-149. It was first described in 1969 by HB Bradley (Community-based tretment for young adult offenders, Crime and Delinquency 15, 863–872) as a metaphor for a psychosocial phenomenon present in police officers in probation, using the term "staff burnout".Bradley proposed taking steps around new forms of organizational structure to try to counter what he called "burned professionals" in charge of prisoners. Later in 1974, it will be developed in depth by the American psychiatrist Herbert Freudenberger through a field study of the health personnel of the "Free Clinic" in New York. Del Pozo, Araceli. Repercussions of teacher depression in the school environment. Complutense Magazine of Education, 2000; vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 85-103 Ramos, F., and Buendía, J. (2001). Burnout syndrome: concept, evaluation and treatment. Quoted in J. Buendía and F. Ramos, Employment, stress and health (pp. 33-57). Madrid: Ed. Pirámide.Freudenberger HJ Staff Burn-out, in Journal of Social Issues, 1987, pag. 59-165.Mingote JC.Burnout syndrome or professional burnout syndrome. FMC. 1998; 5: 493-503.
