workplace burnout

Is burning the midnight oil affecting your health? (pic: istockphoto.com/Yuri_Arcurs)

We all know how groggy and out of sorts we can feel if we don’t get enough sleep. But two studies have shown just what an impact sleep deficiency can have on our body and our mood.

Getting less than six hours’ sleep a night for a week can alter more than 700 genes in our bodies, according to research from the University of Surrey. The immune system and how the body reacts to stress were the areas most affected by lack of sleep, the researchers found. Getting enough sleep is therefore crucial to replacing cells in our body to maintain healthy functioning.

This isn’t always easy though, especially for working parents. A separate study by workplace provider Regus found that a third (34%) of working parents sacrificed sleep to fit in all their work and personal commitments. Yet three-quarters find themselves sucked into the culture of ‘presenteeism’ because their workplaces prize a long-hours culture.

Work-life balance is a hard one to get right. “Lack of sleep is clearly detrimental to worker health and happiness,” says Regus UK MD Steve Purdy. Perhaps that’s something to reflect on next time you set your alarm extra early or find yourself burning the midnight oil.

Two-thirds of HR directors in UK employees say workload is the biggest cause of burnout (pic: istockphoto.com/olm26250)

Workload too heavy? Colleagues not pulling their weight? Putting in regular overtime but feeling resentful and short-changed because of it?

You’re not alone. Two-thirds of HR directors say workload is the main reason for employee burnout, according to a survey by recruitment company Robert Half UK. And those same HR directors are on alert for the signs that their staff are buckling under the stress that current economic burdens are placing on their shoulders.

You may feel pressure to stay late to keep your job, give your all to meet higher expectations, and end up without any praise or recognition for your efforts. On top of that, you may end up sacrificing your work-life balance that means no one wins: not you, your boss or your family.

But the thing about stress and workplace burnout is it can creep up on you over many weeks and months. You may think you’re ‘coping’, but sometimes a minor happening can become a major incident when stress takes over. ‘Good’ stress can help you perform at your best. But ‘bad’ stress – when it becomes you master, not your servant – can be detrimental to your work performance and to your emotional and mental wellbeing.

Here are the six signs from the Robert Half survey that show you could be heading for burnout: