The Truth about Burnout

Today's workforce is experiencing job burnout in epidemic proportions. Workers at all levels, both white- and blue-collar, feel stressed out, insecure, misunderstood, undervalued, and alienated at their workplace. But what can be done to offset the devastating effects of organizational downsizing, outsourcing, and restructuring? This original and important book debunks the common myth that when workers suffer job burnout they are solely responsible for their fatigue, anger, and "don't give a damn" attitude. The Truth About Burnout clearly shows where the accountability often belongs . . . squarely on the shoulders of the organization. Burnout is shown to be a sign of a major dysfunction within an organization, and says more about the workplace than it does about the employees.
Written by Drs. Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter leaders in the study of job burnout The Truth About Burnout challenges the accepted thinking about burnout and focuses on how to describe, predict, and alleviate this problem. The authors give workers, managers, and company leaders guidelines and strategies for eradicating the underlying problems within an organization that are the true source of burnout. They propose a new paradigm for organizational health and offer specific prescriptive measures. These measures--both for assessment, goal-setting, and techniques of crisis intervention, and for preventing burnout in the future--demand both collective initiative from employees and substantial cooperation from management.
The organizational change that is required will not only alleviate this problem--it also offers management the promise of greater profitability. For it is only engaged and committed employees who can remain functional and productive for the long run.

Preface ix
1. The Current Crisis 1
2. How You Experience Burnout 23
3. What Causes Burnout? 38
4. Why Do Anything About Burnout? 61
5. Crisis Intervention to Stop Burnout 79
6. Preventing Burnout and Building Engagement 102
7. Promoting Human Values 128
Afterword: Moving Toward a Better Future 148
Appendix: Assessing the Work Environment 155
Endnotes 171
For Further Reading 173
About the Author 177
Index 179