People experiencing “burn-on” are very involved professionally, giving the impression of being fulfilled in their work. The reality is different…
The burn-on (also called “burn-in“) is a term that is not very common in everyday language and among psychiatrists and psychologists. However, its clinical signs are similar to those “of a hidden depression“.”In my opinion, it is more about the stage which occurs just before a burnout (or “overwork” in French)“, warns Aline Nativel Id Hammou, clinical psychologist. But be careful, it is an insidious behavioral pattern and not always visible that can often confused with high motivation at work. “THE people in “burn-on” are so productive and professionally involved, that we have the impression that they are fulfilled in their work. But it often hides a deep distress: they are often on the razor’s edge, on the verge of breakdown and exhaustion. Despite this, they continue to work, even killing themselves (always more) at the task. And by the way, you can suffer from it for months or even years without realizing it…”
The 5 typical behaviors of a burn-on
This extreme desire to work and this need to do more and more is manifested by:
- Coming early and staying late to work and/or working overtime
- Take work home
- Work weekends, during vacations and/or not take vacation at all
- Reply to emails at any time
- Minimize fatigue or blame it on factors other than work
What are the risks of a burn-on?
Typically, these people receive compliments and praise from their superiors on their productivity, which feeds their over-involvement and pushes them to work even harder. But after a while, recognition is no longer enough for them and emotional and physical exhaustion takes over, and this can lead to a real burnout. The consequences can be hypersensitivity, extreme fatigue, sleep problems, social isolation, reduced self-esteem or worthlessness, an inability to go to work…
What solutions to get out of a burn-on?
“Certainly, work is an integral part of our identity. It is therefore normal, even desirable, to be motivated and involved in your work. But, when this involvement is so great that it has harmful consequences on his personal life or his health (physical or mental), we must stop this pattern“, observes our expert. To get out of this situation, this involves:
► Listen to your loved ones. When denial persists, it is often the spouse, family, friends, or even colleagues who warn of the potential occurrence of burn-on. Also, a first step to stopping the burn-on process is to recognize warning signscited above.
► Setting realistic limits and goals and avoid taking work home or logging into your email outside of (official) office hours. To best respect your limits, organize a realistic task list by priority or deadline.
► Be careful during job interviews. “Young workers and new employees in a company are particularly at risk of burn-on. Some bosses may be looking for this type of employee or worker in the sense that they are capable of absorbing and tackling a large workload and rarely say “no”, warns our interlocutor. For example, be wary of ambiguous (or overly long) lists of responsibilities or a lack of clarity around working hours. Make sure you have an overview of the position and daily tasks that will be entrusted to you, when you take up the position and subsequently, but also find out about the company culture. Ask, from the job interview if possible, what the manager expects of you, what is the biggest challenge you will face…
► Avoid the pitfalls of “passionate professions”: loving what you do too much, the risk is not setting limits and devoting all your time to your work. And since the latter is pleasant, it is easy to consider that we are not really working, our job blurring the boundaries between the personal and the professional, sometimes becoming source of suffering because of too much commitment.
► Consult your doctor to see if psychological support is necessary.