‘Job burnout’: The enemy within business

Nora Soriño .

ILIGAN City–Boredom. Tiredness. Loss of energy and/or enthusiasm. Anxiety.

These are some of the feelings or non-feelings associated with this thing called job burnout which are being talked in the open these days now because it is a reality in this modern world of ours. Allow me to give some view however lopsided it might be.

In economics, we learned that the factors of production are land, labor, capital and entrepreneur. Job burnout therefore comes from one factor: labor. In other words, the burnout comes from the  one who labors in order to bring about the production. Stress on production. So that the company will make money and thereby make a profit. Because of it. Because of the labor force. Emphasis on the “force.”

Some thoughts on the side, on “the force.” In a modern sci-fi movie, there is some reference to “the force.” This is to beings not necessarily humans “in a galaxy far far away” which to this writer, seems like the god. As in “may the force be with you.” Sounds almost religious.

That is not the force that we’re talking about. Like we said, it is the labor force which is one of the factors of production.

Somewhere along the way, labor conks out in the process of production. It is but human. Didn’t they say, “to err is human” which is another way of saying, to get tired, or to lose energy or enthusiasm or to get bored is human?  It’s like saying too that to get tired, or to conk out in the process of production, is just human? That’s why mechanization  and then artificial intelligence, came in, but even machines and AI conk out, too, because there is the human factor into them before they came into being

In another field of production like agriculture or in farming, there was/is this companion of the farmer called “the carabao.” The latter labors too along with the farmer. Naturally, as it is a creature, like the farmer it gets tired. Does it experience burnout?

Yes! But it is not called that. You don’t say that a carabao suffers from burnout. Although in effect, it is burning out too. The farmer then does something about this. He lets his partner wallow in water, be it muddy or clean, the carabao doesn’t care, as long as it is water. Although, mostly it is muddy. Why only muddy?

It’s just like asking: Why do dogs like bones? The answer of course, is that their best friends, their owners just feed ’em bones. In Pagayawan, Lanao del Sur though, Frank, a friend, says that instead of using the carabao, they use the cow there because it doesn’t need the water as much as the carabao. This is a lesson learned, in this aspect.

Capital or money or any other assets that are used to further the ends of the business doesn’t get burned out, we suppose. But in a way, they might. For they might “evaporate” in the process. Thus, money is burned not necessarily burned out.

Let’s go to the entrepreneur or the one who puts up this business. Does he get burnout, too? Yes, like the labor. But they are not talked about, like the ones in the labor force.

The World Heath Organization has recently confirmed the existence of this enemy within the world of business , called job burnout.

Some views say that this is a medical condition but WHO  thinks this is not necessarily so.This is a syndrome, although we still have to understand fully how a syndrome differs from a medical condition.

Relative to this, did we hear of teachers committing suicide because of their job? Which so overwhelmed them that they have no other recourse?

So what do we do with this monster inside many of us in the world of business or  even in pursuing our passions?

I told Vicky, a friend,regarding the procedure of Mila, another friend who is in the creative writing business. That is, Mila is into short story/ novel writing on the sides. Mila says she gets tired along the way, in pursuing her passion. So, she just writes three or four paragraphs  in one day and then go on making “happy-happy.” After about a day or two, she gets on with what she is doing. That takes care of the burnout aspect. And she succeeds in finishing her project on time.

“That’s not job burnout. That might classify as ‘project burnout’ if there’s such a thing!” Vicky exclaims along with a “ha-ha-ha.” And then she looks at me closely. “Tell me, this Mila that you are talking about, there is no Mila really. This could be you!”

I couldn’t look at her directly. Neither could I answer her directly on that.