Five Ways to Keep Office Burnout at Bay Poor leadership and unclear direction is the top reason for stress at workplace, says study

Burnout can happen to the best of us. Growing competition and workload can lead to prolonged stress. This, in turn, can cause lack of motivation, lead to decreased job confidence, and negative thinking, all of which can lower the quality of life beyond the workspace.

There's overwhelming evidence on how bad burnout is for health. A new study of around 10,000 tech workers, which was conducted in August by the anonymous community app Blind, found that the top reason for burnout among employees is poor leadership and unclear direction. The other reasons, the study says, are overwork, toxic culture, and insufficient reward benefits.

How do you fight burnout at the workplace? Here are five ways:

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Exercise

Over the years, studies have shown that even 30 minutes of physical activity like running, yoga or walking can help people distress. Yes, it is really that simple.

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Control

In the book Banishing Burnout: Six Strategies for Improving Your Relationship with Work, Michael P. Leiter and Christina Maslach say that burnout can happen "if the workload is too much, too complex, too urgent, or just too awful". The cause behind this is, they say, "you are experiencing problems in authority and influence." To address this issue, people have to use a control strategy. "This strategy will first help you identify which category of mismatch is the biggest problem for you—being micromanaged, ineffective leaders, or ineffective teams. It will then point you to the appropriate objectives for taking action—increasing autonomy, shared leadership, team rehab—and lay out the steps of your own action plan."

Work-life Balance

Hobby, sports or even a cooking class—look for something besides work to engage yourself. It will not only help you relax but also improve your cognitive skills.

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Logout

Staying connected can help boost productivity but it can also strip you off your time outside the workplace. Set boundaries by unplugging devices during the evening and don't check emails before sleeping. It will ensure a good night's sleep.

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Sleep, sleep, sleep

Poor sleep is known to impact work performance and quality of life, in general. A study says less than six hours of sleep could be a risk factor for burnout. So sleep well, and improve all areas of life.