Please get off your phone

We need to minimise our phone use

There are a number of articles around at the moment about Burnout. They all have good points and good advice to follow. However, there is one small thing I would like to point out. Research has shown that employees are not always aware that they are heading toward burnout.

Although there are a number of reasons people burn out, a lot of the blame is laid at the foot of increased workloads and workplace job pressure. Yes, this is true, but we forget that we are also to blame for ‘allowing’ this to happen. E-anxiety that is one of the causes of burnout comes from excessive email monitoring in private hours.

Monitoring emails and work-based communication when you should be taking time out from work can have a detrimental effect on you as a worker, your significant other and your family. Signs of burnout are often manifested first in home-based conflict. Partners and children start getting frustrated and annoyed with you not being fully present with them, prioritising a project or work colleague/supervisor over them.

Catching burnout before it catches you is something we can do something about. Some people say that they have no choice, but they actually do. We can put our phone down, turn off notifications, switch the phone (or computer) off, walk away, do something else, be more present in our private time. You are not irreplaceable at work, you are irreplaceable at home.

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