University of Berkeley professor Christina Maslach and Susan Jackson ascribed the term “burnout” to the consequence of prolonged stress. It manifests as a “syndrome of emotional exhaustion and cynicism that occurs frequently among individuals who do “people work” of some kind”. It’s no surprise that lawyers are susceptible to burnout. Whether in the public or private sector, lawyers share the familiar burden of long work hours, stressful billing expectations and significant client need all within an increasingly competitive marketplace of eager substitutes. The silent and spoken expectations thrust upon lawyers to work extended hours, meet surmounting deadlines whilst maintaining the appearance of continually being able to perform at a high level creates a level of stress where the endpoint is obscured.
The road to burnout becomes apparent if the balance between stress and relief is not established. Negative side effects including loss of sleep, loss of time with one’s family, distorted self-perception and even depression are hallmarks of a once ignited fire rapidly extinguishing. Ultimately, burnout results when the balance of deadlines, demands, working hours and other stressors outstrips rewards, recognition and relaxation within a workplace.
Here are some tips to combat burnout and promote engagement in your career:
- Manage your workload – a workload that matches your capacity will enable you to get your work done effectively. If you are chronically overloaded, the opportunity to restore balance won’t exist. This is demoralising, stressful and often leads to burnout. Hone your time management skills by planning, prioritizing, delegating and letting go of perfectionism. You might schedule a meeting with your supervisor to discuss the issue if you’re being assigned more work than you can handle. Let them know that your excessive workload is leading to burnout. Come prepared with some options for delegating tasks. A proactive practitioner will demonstrate their prowess and command respect as a valued problem solver in the firm.
- Take control - Personal autonomy and competence will be challenging in these formative years of practice. A lack of control is a common complaint as unpredictable situations frequently arise. Abraham Maslow tells us that we don’t need to be in control all of the time to satisfy our hierarchy of needs and nurture our wellbeing. What we do need is the perception or sense of control over a situation. Acknowledging what can be controlled versus that which can’t be controlled, will improve mindful behaviour to a situation.
- Work with purpose – Look at the deeper impact of what you do every day. If the extrinsic and intrinsic rewards for your work don’t match the amount of effort and time you put in, then you’re likely to feel the investment is not worth the payoff. Ask yourself what you need to feel properly appreciated. Perhaps you need to receive more positive feedback and face time with your supervisor. You should also take advantage of the rewards you have already accrued such as taking some leave after a very busy and stressful time at the office. Experiment to see which rewards would make what you are doing worth it to you and whether there is opportunity to receive more rewards within your current work environment.
- Community –Who do you work with or around? How supporting and trusting are those relationships? In most cases, you can’t choose your colleagues or clients. We are all a work in progress and can always improve the dynamic. It could be as simple as taking the time to ask others how their day is going – and really listening. Psychologist Rich Hanson tells us that the mind is like Velcro to negative experience and Teflon for positive ones. As a result, burnout can seem contagious. Elevating individual engagement rests on shifting the group morale to positivity and supportiveness.
- Determine your values – If you value something highly and your firm doesn’t, your motivation to work hard and persevere can be compromised. Ideals and motivations tend to be deeply ingrained in people and firm cultures. Think carefully about how important it is to you to match your values with those of the firm. If you have strongly held values and those with influence in your firm differ from yours, you may need to tactfully voice these or look for a more congruent opportunity.
It’s important to remember that burnout is not merely an emotional response to long hours or a challenging job. Scientific evidence now shows that the burnout condition leaves its mark on the brain as well as the body. If stress is the stimulus and recovery is when growth occurs - if there is no recovery there is no growth. In nurturing our wellbeing, we need to be engaged and challenged at work or risk the danger of our fire burning out.
By Desi Vlahos, Lecturer, The College of Law
References
- Maslach C & Jackson S, The Measurement of experienced burnout, 2 J. Occupational Behaviour, 99 (1981)
- Malesic, J https://newrepublic.com/article/152872/millennials-dont-monopoly-burnout (2019)
- Michel, A https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/burnout-and-the-brain (2016)
- Price, E https://hbr.org/2019/07/6-causes-of-burnout-and-how-to-avoid-them (2018)
- Stringfellow Otey, B Buffering Burnout: Preparing the online generation for the occupational hazards of the legal profession (2015)