You’ve probably heard of the term “burnout.”
Much has been said about the topic as well as how you can fight burnout.
However, have you also ever heard of the saying “prevention is better than cure?”
And now that remote work is gaining momentum, how can you determine if an online job might make you vulnerable to burnout culture?
Inadequate Autonomy
It starts at the very beginning, so be sure to ask the most important questions during your interviews.
Will they allow you to have flexibility over your work schedule? How quick is the expected turnaround time for projects?
Most importantly, figure out early on in the process if your employer will be a micromanager.
Ask about an instance where an employee did not meet their expectations. Then follow up with a question on what you can learn this as a prospective hire.
This way, you gain insight into what sort of behavior your employer does not tolerate from their employees – and how they respond to frustrations.
The Lack of Fairness
One contributing factor to a burnout culture is the lack of fairness.
A symptom is when hardworking employees miss out on promotions, often in favor of undeserving ones.
Thus, these high-performing workers can feel exhausted or discouraged, leading to burnout.
Inquire about the metrics they use to assess employee performance. You can also opt to ask more straightforward questions about how promotions are decided, pay equity, and diversity.
Basically, you’re trying to get a feel for your future employer’s approach towards gender equity – specifically if they advance people based on merit.
High Volume of Work
Don’t get me wrong. Having a job in itself is a blessing, especially now.
However, when work becomes too much, it only results in overfatigue and burnout feeling. (And no, extending office hours to get ahead of work does not count. You are only setting yourself up for hidden overwork.)
So, during your interview, ask about the standard operating hours and if employees are expected to go beyond these.
You can also ask how often they hold meetings.
After all, video meetings are more difficult to process. Why?
It takes more concentration to interpret your colleagues’ facial expressions, tone and pitch of voice, and body language.
Silence can also heighten your anxiety as you try to figure out what it could mean. Plus, having the camera on gives off the feeling of “being watched,” which makes you feel more self-conscious.
Questions like these help you evaluate if the company has signs of a burnout culture by either making people work overtime without the appropriate pay -or requiring them to be available 24/7.
Insufficient Rewards
Let’s face it, it’s nice to get acknowledged or appreciated for a great job once in a while.
However, as an applicant, you shouldn’t only be asking about monetary compensation.
Don’t forget to ask about programs they may have in place for professional development as well.
Do they set aside a budget for that? What other training programs do they offer?
The point is to get a glimpse into the company’s clear internal processes and how they adequately support their employees’ professional growth.
Clear Lack of Support
At work, you don’t ever want to feel like you are walking on eggshells.
You don’t want to feel like you can’t make mistakes (because we’re only humans, after all.)
Having a workplace that keeps you on your toes will only tire you in the long run.
Thus, during your job interview, ask about how feedback is given and how often.
It’s also crucial to inquire about how conflict and mistakes are handled in the workplace.
You would want to know how open your client is to hearing opposing opinions.
Take the opportunity to observe how your potential boss acts during the interview as well.
You want to feel heard and seen, which will give you an idea of what it would be like working with them and the rest of the team.
Burnout Culture
While feeling burnout might be inevitable due to a variety of reasons, preventing it is often easier than remedying it.
Ultimately, choosing your mental health is the best option because it allows you to stay in the game for a longer time.
So, don’t ignore the early signs of burnout culture at a potential workplace.
On that note, if you want to have more control over your own work schedule, then you might want to think about becoming a remote worker. Remote Staff has a regularly updated job board filled with hundreds of open positions.
What sets Remote Staff apart from others in the staffing industry is its after-hire support. You won’t ever feel alone in your remote working journey because the company is always there to assist you -even after recruitment.
Want to know more? Register with us today!
