How to Avoid Workplace Burnout in 2022
We’ve finally settled into the New Year and it’s been keeping us on our toes! This year there is a collective movement to once again minimise or avoid burnout in the workplace following two years of heightened stress for almost all industries. As communication professionals in the PR industry we are constantly under the pump with deadlines, whether it be getting back to media in a timely fashion not to miss a coverage opportunity, or getting influencer and other content signed off for exciting new campaigns. You can’t deny that this job is anything short of rewarding amidst the chaos, but if you are like us, we’ve still haven’t found the ‘best’ way to deal with the added workload and emotional stresses of the pandemic.
In case you are new to the term, burnout is the state of emotional and physical exhaustion that happens after lengthy periods of excessive or stressful work. This causes emotional exhaustion, detachment and lack of motivation but also a reduced sense of achievement. But remember, this year we are avoiding burnout in the workplace, so here is our plan of attack:
Work Life Balance
Having a work/life balance is vital to avoid workplace burnout. Being able to have a positive balance between work and personal life allows for improved productivity, greater motivation, and enthusiasm towards completing tasks. While all workplaces and industries will vary, it’s important to set boundaries with your workplace for time off. You may need to be available out of normal business hours, especially in the world of PR, but ensure clear processes are in place to find time to decompress when you can.
Clear Desktop = Clear mind
A fresh workspace is a fresh mind, and there are two people in this world…the ones who thrive in organisation, and those who thrive in ‘organised chaos’. If you haven’t already, we recommend clearing out your desktop/device from last year by saving everything important to a cloud based platform. Reorganise your folders to ensure you can easily find everything in future and create a routine that fits your schedule to do this regularly. This will help prevent an end of year build up!
Organise, Organise, Organise
Once you have the other steps down pat, the only thing left to organise is how you work day to day. Whether you use post-its, word, or a paper diary, having a to-do list is imperative to ensure all your tasks are completed on schedule. As not everything can be completed in one day, try labelling tasks by urgent = must do today, semi urgent = must do this week/month, and ongoing = when you have time. Time management is a crucial skill in any workplace but especially in the PR industry. Learning to prioritise tasks and complete them to your deadline will improve your quality of output and time efficiency.
Self-care
This point follows the first, but make sure to save time for yourself to unwind. The communications and media industry is non-stop but after a stressful day/week/month it is important to find ways that help you to wind down. Whether this be mediation, a nice long bath, a gym class, or watching your favourite reality show, find what self-care suits you best and schedule it in like a meeting.
Avoiding burnout is important to improve workflow and ensure lasting satisfaction in the workplace. We want our employees to love their job and continue to do so for decades to come!
By Claudia Bergen – PR & Influencer Coordinator at InsideOut PR and #AsSeenOn
