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Mark F. Lepore, Jennifer Walsh and Grafton Eliason
Baldwin-Whitehall School District
3454 Pleasantvue Dr.
Pittsburgh, PA 15227
Burnout is a word that is currently used to describe a condition that has always existed. Britannica World Language
Dictionary: describes it thus- "To become extinguished through a lack of fuel"--with people, this is literally what happens.
For a variety of reasons, workers no longer possess energy for their work and no longer find enough satisfaction from it to
balance the disadvantages. The stress that results from being in such a condition, particularly when the worker can neither
fight or flee (the normal reactions to stress), may manifest itself in physical or emotional illness or addiction, in anger
toward clients and/or the bureaucracy or supervisory staff who make demands, or in inefficiency in one's work life and
problems in one's personal life. Workers experiencing burnout may end up abandoning the job and seeking other
employment, ofen regardless of their commitment, to it
As always, prevention is better than cure Workers should start out by being aware of the unique sources of stress their chosen work holds. They must be alert to the onset of such problems and prepared to cope with them They must be receptive to both comments and behaviors on the parts of clients, colleagues, and family members who may perceive the beginning symptoms early. These sensitivities are a part of the ongoing self-awareness essential to human service practice
There are specific things that workers can do to armor themselves against burnout and to deal with it, if and when it comes
1. Maintain awareness of the changing social climate aid a realistic evaluation of its impact on people--including
themselves. Workshop Topic Describing characteristics and people we see as positive role models.
2. Be committed to securing both basic end ongoing learning about their work. Workshop Topic - Remaining open to personal growth, and new ideas.
3. Select the field of practice that interests them,. that they enjoy, and about which they are motivated to learn more. Workshop Topic. - The intrinsic rewards of belonging to a helping -profession.
4. Learn to manage their individual workloads efficiently and responsibly and to work with their colleagues. Workshop Topic - What are some of the artifacts (tools,) and values of your organization?
5. Possess and maintain a personal value system consistent with the value system of human service, even if its tenets may run contrary to accepted social values Workshop Topic -What ways do we keep ourselves sharp, physically, mentally, social/emotionally, and spiritually, positive?
6. Find a personal lifestyle sufficiently satisfying to enable them to distance themselves from their work. Workshop Topic.
- What discourages or promotes enthusiasm;
In addition to exploring worker burnout, the exploration of the topic of burnout workshop participants wilt be invited to talk about their personal experiences with developing personal and professional resiliency on the job and how they have maintained their enthusiasm.
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