Burnout was already at perilously high levels before the pandemic, but stress and strain have unquestionably risen considerably over the past 18 months.  Recent research from the University of Washington highlights how compassion, both for ourselves and for others, can help to mitigate the risk of burnout, but only when delivered in the right way, at the right time, and for the specific type of burnout in question.

“Usually, management is hyper-focused on the exhaustion piece, but we looked at three dimensions of burnout and found that they each respond differently,” the researchers say.

Dimensions of burnout

While it’s tempting to think of burnout as a single thing, the researchers believe it actually manifests itself in very different ways. They identify a number of key dimensions that can help us define specific kinds of burnout:

• Exhaustion creates feelings of being overextended or depleted mentally or physically, resulting in reduced performance and commitment to work.

• Cynicism manifests itself in a callous and diminished connection to work, including clients, coworkers, or the job itself. Workers feel rejected and alienated, which erodes their commitment.

• Inefficacy refers to a depleted sense of self or accomplishments, resulting in subpar performance.

The researchers analyzed the importance of both self-care and care for others in both college students undertaking mid-term exams, and social service workers, who were tracked over a three-year span to understand more prolonged and chronic burnout.

“Participants in both our studies benefited from both compassion offered to others and invested into the self. However, we also found that the calculus is not as straightforward as all compassion combats all burnout. Our results depended on the right fit between the two compassion expressions and the three burnout dimensions,” the researchers explain.

Getting the strategy right

The crucial thing was to ensure that the right compassion strategy was used with each specific type of burnout.

• Self-compassion can remedy exhaustion by increasing a person’s sense of self-control. Strategies might include mindfulness exercises, getting a massage, setting aside more time for sleep, or another activity that helps workers to recharge their batteries.

• Compassion for others can remedy cynicism by fostering a sense of belonging. Caring acts might include bringing a colleague a cup of coffee or offering to help with a project.

• Both self-compassion and compassion for others can remedy inefficacy by increasing self-esteem. Essentially, workers feel a greater sense of worth when they are good to others and good to themselves.

“In organizations, compassionate action can take a range of forms from passively listening to the sufferer to actively investing abstract or tangible resources into their care,” the researchers say. “For example, one could invite a suffering coworker to a yoga class, organize a social activity, or leave a kind note on their desk acknowledging their difficulty.”

Of course, burnout is a symptom of a much bigger problem, and the authors accept that the best approach is to tackle the causes of burnout rather than the symptom, as many organizations will happily provide mindfulness classes or similar interventions but still expect employees to work in a way that inevitably leads to burnout.

“While our paper considers compassion as a remedy for burnout, we raise the question of whether it could also function as a prophylactic. … Prevention is better than waiting until burnout becomes a problem, and that the best treatment likely is not just about fixing the person, but also fixing the job that led to such burnout,” they conclude. “We believe that fostering compassionate cultures may likely facilitate both.”