The workers feel exhausted. Experts say employers must listen and act
For grocery clerk Cameron, the exhaustion made him feel like he was losing track of his days and the customers he was talking to.
“It’s when you work an hour, but it feels like five. It’s when you deal with the third client of the day, but it feels like a 30th,” he said. Cross country review.
“Everything feels more intense. Everything feels longer, harder.”
In addition to his usual duties in the store, the clerk has taken on responsibilities, such as customer mask compliance, that he did not expect. CBC News only uses Cameron’s first name for fear of repercussions from his employer.
He says worries about bringing the coronavirus home and infecting vulnerable family members have led to heightened anxiety.
While he views his colleagues as essential workers during a pandemic, he says too often grocers are forgotten.
“It’s not glamorous work. We’re not solving COVID. We’re not helping cure COVID. We’re not testing COVID,” Cameron said.
“But without us in COVID, what would happen to everyone who needs to eat?”
Amid the most contagious wave of COVID-19 yet, and as Canadians approach two full years of life with pandemic restrictions and health precautions, many say they are hitting a wall when it comes to relates to their mental, physical and emotional well-being.
For frontline workers who may be working longer hours or doubling up to replace sick colleagues, burnout is particularly acute.
“People have had crazy long days,” said Manjeet Lotey, a self-employed pharmacist in Edmonton. “We do all these shots and then…we still have a pharmacy to run too.”
“A lot of my colleagues are burnt out. All we talk about is that some people regret coming into this profession at some point because so much is asked of us – and we’re happy to do that, but it gets difficult.”
Employers need to lower their expectations
Occupational health and psychology expert Laurent Lapierre says many workers simply feel overwhelmed at this stage of the pandemic.
“They had to deal with what some considered insurmountable demands,” said Lapierre, professor of behavior and occupational health at the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management.
Due to staffing shortages in hospitals, some are already considering or allowing healthcare workers who have tested positive for COVID-19 to continue working even if they have symptoms. 2:34
Basically, burnout means someone is burnt out. And according to Lapierre, this typically manifests in three distinct ways: emotional, physical, and cognitive.
Exhausted employees may struggle to control their emotions, perhaps experiencing sudden mood swings or tears. Cognitively, some may struggle to complete tasks they understand or become forgetful. Others may feel the physical effects of exhaustion.
Lapierre says his suggestions for addressing employee burnout may seem drastic to some employers. In other words, they need a break.
“They need to, if they haven’t already, lower their expectations of their staff in terms of performance goals,” Lapierre said. Verification.
He acknowledges that many managers may feel ill-equipped to combat burnout by reducing work hours or production due to expectations from upper management or executives. But the alternatives are not sustainable, he said.
“That’s it [reduction in work], or you work people until they decide to quit and go somewhere else in hopes of finding a more supportive management team somewhere else, or people can get really sick,” he said. .
Lapierre warns that the risks of prolonged burnout could intensify anxiety, cardiovascular problems and thoughts of self-harm.
The risk outweighed the reward: frontline worker
According to Dr. Rima Styra, it’s important for workers to talk openly about burnout with managers. Clinician researcher at the University Health Network in Toronto, who has researched and counseled healthcare workers suffering from burnout during the pandemic, says being honest can benefit both employee and employer .
“What you need to do is find a private space at a quiet time and address the issue and tell them you’re ready to work with them,” she said.
Conversations about available resources for staff who feel overwhelmed, priorities that can be reassessed, or adjusting hours and shift lengths could help resolve feelings of burnout.
People considering quitting their jobs due to burnout — “a major step,” Styra said — should consult a family doctor before making that leap. A doctor can help provide additional resources, such as mental health supports, or resolve more serious issues.
“The family doctor can actually refer you to a psychiatrist if needed, or maybe you just need to see a counselor or a psychologist for other coping strategies,” she said.
“It could mean you end up quitting your job, but at least you have resources in place for your own mental health as well.”
For Cameron, who is also a student, the pressures of the pandemic have prompted him to take time off from his job at the grocery store and focus on school.
“I could have easily continued working once or twice a week during school, but it just wasn’t worth it to me,” he said.
“Risk and reward…were so skewed [toward] the risk.”
Written by Jason Vermes with files from Ashley Fraser, Steve Howard and Arsheen Shamaila.