Lack of water cooler conversations leading to high rates of burn out

June 1st, 2020, I am currently writing this blog while staring out the window with my dog incessantly barking. In the other room, my fiance works diligently attending Zoom meetings, calling clients, and updating spreadsheets. We meet every day around 11:30 to have some lunch in the kitchen 5 feet away. Following that we find our way back to our own spaces to continue whatever work we have left. This has been our daily routine for 84 days now. COVID-19 has changed the workflow for companies all over the world, many individuals who are capable of working from home, are now forced into this situation.

Now don't get me wrong, my fiance is the love of my life and I adore spending this time with him. I love the extra time sleeping in. I love the flexibility in my schedule. I love the amount of gas that I save every week! There are many advantages that I used to beg for in my daily life. I now have the time do things I never used to have time to do, like start a blog.

But then I read an article, High levels of burnout among early-career board-certified behavior analysts with low collegial support in the work environment by Camille Plantiveau, Katerina Dounavi & Javier Virués-Ortega. As I read about the risk factors for high burn out rates and low job satisfaction, I realized that lack of social support within your career is a leading factor. Some other common criteria were individuals who prioritized work above everything else in their life, individuals single or divorced, younger employees more so than older employees, and individuals who had higher levels of education.

Now, this article particularly pertains to individuals working with clients in a 1:1 setting without coworkers near or supervised experiences in their work. These individuals had a lack of feedback and low opportunities for social situations. So that had me thinking, aren't many individuals facing this exact same criteria right now? I know just from talking with friends currently working from home, the amount of social interactions they are having with their coworkers are drastically lower than when they were in the office. Although you may see your team within a zoom call or direct message setting, it's not the same as talking about the weekend on the way to get a coffee. Humans are social creatures, we crave positive interactions with our peers, even the introverts. Also, along the lines of feedback, when we are in this remote work setting are supervisors more likely to set up a Zoom meeting to give positive feedback? Now that I don't know, it may vary person to person, but it's a question to consider.

So in this article, they surveyed 183 individuals. They found that 2 in 3 participants were experiencing moderate to high levels of burn out and little to no job satisfaction. Did you read that? 2 in every 3. If 66% of these BCBA's surveyed were experiencing burn out at this rate, is it possible that given the same key factors: lack of positive social interactions and lack of supervision and feedback, we will start to see these rates within other disciplines? Is it possible that following COVID one aftermath of this pandemic will be individuals itching for a career change? To add to this, we also could consider the limited positive reinforcement strategies that are being used due to the economic downfall. Companies that used raises, bonuses, and annual trips as incentive for productivity, are now forced to make difficult decisions to cut costs.

In the end, I don't have a final solution to this problem. However, I do try to give strategies that I think could open up a dialogue between readers. Say we stay in this remote working era for much longer, should companies be discussing ways to implement positive social experiences and supervision and feedback sessions? I'll give a few examples from companies I know. One sales team meets each Friday for a Zoom trivia game. The team members grab a beverage of their choice, open their laptop, and boom! Team bonding experience! Now this may or may not be considered a "positive" interaction for all, but it's a start. Another company implemented a company wide coffee hour. Fridays at 10AM everyone is invited to grab a coffee and chat about their week. This promote social experiences within the office that are not limited to a particular team.

As for feedback and supervision, this get's tough in a virtual setting. But employers should see the benefit in calling attention to the good as well as the bad. This could happen in a weekly meeting. This could be a 1:1 setting or a group setting. Starting an open dialogue promotes that feedback and discussion that we crave when we are passionate about something. This is the ultimate goal in the workforce, to find something you are passionate about, which then leads to lower rates of burn out.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting article that could easily be applied to the interesting situation we have been put in throughout this pandemic. Key points: Increase positive social interactions within the workplace (even if that workplace is your laptop), increase the amount of feedback for employees (even if that happens in a virtual setting), and find something you are passionate about. Life is too short to waste time on things you aren't passionate about.

Plantiveau, C., Dounavi, K., & Virués-Ortega, J. (2018). High levels of burnout among early-career board-certified behavior analysts with low collegial support in the work environment. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 19(2), 195-207. doi:10.1080/15021149.2018.1438339