Home life too plays critical role in workplace burnout

A new study has revealed that job stress is the only reason that could brought a sense of fatigue in people, but other reasons like home life also play crucial role in wearing them out at their workplaces.

Research from Concordia University and the University of Montreal proved that having an understanding partner was just as important as having a supportive boss.

Impossible deadlines, demanding bosses, abusive colleagues, unpaid overtime; all these factors could lead to a burnout. When it comes to mental health in the workplace, people often forget to consider the influence of home life.

The researchers measured factors like parental status, household income, social network, gender, age, physical health and levels of self-esteem and they studied these elements alongside stressors typically seen in the workplace, such as emotional exhaustion, poor use of skills, high psychological demands, job insecurity and lack of authority.

They found that mental health in the workplace doesn't exist in a vacuum; it's deeply affected by the rest of a person's day-to-day life, and vice versa.

The study also mentioned that fewer mental health problems are experienced by those living with a partner, in households with young children, higher household incomes, less work-family conflicts and greater access to the support of a social network outside the workplace.

Factors within the workplace are still important like fewer mental health problems are reported when employees are supported at work, when expectations of job recognition are met and when people feel secure in their jobs. A higher level of skill use was also associated with lower levels of depression, pointing to the importance of designing tasks that motivate and challenge workers.

Alain Marchand, professor at the University of Montreal's School of Industrial Relations, said that to maintain a truly healthy workforce, people need to look outside the office or home in simple terms to combat mental health issues in the workplace.

The study is published in the journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.