IoD Scotland Autumn 2021

Technical briefing: Tech matters
Beating
burnout:
Why it’s vital you
take time out
Arthritis & repetitive strain
From spending so much time
on laptop/phone
Bloating
Due to digestive problems
caused by stress
Overweight
Has a high risk of diabetes
and heart disease due to not
prioritising health and diet
Headaches
Caused by stress,
excessive screen time
and intense pressure
Hunchback
Tension in back
and neck caused
by stress. A
constant feeling
of being weighed
down
Coffee stained shirt
Addicted to caffeine
Four out of ten entrepreneurs are reported to have experienced a form
of burnout in the last year, coinciding with a call to introduce a four-day
working week for all landing on Scottish Government policymakers’ desks.
Something’s got to give, says industry commentator Bill Magee.
A survey conducted by
UK business financial
platform Tide, chaired
by the University
of Edinburgh
mathematical
science graduate
and former London
Stock Exchange Group chair Sir Donald
Brydon, highlights how burnout is
increasingly affecting entrepreneurs
running their own businesses.
Tide’s chief administrative officer,
Liza Haskell, points out that while hard
work is required to make a success of
an enterprise, it should not come at the
expense of one’s health.
Long hours may appear productive
“in the moment” but over the long-term,
the side effects of burnout – fatigue,
reduced performance, lack of motivation
– are likely to hinder progress, both
personally and of the business.
As the study reported a 40 per cent
entrepreneurial burnout rate, it was
stressed how important it is to step back
and reassess one’s current lifestyle: try
putting in place boundaries to create
work-life balance, take regular breaks,
look after your physical and mental
wellbeing and seek additional support, if
required.
Healthcare professional Lee Chambers
was asked to visualise how burnout
could negatively impact and shape
entrepreneurial performance.
The research report in full is located
here.
What is burnout?
A life of constant hustling can lead to
burnout, a very real phenomenon that
can manifest itself in a variety of mental
and physical ways that can have a vastly
negative impact on the lives of hustling
entrepreneurs.
In 2019, the World Health Organisation
recognised burnout as a new syndrome
and described it as “a syndrome
conceptualised as resulting from chronic
workplace stress that has not been
successfully managed”.
Physical and mental symptoms of
burnout include:
n Feeling tense and weighed down
n Increased stress and fatigue
n High blood pressure
n Risk of Diabetes and Heart Disease
n Reduced workplace performance
n Lack of purpose
n Loss of physical and mental
wellbeing
n Becoming detached from friends
and family
n Loss of our own esteem and identity
Who is at risk from burnout?
Burnout can manifest itself in different
forms, and certain occupations can
increase your potential chance of being
burnt out. It’s a very individual condition,
with people presenting very differently.
Those at higher risk of burnout are
in positions that involve seeing trauma,
having to detach from emotive work,
have long hours, and that are regularly
judged and assessed.
Those who work in hospitals and
veterinary surgeries, therapists and
teachers, social workers and law
enforcement are all at a higher risk due
to the nature of their jobs.
Entrepreneurs are increasingly at risk
as overworking is glamourised, they are
less likely to have colleagues to keep
them accountable to balance or identify
the signs, and ‘hustling’ is advertised
as a prerequisite of being a successful
entrepreneur.
20 iod.com
Autumn 2021