Employee burnout – the physical or mental collapse caused by stress from your job is usually associated with employees in very stressful roles, either due to the nature of the position, or a poor company infrastructure which puts pressure on the individual.
However, since the enforced ‘lockdown’, employee burnout has been on the rise. Employees who had previously been managing in their roles comfortably and competently have struggled, due to COVID-19 situation.
A recent report found that 73% of professionals reported being ‘burned out’ in April 2020, a significant rise on February’s data, with tech employees reporting the highest level of burnout of those polled.
Has this increase in burnout come from an increased workload, a difficulty in separating work and home life, or general anxieties and stressors due to the pandemic?
Let’s look at remote working or not and why Salesforce employees might now be at risk of burnout.
The Five Burnout Risk Factors
Why have incidences of burnout increased since the lockdown? There are five contributing factors associated with burnout, many of which have been present in Salesforce employee’s roles recently. They are-
- Unreasonable time pressures
- Lack of communication and support from a manager
- Lack of role clarity
- Unmanageable workload
- Unfair treatment
Working from home for some employees means an increase in productivity, but this is not the case for everyone. If you have experienced any of the above as a result of lockdown, you could be at risk of burnout. Let’s look at how these situations have been manifesting in Salesforce roles.
Remote Working – Is Your Work-Life Balance Right?
The first of these three burnout risk factors can occur when Salesforce employees are remote working.
Working from home can be a lot more unsettled than the office. Childcare and family duties have been two of the biggest reasons that Salesforce employees have found it more difficult to balance home and work life, leading to decreased time during the day to perform tasks.
Despite organisations increasing the amount of communication delivered via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, there has also been an increase in employees feeling less supported, as the isolating nature of remote working means less organic collaboration is taking place.
And a lack of clarity in roles has occurred recently, with such upheaval and change in CRM customer demands. If your position has changed, do you feel like your manager has been as supportive as you’ve needed?
Next, let’s take a look at how returners to the office are also at risk of burnout.
Coping With a Return to Work in a Changed Landscape
While the guidelines state that anyone who can, should continue to work from home, some offices are now reopening.
Last month Marc Benioff announced that all Salesforce employees now have the option to stay working from home if they want to. Still, for Salesforce partner employees or self-employed consultants, there may be a necessity to return to a physical workspace.
Unfair treatment is one of the five primary factors usually present in cases of burnout. If you believe that your employer is unfairly treating you during this time, this can be a fast-track to becoming burned out.
Additionally, upon returning to work, you might find your team has changed. If some employees remain on furlough, or if departments have been reduced, there is a chance your workload will increase.
These two burnout contributors, coupled with other worries about safety or the future of your role could be a catalyst for burnout. Next, let’s take a look at what tech burnout looks like.
Spotting the Signs of Burnout
While burnout has been on the rise in the tech sector, for Salesforce employees, it’s not all bad news. Although incidences of burnout have been higher across the board, of those polled Salesforce employees were among the nine least ‘burnt-out’ companies from those who had reported a rise.
48% of Salesforce employees reported burnout, so around half of all teams have reported struggling.
Burnout is a serious problem and can have a significant impact on your career and home life. The following are classic signs of burnout –
- Poor performance
- Difficulty concentrating
- Exhaustion
- Reduced creativity
- Cynicism at work
- Headaches or stomach aches
If you feel as though you have or are currently experiencing burnout, what can you do to combat this?
Next Steps
You must take steps to combat burnout once you have identified that you are at risk. Here are four ways to combat burnout in your Salesforce role –
- Be honest. Speak to your manager if you feel as though your workload is unmanageable or that you need extra support.
- Find a balance. If you have been working from home and not clocking off, it can seem as though your work and home life have merged into one. You must strike a balance and have appropriate downtime.
- Create a weekly plan of your tasks and stick to it. If you are rushing your duties due to an increased workload, this is unhealthy. Be realistic about what you can achieve in a week and communicate this with your manager; this way you won’t feel short of time and stressed.
- Increase your physical health. Good physical health is linked to better mental health, and those individuals who get enough sleep, exercise and who eat a healthy balanced diet are proven to be able to cope with mental health issues more effectively.
Finally
If your Salesforce role is causing you excess stress, is it time to move on? If you are considering a move within your Salesforce career to a position which is a better fit and will help you reach your care goals faster, we can help.
Get in touch with us today on 01322 272 532 or contact us here to find out how we can help you find your next Salesforce role.
Thanks,
Lee
About Resource On Demand
Resource On Demand is Europe’s first specialist Salesforce Recruitment Company, now also focusing on growth Cloud markets.
We assist innovative and disruptive organisations to grow their technology teams. We are supporting companies to fill Cloud roles that span across Digital Marketing, Marketing Automation, Human Capital Management and the growing Salesforce.com suite of skills.
The team at Resource On Demand have access to an extensive database of key talent, registering over 8000 Cloud professionals each year.
To find out how we can support you call us on 01322 272 532, or you can contact us by clicking here.