工作倦怠之祸

    这是个管理层已经不再使用的术语：工作倦怠（burnout）。15年前，许多企业开始缩编，员工的工作负担随之增加，这个词也流行了一阵子。而且没过多久黑莓手机就问世了——这款设备后来被人笑称为职场终极催命器。

    那么，为何关于工作倦怠的探讨已成明日黄花？如今经济形势萎靡不振，大多数员工能有份工作就很满意了，不希望抱怨，也不希望表现得缺乏激情。人人都得全心全力投入，每周7天、每天24小时随叫随到。

    市场研究公司Opinion Matters对多家公司的500位IT管理员进行了调查，并于4月份发布了相关报告。报告指出，72%的受调查者有压力，67%希望改行，85%都说他们的工作已经干扰了私生活，42%曾因工作问题而失眠。工作倦怠离我们还远吗？

    不堪重负的岂止是IT管理员。美国劳工统计局（he U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics）2012年3月的报告显示，尽管失业率居高不下，仍有1.8%的全职员工（即约210万雇员）辞掉了他们在私营企业的工作，涉及行业包括建筑、制造、贸易、专业与商业服务、休闲及酒店。2009年6月以来，这个比例一直在缓慢而稳定地攀升，从中可以读出很多事情，包括工作倦怠的逼近。

    纽约精神治疗医师、《无所畏惧：28天改变生活》（Be Fearless: Change Your Life in 28 Days）一书的作者乔纳森•阿尔珀特指出，他的病人包括企业员工、媒体和金融专业人士，而几乎所有人都“面临着更大压力，部分员工被解雇之后，剩下的人必须承担更多责任、更努力地工作，同时获得的支持却在减少，这些都有可能诱发工作倦怠。”

    《价值观转变：新职场伦理及其对企业的影响》（Values-Shift: The New Work Ethic and What It Means for Business）一书作者约翰•伊佐称：“商业氛围变得如此激烈，充满竞争性，企业领袖都全神贯注于竞争，要求从员工那里压榨出尽可能多的价值，人人都工作到了自己的极限。”

    伊佐还称，许多高管及其员工都因不断改变的需求而疲于奔命，将每天的大多数时间用于应对最后关头才浮现的危机。尽管竞争带来的要求不断升级，许多公司都不清楚应该如何给员工减压，有很多甚至根本就不愿提起这个话题。

    倦怠与淡漠仅一步之遥

    伊佐说，那些陷入工作倦怠的员工仿佛“受了工伤”，他们仍然会来上班，但却失去了动力，只希望安然度过一天又一天。这种淡漠的态度影响工作效率，扼杀创新，使职场弥漫着惰性。

    伊佐举了个例子来说明自己的观点：一位医疗保健公司的首席执行官正和董事会一起遴选新的执行副总裁，他批评一位候选人说：“不管工作日程上还有多少事情，她都坚持休满两周的假期”。伊佐本人当时也参加了这场会议，他说他一直等着看，是否有人会开口反对这位首席执行官的说法，但没有一个人这么做。假期能帮助高管充电，提高工作效率。伊佐认为，这位女候选人度假之事不应该招致攻击。

    Here's a word that managers don't use much anymore: burnout. The term was in vogue about 15 years ago when companies began to downsize and employee workload intensified. That was just before the advent of the BlackBerry, what eventually came to be known as the ultimate work leash.

    So, then, why has talking about burnout become passé? In a struggling economy, most employees are happy to have jobs and don't want to complain or appear as if they lack enthusiasm. Everyone is expected to give 100% and be available 24/7.

    A study released in April of 500 IT administrators from various firms by Opinion Matters revealed that 72% of respondents were stressed, 67% considered switching careers, 85% said their job intruded on their personal life, and 42% lost sleep over work. Can burnout be far behind?

    But it's not just IT administrators who may be stretched thin. Despite the nagging unemployment rates, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in March 2012 that 1.8% of full-time employees (around 2.1 million workers) quit their jobs in the private sector covering construction, manufacturing, trade, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality. The rate has made a slow, steady climb since June 2009, a potential sign of encroaching burnout, among many other things.

    Jonathan Alpert, a New York psychotherapist and author of Be Fearless: Change Your Life in 28 Days, says he treats corporate workers, media and finance specialists, and nearly everyone is "facing more pressure. With people laid off, people are taking on more responsibilities, working harder, having less support and that amounts to burnout."

    "The business climate has become so fiery and competitive that leaders are focused on competition and getting the most out of their people. Everyone's working to their max," explains John Izzo, author of Values-Shift: The New Work Ethic and What It Means for Business.

    Izzo says that many executives and their staffers are consumed by changing demands and spend much of their day addressing last-minute emergencies. As competitive demands escalate, many companies aren't sure exactly what to do to relieve stress, so many don't even raise the topic.

    A quick jaunt from burnout to apathy

    The employee that suffers from burnout becomes part of the "working wounded," Izzo says. They show up to work but have lost their motivation and are just trying to get through the day unscathed. That apathy reduces productivity, nullifies innovation, and creates inertia in the workplace.

    Izzo relates how a CEO of a healthcare company was selecting a new executive vice president with his board. The CEO belittled one candidate by saying, "She takes her two-week vacation no matter what's on her agenda." Izzo, who was sitting in that particular meeting, says he waited for someone to speak up and disagree with the CEO's judgment, but no one did. Vacations help an executive recharge and make them more productive; she shouldn't have been maligned for taking time off, Izzo argues.