Patrick Mesters : “Organisations that dare to face burnouts will grow”

INTERVIEW

Sustainability MAG: A burnout is often described as a modern-day illness, what does it encompass?

Patrick Mesters: Burnout is a group of symptoms that has been emerging in our countries for 10-15 years. Historically, the term appeared in 1974 in the United States when the psychiatrist Freudenberger noticed that the colleagues he supervised were experiencing decrease in their morale and their enthusiasm as well as their level of commitment. 

This phenomenon is characterised by physical exhaustion, hypersensitivity, dehumanisation, aggressiveness, job dissatisfaction, disgust, disengagement, while the job itself is still meaningful. More broadly, burnout is an “epiphenomenon” that refers to a consideration of the socioeconomic context, our society’s values and the human place in it. When it comes to burnout management, there is usually no guilty party. However, there is a shared responsibility that relies on everyone, individuals, organisations and the society.

What are the trigger factors?

There are multiple factors that cause burnouts. They can either be explained by some people’s particular ways of functioning or can be linked to work organisation and the quality of the relationships between colleagues as well as with the hierarchy.

In terms of work organisation, research proves that the lack of recognition of work quality or simply of employees’ added value will increase fractures. The workload and the work-life imbalance are also decisive, as well as employees’ involvement in the decision-making process and the setting of deadlines needed to accomplish a task. With NICT (New Information and Communication Technologies), employees are reachable at anytime, which reduces the gap between private and professional life. This is where the management responsibility is engaged, when it ignores the reality on the ground, or even puts an exaggerated pressure on the employees through micro-management, for instance, which consists in controlling employees’ behaviours hour by hour. A breakdown of values is at the heart of this issue. Too often the described values on the website and the business reality are at odds with each other.

Finally, there is the so-called “prevented quality” when a person, expert in his or her field, will not be able to deliver qualitative work due to organisational pressure. Work will therefore lose its sense. This continuous frustration will lead to an “internal psychological dissonance”, a fracture causing a disruption of one’s balance.

As a neuropsychiatrist, how would you describe the impact of this phenomenon on individuals?

Burnout is a consequence of physical, biological, hormonal perturbations causing cardiac, immune or digestive damages. Studies proved that excessive working times, meaning working over 50 hours a week for several weeks in a row, increase the risk of cerebral haemorrhage by 30% compared to a normal population. 6% of employees in despair would have planned to commit suicide because of work, and 3% admit having attempted suicide in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Paradoxically, people on the edge of burnout rarely complain. They consult only for emergency cases, pushed by their family or doctors. Many refuse to cease work.

Is there any “at risk” population?

The phenomenon concerns all layers of the population including managing directors, members of senior management and politicians. Burnouts affect the most devoted, conscientious, passionate and idealistic people. The most “risky” sectors are health, education, finance and transport because these populations work under pressure and intense emotional burden. Women can also be an “at risk” group as they take on more roles than men: mother, partner or family support. They also have to forge a career in a professional environment where gender discrimination sometimes prevails.

Beyond these crucial human fractures, what are the consequences for the company?

These fractures cost a lot of money on a macroscopic level: absenteeism, accidents, relational conflicts with clients, complaints against employees, errors, lawsuits, abuses and harassment. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) and stress, as the main causes of absenteeism, are some of the many consequences. According to the Luxembourg National Health Fund (CNS), every year, 22,000 hours of the declared sickness-leaves are due to harassment at work or stress, and 50 to 60% of absenteeism could be caused by stress at work. More generally, direct costs of stress at work are about 4% of the GDP in developed countries. These symptoms’ longevity reminds us that toxic managements can potentially reveal a burnout of the system, that is to say the company itself.

Today, do you notice remarkable strides in European countries?

Some countries have started to implement laws, notably in Belgium, with the legislation on psychosocial risks, which entails the companies’ responsibility. Formal recognition of harassment also exists. In the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the debate obviously remains open.

What are your hopes?

Our hope and confidence in the future lie in the courage and common sense of men and women who take the necessary steps towards change, as they feel concerned about the situation. Political powers, business leaders and employees are all affected by the urgency of the situation. There are various reasons to take action: economic, humanist reasons or simple compliance with legislations on psychosocial risk prevention.

We often still have this misconception of burnout as a sign of incompetence, psychological weakness, while it actually reveals a dysfunctioning organisation. Some companies tackle this topic using quantifiable and tangible proof: performance quality, level of commitment and well-being, decrease in absenteeism costs, attractiveness and employee retention. Organisations that dare to face burnout will become stronger.

To be read also in the dossier "The Burnout: breaking the taboo": 

• Facing the Explosion of the Phenomenon
• Practices from Around the World
• Prevention and Diagnostic in Companies