The Working Dead Syndrome: Surviving Burn-out and Bore-out!

Just like any classic horror movie, this story starts with a pleasant morning at the office. Employees are returning from remote work and managers are filling their agenda boards for upcoming meetings when suddenly something feels off – and it’s not the essential oil diffuser in the corner, it’s the VIBE!

You encounter the hordes of zombies circling around the coffee machine with dead eyes and overall fatigue, and it looks more like an advanced amalgamation of burnout and bore-out. As the cappuccino aroma spreads around, you realize you are trapped in the office apocalypse!

Who are the working dead?

Sadly, we’ve all been there — well, maybe not that exact scene, but you know what we’re talking about. How do you identify the working dead? A few signs:

• Just like any classic zombie horror movie, they are always in a bad mood and have an insatiable hunger for brain juices like coffee, tea, energy drinks, and even the classic McFlurry!

• They are either unmotivated or have binge watched mukbang videos on YouTube (pun intended). But in all sincerity, they look like the Pinterest Board, #WakeMeUpWhenItsFriday.

• You may recognize another attribute as disengagement. Basically, they’re not excited about anything—no team bonding activity, new product launch, or presentation. And try working with them on any dynamic project – you’ll notice it is impossible to complete that task on time because of a genuine lack of interest.

• It may be the 5 cups of coffee or excessive smoke breaks that give it away, but you can see the emotional strain in their behavior.
  Who wouldn’t notice if someone is anxious, frequently zoned out, looks worn down, is avoiding the people around, and exhibiting mood swings? These behaviors are hard to miss.

• Using work to while away time can often make you disinterested in the task at hand. Nearly everyone zones out from time to time, but this can happen more frequently when you feel bored or stressed. Feeling dissociated also leads to performing tasks mechanically – which is a great way to get in trouble, so beware!

Create your survival strategy

So, now that we know the signs of the working dead, let’s make a survival plan to overcome the office apocalypse!

What do survivors typically do in the time of catastrophe? They come up with lifesaving hacks to get through it all. Let’s dive deep to see how we can apply this to the office space:

1. Unchallenged territory: Survivors go on a quest to find undamaged territory in the ruins of devastated cities to live safely. The same strategy can be used for getting out of a deadly slump of burnout or bore-out. If you’re feeling like one of the working dead, look to tackle new and different challenges in the workplace, find new courses to elevate your career, or implement a fitness routine that will help you improve your spirit and mood!
2. Keep up with your colleagues: No one gets through the apocalypse alone – it’s always the whole crew! You can get extremely bored or overwhelmed if you’ve been working in a silo without the support of a team. Spend time getting to know your colleagues and create meaningful relationships with them.
3. Rebel against fast-food supremacy: There is always the villain you need to defeat – and in this case, fast food might just be it!
   We get most of our nutrition from food, and if you eat healthy, non-greasy, high-fiber, and protein-rich foods, you won’t feel as lethargic and fatigued!
   Food can impact our brain far more than we realize, so filling up on clean and efficient fuel is very important if you want a well-functioning body.
   Health Hack for improving focus and memory: Try replacing your cup of coffee with a tall glass of water (you can thank me later!)
4. Look for a higher purpose: Do you remember those self-help quotes on Facebook? “You are not put on this Earth just to pay bills and lose weight!” It may sound dramatic and cheeky, but there is some truth to it too. We are here to evolve and improve ourselves, not just work on the same tasks like robots! Take risks and be fearless! And most importantly, enjoy this crazy, bumpy ride!
5. Protect your boundaries: In the zombie apocalypse, you ultimately have to work to defend what’s yours. Similarly, as you find safe territory to explore and grow, you need to set limits to protect your sanity. Establish some rules, strive towards giving your 100% while working, and also balance it out by switching off when you are on vacation in order to practice healthy work-life balance.

These tactics are the weapons you use to avoid becoming a part of the working dead, ensuring the burnout doesn’t get to you!

Overcome the apocalypse

But what can organizations do to tackle the rising flood of the working dead? In order to make your workplace is a genuinely safe haven in these difficult times, you need a robust and effective employee experience management solution. At Sogolytics, we don’t just provide pulse surveys, we also help business leaders and managers better understand their employees and come up with a plan to enhance their professional and personal experience.

Here are small battles you can conquer with SoGoEX to stand tall in the face of doomsday!

1. Ensure emotional well-being: Mental and emotional health of employees is essential for a productive and growth-oriented workplace. It’s vital for any organization to regularly solicit employee feedback across key touch-points and create a supportive and inclusive environment in the workplace.
2. Encourage employee appreciation: Recognizing and appreciating employees creates a motivated and fearless employee culture. SoGoMatic helps you to break the intra- and inter-department silos with meaningful and easy recognition.
3. Implement growth tracking: By tracking the personal and professional growth of every employee, your organization can reduce employee burnout and bore-out while also boosting productivity.
4. Improve onboarding: In the age of virtual work, employees don’t need to be in the same office – let alone the same city – to be a part of your team. This can, however, be an onboarding challenge. So focus on an onboarding process that goes the extra mile to better integrate new talent into the team, encourage collaboration, and ensure ease of communication for everyone involved.
5. Monitor HR analytics: SoGoEX decodes feedback to reveal actionable insights that can help you re-engineer your employee experience journey to optimize every touch-point and encourage more candid feedback, allowing employers/managers valuable insights to inform their decision-making process.

Let us help you do more than simply survive the rise of the working dead.

Let’s get in touch, and our experts can walk you through how Sogolytics can add value for your organization, thereby improving your employee experience. See you on the other side of this apocalypse!