Gen X Burnout - Here's Why It's Happening

Recent research suggests that healthcare worker burnout may be higher among Generation X than other age cohorts. Employee burnout can occur in any industry and from a variety of causes. The Mayo Clinic provides several causal factors. 

The Causes of Burnout 

• Lack of control. An inability to influence decisions that affect their jobs — such as schedules, assignments or workload — could lead to job burnout. So could a lack of resources needed to do the work.
• Unclear job expectations. If employees are unclear about the degree of authority they have or what their supervisors or others expect from them, they're not likely to feel comfortable at work.
• Dysfunctional workplace dynamics. Employees who find themselves working with an office aggressor or who feel undermined by colleagues or a manager who micromanages may find themselves dealing with added stress.
• Extremes of activity. When a job is monotonous or chaotic, employees need constant energy to remain focused — which can lead to fatigue and job burnout.
• Lack of social support. If employees feel isolated at work or in their personal lives, they may feel more stressed.
• Work-life imbalance. When work consumers so much time and effort that staff don't have the energy to spend time with family and friends, they are at risk of burning out quickly. 

In any industry, burnout can lead to reduced job performance, absenteeism and turnover. In the medical field, it can also result in poor patient experiences and even serious injuries or death. That's why it's so crucial for health care institutions to thoroughly understand the signs, causes and risk factors of burnout. 

Gen X Staffers Most at Risk? 

Medscape Business of Medicine's annual report on National Physician Burnout, Depression and Suicide found that Gen X health care workers—those born between 1965 and 1985—reported higher levels of burnout or job-related stress than other generations. This contributed to feelings of exhaustion, cynicism and detachment from professional satisfaction and responsibilities. This data is not necessarily conclusive. 

In an article for Healthcare Dive, Hailey Mensick writes that the Medscape findings, "diverge from a 2019 study from InCrowd, a market research vendor for life sciences companies, where survey respondents in their 70s had the lowest rate of burnout at 22%, compared with 70% of physicians in their 30s." 

Burnout can impact a hospital’s competitiveness by reducing patient engagement and satisfaction based on patient interactions with burned out and highly stressed healthcare workers. More critically, burnout can lead to costly and potentially fatal mistakes when providing care. Regardless of the age group, it's clear that burnout is extremely high in the healthcare field overall. Healthcare managers and leaders should stay up to date on research involving burnout to better understand how to identify and address signs within their own organizations. 

How are you and your employees doing? Are you addressing the potential for—and reality of—burnout in your health system? 

About Us:

Trust...the healthcare marketer who has been in your shoes! Jean Hitchcock has spent more than 25 years at some of the nation’s most respected health systems. As a healthcare marketing and communication leader, she understands your competing priorities. Your strained resources. The pressure to differentiate your services and distinguish your brand. All amid seismic changes in our healthcare system. You’re busy. We can help.