Individuals in high-stress jobs such as program and project management, health care services, and community services experience high levels of stress due to multitasking, including sensitive decision-making and dealing with significant emotional stress.
To alleviate this fatigue, effective strategies require good organization, psychological support, and continuous improvement in time management and stress management skills.
A report by the American network “CNBC” monitored the five most prominent Jobs More burnout, according to recent research by LinkedIn that surveyed more than 16,000 professionals in the United States between March and June.
The survey found that four in ten workers in the United States feel burned out in their jobs. The percentage is even higher among project managers, with 50 percent of professionals in the field saying they feel burned out.
The jobs were arranged in this context as follows:
- Program and Project Management
- Healthcare Services
- Community and social services
- quality assurance
- education
The network quoted Candy Wenz, director of the Master’s Program in Medical Education at the University of Pennsylvania, as saying that job burnout does not stem only from long working hours or a heavy workload.
In her book, Burnout Immunity, Wiens interviewed hundreds of people who work in high-stress environments, including hospital staff, project managers, and corporate executives.
Project managers are responsible for planning, organizing, and managing the completion of a project, ensuring it is completed on time and within budget. Such projects can range from building a new building to running a marketing campaign.
These jobs often require constant multitasking, tight deadlines, and acting as a “middleman” between employees and clients, all of which can lead to burnout, Wenz explains.
She says the fact that project managers are also one of the most in-demand roles that companies are actively hiring for is worrying.
For her part, Lydia Logan, Vice President of Global Education and Workforce Development at IBM, said that companies across industries are hiring project managers to keep up with rapid technological advances and adapt to the ongoing disruptions caused by the pandemic.
To help meet these challenges, the Project Management Institute predicts that employers will need at least 25 million people in project management roles by 2030 — which means about two million people will need to enter the field each year just to keep up with demand.
“I work with many project managers, and my biggest concern is that they don’t get enough support or recognition to match the changing demands they face in their roles,” adds Wins. “This disparity is one of the main causes of burnout.”
She also notes that other professions that show higher burnout rates — such as health care, education, and community and social services — operate in high-stress environments and give people limited control over the outcomes of their work.
“These jobs are emotionally draining,” she explains. “When you work in a profession that requires caring for others, you deal with a lot of difficult and sensitive situations, some of which can have serious consequences for the child or patient’s health. It can quickly become exhausting.”
- You can assess the risk of job burnout before accepting an offer by assessing whether the role aligns with your personality and temperament and by reaching out to current or former employees to get a first-hand understanding of the work environment and culture.
- For example, extroverts may not be able to perform in a role that requires minimal social interaction, says Wiens.
- Interviews are also good opportunities to ask questions about the level of support provided to employees, she adds.
For demanding roles where the risk of burnout is higher, Wenz suggests asking what resources employees have access to to support their health and well-being — these resources could take the form of administrative support, flexible scheduling, or mental health benefits.
Sensitive jobs
Speaking to Sky News Arabia Economy, Dr. Karam Salam, an economic expert and international economic relations consultant, explained that some jobs are characterized by a sensitive nature that increases the likelihood of professional burnout, noting that constant pressures, great responsibilities, and high expectations contribute to high levels of stress, especially in program and project management jobs that require constant coordination between teams and resources to ensure efficient workflow and achieve goals.
To deal with this fatigue, Salam advised relying on advanced time management techniques, such as planning and task management tools, which help distribute work effectively and reduce the stress resulting from multitasking. He also recommended delegating tasks to team members to ease the burden, focus on priorities, and focus on results rather than being preoccupied with the fine details.
Salam also addressed the challenges of burnout faced by healthcare workers, noting that dealing with patients in critical conditions, long working hours, and making sensitive medical decisions increases stress. He recommended relying on colleague support to ease psychological burdens, exercising regularly, maintaining a balanced diet and getting enough sleep, in addition to introducing flexible work shifts or reducing working hours to achieve a better work-life balance.
He also pointed to the stress of working in community settings, such as dealing with domestic violence or the homeless, which can lead to severe emotional stress. He suggested taking advantage of regular psychological counseling, training in managing emotional states using techniques such as meditation and deep breathing, and participating in group support activities to foster a sense of belonging and relieve stress.
As for those working in quality assurance jobs, he recommended the need for continuous improvement in work methods by using techniques to identify and solve problems effectively, and providing training programs to develop stress management skills and improve the ability to adapt to pressures associated with work quality.
Effective strategies
For his part, economic expert Yassin Ahmed, speaking to Sky News Arabia Economy, said that dealing with burnout in high-stress jobs requires adopting effective strategies. He said that the profession of program and project management is one of the fields that contributes most to the fatigue of individuals, as organization and advance planning are essential to reduce stress, stressing that effective communication with the team and a balance between work and personal life help in reducing fatigue.
Ahmed also discussed the challenges faced by healthcare workers, noting the importance of psychological support and benefiting from counselling programmes to relieve psychological stress, in addition to training in stress management techniques such as meditation and yoga and the importance of taking regular breaks.
For community and social service workers, he noted that group support, taking advantage of vacations, and coping skills training can all help deal with severe emotional stress.
He also noted that quality assurance workers need continuous training, teamwork, and improved time management skills to reduce stress associated with accuracy at work.
For those working in education, Ahmed recommended diversifying teaching methods, getting support from colleagues, and paying attention to mental health.
He stressed that dealing with the pressures of managing classrooms and preparing educational materials can be improved by taking advantage of breaks, developing classroom management skills, and participating in training programs to improve performance and reduce fatigue.
