[SMU CP] JTan and BWuay Primer Slideshow

Managing burnout and well-being

Dr Bek Wuay Tang, PhD

Assistant Professor of Psychology SMU School of Social Sciences

Asst Prof Jacinth Tan

With insights from:

“Burnout is a response to chronic stress typically experienced at work. If you are feeling burnt out, you will feel drained, detached, and questioning the importance or the significance of your work. You also experience a sense of reduced professional efficacy, questioning yourself as to whether you can perform the job well.

- Bek Wuay Tang PhD in Psychology

Assistant Professor of Psychology SMU School of Social Sciences

I think what is important is that the definition (of burnout) is broader than exhaustion and tiredness. There's also a psychological aspect to it, where what you are doing is something that you no longer feel engaged with.

- Asst Prof Jacinth Tan

Existing theories around burnout identify the following as key factors contributing to burnout:

The approach taken by Asst Prof Tan and Dr Tang is unique as it delves into the Asian context, considering cultural sensitivities in the workplace to enhance intervention effectiveness.

WHAT CAUSES BURNOUT?

Fairness

Rewards

Community

Autonomy

Values

Workload

Assistant Professor of Psychology SMU School of Social Sciences

- Asst Prof Jacinth Tan

Asian organisations need to realise that getting feedback is not bad. Getting feedback is about understanding your employees better so that you can create the best environment for them to do their job well.

In Asian cultures, feedback and expectation management can be perceived differently due to hierarchical norms.

Assess the workload they assign to employees

Managers should consider how the tasks assigned to employees resonate with their personal values. By linking the work to the broader vision and mission of the organisation, employees can find meaning in their roles.

Ensure employees can manage their workload effectively

Explore areas such as:

Fostering Social Support in the Workplace

Establishing Feedback Mechanisms

Re-examining Work Processes

Alignment of Work with Values

To reduce burnout, it's vital that organisations:

MANAGING BURNOUT

- Dr Bek Wuay Tang

People typically think that the solution to burn out lies in the individual. However to target the root cause of burnout we should be taking a top-down approach to proactively create positive work environments.

Assistant Professor of Psychology SMU School of Social Sciences

- Asst Prof Jacinth Tan

As workplaces become more multicultural, organisations must move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach, to the concept of job person fit. This is understanding how the job person fit can actually help to enhance work meaning to reduce burnout. To build a more resilient and sustainable workforce, organisations need to take a step back to tailor a better job-person fit and drop the one-size-fits-all approach.

KEY TAKEAWAYS