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Burnout is Contagious
Navigating the relational contexts of work stress
It’s the summer of 2021, and Pam is starting to recognize that the distress she has been feeling at work might be burnout. It had been festering at her workplace. As an addiction counselor who works in residential treatment, she had worked throughout the pandemic under the “essential worker” classification.
Six months into the pandemic, several of her co-workers were toasty with burnout, beginning to slack off on work responsibilities and voicing a cynical dissent to most suggestions about how to address the ongoing challenge of providing quality addiction care while also tending to health and safety.
Pam initially felt a sense of camaraderie with her fellow co-workers, but as the morale of the team tumbled, she found herself infected by their negativity. A year later, she is struggling to get up to go to work — wondering if there is any real advantage to continuing down this career path.
In reflection, Pam realized that the constant negativity of the workplace brought on a great deal of her burnout. She enjoyed her work with clients, but having to fill in the gaps with colleagues who were no longer team players began to drag her down.
During the pandemic, Pam would catch more than COVID; she would also catch burnout.
