Maslach burnout inventory test how to#
Maslach burnout inventory test professional#

If you’re looking for a more reliable measurement to determine your burnout status - or if you find that you’re close to burnout through this activity - it’s important to consult a mental health professional or a test like the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which can be taken online for around $15 at the time of writing. The two-minute burnout checkup is a simple assessment I created to gauge how close I might be to burning out.

Maslach burnout inventory test how to#

So how to know if you’re heading toward burnout? It’s possible to track your burnout status through one easy, quick activity. The bottom line is this: The more chronic stress we face, no matter where it’s coming from, the closer we get to burning out. While burnout is traditionally defined as an occupational phenomenon, the ongoing stressors we face at home can also count toward our total level of chronic stress. The weaker our relationships and the more conflict we experience, the more likely we are to burn out.

Professional relationships contribute enormously to minimizing burnout and boosting engagement. Fairness is an important ingredient that promotes engagement and keeps cynicism at bay. The feeling that we’re treated equitably at work relative to our colleagues. The less control we have, the more likely we are to burn out. The autonomy we have over when, where, and how we do our work. Insufficient reward can make us feel ineffective, one of the core attributes of burnout. The level of reward we get from our job - including financial rewards (salary, bonuses, stock options, etc.) and social rewards (whether we’re recognized for the contributions we make). This may sound wishy-washy, but the more our work aligns with what we value, the more meaningful it feels and engaged we become. What lets us connect with our work on a deeper level. The more our workload eclipses our capacity, the more likely we are to reach the point of burnout. How sustainable the amount of work on our plate is. Maslach’s research has found that chronic stress at work usually comes from six primary sources: Workload. At work, it may come from falling behind on an endless stream of emails, ongoing conflicts with coworkers, or being buried beneath a never-ending pile of tasks. Unlike acute stress, which is temporary and akin to a tunnel we must navigate through to reach the light on the other side, chronic stress never lets up. Ultimately, there is really only one thing in our work (and life) that causes burnout: an overwhelming amount of chronic stress. To really understand what’s causing burnout, you have to dissect and pinpoint its sources. Third, burnout makes us feel ineffective, as though we’re accomplishing significantly less than usual and can’t muster the fortitude to be productive.Įxperiencing any one of these dimensions serves as a precursor to being fully burned out.We also experience a sense of disassociation from those projects and from the people around us, whether coworkers, friends, or family. Second, we feel cynical and have negative attitudes toward our projects.First, we feel exhausted and as though we have no energy to do good work.In fact, there are three core attributes of burnout: Christina Maslach, a leading burnout researcher and author of The Burnout Challenge: Managing People’s Relationships with Their Jobs, I learned that burnout goes beyond exhaustion, though that feeling is a part of it. One misconception about burnout is that it’s the same as exhaustion. Second, I’ll share a two-minute burnout checkup I created to monitor my own mental well-being and to make sure I don’t reach the point of burning out again. First, I’ll outline the basics about the signs of burnout and the aspects of our work that tend to cause it. If you’re facing a similar situation, let me share a few things I wish I had known earlier. A few years ago, deep in the throes of it, I found myself grasping for tools or frameworks to help me get to the other side.