Recognizing Manufacturing Workplace Burnout – How to Tell and What to Do

Recognizing Manufacturing Workplace Burnout – How to Tell and What to Do

Have you ever pushed yourself beyond your on-the-job limit? Maybe somebody no-showed for days and you did the work of two people until management found a replacement. Or you worked overtime to complete and ship an order for a long-term customer’s inflexible production deadline. You overcame the obstacle, but your motivation and energy are out the window. 

Lots of people are hardwired to knuckle down on the job, but when hard work turns into overwork, fatigue and stress can compound, resulting in injuries and dips in productivity. It’s important to remind yourself that taking breaks, slowing down the pace of work, and speaking up are part of being a good worker.  

Since it’s National Safety Month, we’re giving you a friendly reminder that working safely isn’t just about the mechanics of properly lifting or avoiding slips, trips, and falls. It’s also about paying attention to yourself and knowing when it’s time to take a break.  

Here’s why checking in with your physical and mental state and speaking up is a critical part of safety culture: 

Key takeaways: 

• Burnout can have major negative impacts on worker safety, productivity, and longevity, which is bad for both workers and organizations. 

• Many people in manufacturing ignore the warning signs of stress and burnout and instead try to push through them. 

• Sustainable organizations create a culture of accountability and communication that encourages workers to speak up when they are concerned about burnout. 

What is burnout? 

Burnout can take a lot of forms, but most people aren’t aware of it until it happens firsthand. Most commonly, workers experience burnout after long periods of stressful, intense, or repetitive work, leading to a feeling of exhaustion that’s hard to shake. Here are some common symptoms of burnout: 

• Persistent fatigue or exhaustion 

• Struggles with mood or emotional regulation 

• Sleep dysfunction, either loss of sleep or oversleeping 

• Inability to focus on one task, zoning out 

More than just feeling low energy, burnout can increase your risk for traumatic injuries with one study showing that burned out workers had 3 times the risk than non-burned-out coworkers. As the National Safety Council (NSDC), puts it mental distress can “impair memory, slow reaction times, and reduce the ability to focus on tasks.” So, cases of burnout can quickly turn into real-world damage. 

What makes burnout so tricky is that many people can become acclimated to it, forcing themselves to adapt or telling themselves it’s only temporary. You’ve probably heard the excuses or maybe made one or two yourself:  

“I just need to get through this week.”  

“This is our busy season, it will slow down soon.”  

“People are counting on me, so I can’t let up yet.”  

As true as those words can feel, they are the signs that you’ve long-since hit your limit.  

What can you do about burnout?  

If you’re feeling burned out in your manufacturing job, it’s always important to act before the situation gets worse. Your wellbeing matters. Unfortunately, two of the best methods for addressing burnout are stigmatized in many workplaces.  

The first thing you can do is check in with yourself. If you find your energy is low or you’ve got a lingering issue that you keep dismissing, pay attention to the cause and start working through the six steps of burnout recovery, according to the Cleveland Clinic:  

• Admitting you’re burned out 

• Putting distance between yourself and your stressors, if possible 

• Focusing on your health 

• Re-evaluating your goals and values 

• Exploring alternative paths and opportunities 

• Taking a break and/or making a change 

In the meantime, it’s important to prioritize some self-care. Sometimes that’s investing in physical therapy, time with a personal trainer, or a massage to alleviate tension and boost your endorphins. Even simple things like taking a walk on your lunch break can provide enough mental and physical stimulation to break up a stressful day.  

For anything you can’t address through self-care, address with your manager or supervisor. It can be a tough conversation, especially when you’re already feeling overloaded. Yet having a direct, non-confrontational chat with management about your burnout prioritizes your wellbeing and helps to keep the workplace safe. If your boss is not receptive, you can point them to resources from the NSC, demonstrating how burnout can turn into negative economic, morale, and safety outcomes for their business. It may sound funny, but tailor your message to what your boss needs to hear to take action.  

If you don’t know how to start the conversation, talk to your recruiter. We can coach you on what to say and, if your employer is a client of ours, we can have discussions with them that can help reduce the burden on you. It can also be helpful to discuss these issues with your peers, particularly if you notice any symptoms of exhaustion or burnout in others. Burnout can sometimes be addressed more effectively in a group. As you talk through issues and ideas, people will feel more comfortable sharing when they feel worn down or unsafe.  

How Hughes Recruiting & Consulting approaches burnout 

Everybody gets burnout from time to time, which is why we always strive to create channels for our workers to speak up about these issues, no matter what part of the floor they work on. Our candidates are part of our community, and we’re committed to supporting them, even after they accept a full-time role.  

If you’re feeling burned out, please reach out to us. Or if you haven’t worked with us and want a new job, check out our latest opportunities below.