Burnout in Germany – Must Know

Germany is a progressive country but people suffer a lot due to work life balance issues. Burnout situations can be with anyone and dealing with symptoms timely is necessary.

According to the survey conducted with 10000 employees, 42% of international respondents had burnout symptoms in 2022. Burnout ratio in Japan is 27%, in the United States it is 41%, in France and the United Kingdom it is 48% and in Australia, 50% workers reported burnt out due to work.

Burnout Introduced

Burnout is a condition in which people suffer long term stress as they are physically and emotionally exhausted due to tough assignments, feeling overwhelmed, personal life issues, or uncooperative bosses.

As Per World Health Organisation

According to WHO, burnout is a symptom that results due to the stressful work environment, uncooperative bosses, and hectic job schedule. They defined it with three factors;

• Feeling of tiredness and being exhausted
• Mental distance from job
• Staying less efficient in work assignments

Factors Causing Burnout

Multiple factors can cause burnout. The lockdown period (during the pandemic) was the greatest reason for the burnout. Other factors include;

• Age and gender
• Continuous work or work without breaks
• Financial issues
• Inflexibility at work

Age and Gender

As per studies, young employees and women feel more burnout compared to the males and other age groups. 48% of people under age 30 felt burned out in 2022 and 44% of women felt burnout and 63% men never felt burnout in 2021.

Long Working Hours

Work life balance is very important so examine your tasks for effective time management. If your working hours are long, you cannot spend time with your family that causes mental illness.

Financial Issues

Financial issues contribute a lot towards mental health. Being a low income person, you cannot afford major expenses which lead to mental distress.

Work Flexibility

People do not get work flexibility, they feel exhausted and face burnout. 53% of international respondents claimed that their jobs are not flexible.

Burnout Symptoms

Burnout affects the quality of life and relationships. Here are the symptoms;

• Doubt in self (anxiousness and insecurity)
• Feeling trapped or defeated.
• Feelings of overwhelming.
• Feeling tired again and again even if you are not overburdened.
• Feeling drained at all times.
• Feeling alone or helpless
• Fatigue
• Having a negative outlook.
• Increase in errors and mistakes
• Insomnia
• Loss of trust towards boss or higher management.
• Reduced productivity
• Reduction in an individual’s performance
• Stress, anxiety, or depression
• Sudden poor performance even if you know how to work.
• Taking too much time than required time for things to be done.

Coping Up Burnout

According to the 2022 studies, 37% of Germans reported burnout. In May 2021, the figure was 29 %. Here are the ways to deal with burnout;

Make Schedule

Make schedule and do everything according to the plan to have a hassle-free day.

Time Management

Manage your time to avoid mental stress at your workplace.

Involvement in Physical Activities

Physical activities helps in stress management. Exercise helps to stay relax that improves mental wellbeing.

Eat and Sleep Well

Poor sleep makes you physically and mentally tired. Good diet and sleep helps to perform job efficiently. Balanced diet with all nutrients and spund sleep is essential.

Take a Break

When working on multiple projects, take a break after an interval. Get up for 5 minutes from your seat to relax.

Cognitive Methods

Cognitive behavioral therapy is used to treat burnout at early phase when symptoms are not severe.

Expert Consultation

Consulting a therapist or physiatrist alsp helps as they schedule one to one meeting or prescribe medication. Your expert will send an application to your health insurance provider who will approve counseling sessions for a decided timeframe.

If you have public health insurance, you might need to wait for weeks or months, so get an appointment within 14 days to expedite the treatment.

Time Off Work

Consult a general practitioner if you are feeling burnout who will suggest you time off work for one or two weeks. In the follow up visit, If he/she thinks that you need more rest, he/she will suggest time off for six months. It will continue until you are fully well.

After six weeks of time off, your health insurance will cover the costs of your salary as there is no upper limit for sick days. Submit your medical certificate so you employer do not fire you. Your work permit will be valid if you do not quit hob due to burnout. Otherwise, you will face issues for your residence.

Burnout Leave

It is the best way to handle stress at work. Employees can take 72 weeks paid leave to overcome burnout. Employers allow burnout leave to enjoy benefits such as;

• Health care costs
• Minimize turnover
• Reduced absenteeism

Burnout leave is an agreement between employee and employer. Depending on situation, it can start from a week and lasts to several months.

Employer’s Role in Reducing Burnout

Employers can help employees to overcome stress through;

• Appraisals and promotions.
• A good wellbeing plan.
• Complete support to manage stress.
• Effective communication.
• Education on topics such as stress management, time management, taking care of mental health, and handling multiple projects simultaneously without stress.
• Fully equipped staff and materials and supplies they need for work.
• Health and safety risk assessment.

By doing this, their business will grow due to enhanced productivity and efficiency. Employees feel less exhausted and can spend quality time with their family. According to the findings, 29% of Germans reported to have caring employers.

Cost of Treating Burnout

Contact your health insurance provider. Mostly, your public health insurance cover major expenses depending on the case and time of diagnoses.

• Early diagnosis
• Delayed diagnosis
• Late diagnosis

Early Diagnosis

The mental illness is less in early phase so it is easy to manage with 10 hours therapy in 700 Euros per employee with 5 days sick leave. Workload is also reduced for the first year up to 5%.

Delayed Diagnosis

Stress level and the mental illness is a bit high during delayed diagnoses. The cost is around 2300 Euros with 15 days sick leave. Workload is also decrease up to 25% in the first year and 10% in the first 2 to 3 years. Treatment is done with medication, psychotherapy, and specialist’s visit.

Late Diagnosis

The burnout consequences are severe in late diagnoses so the cost is around 31000 Euros along with 200 days of sick leave. Work performance decreases up to 100% during first year and 25% to 30% during 2 to 3 years. Treatment includes hospital stay, loss of work, long term medication, psychotherapy, counseling sessions, and rehabilitation.

Resigning Job

If nothing supports you to reduce burnout, you can take your final decision to quit your job as nothing is important than your health. According to the survey, 20% women resigned due to burnout and 9% people terminated their employment due to mental illness.

Your doctor or practitioner can suggest you resign but if not, you can request for a letter of recommendation to explain that your resignation is necessary due to health reasons. With recommendation letter, you can resign without three months notice (termination on the medical grounds).

Other than recommendation letter, you must show that you have tried to discuss with your employer and resignation is the last step. Make a good note of meeting with whom you shared the problem, discussed solutions, meeting time, and the conclusion.

What If Doctor is not Willing To Write Letter of Recommendation?

If your doctor is not providing recommendation letter, your insurance and pension contribution will be covered during three months notice, so register yourself with the employment agency in Germany.

Remedies If Burnout is not Due to Job

Effective Budgeting

Plan your budget efficiently, if you worry about financial issues. Use budgeting tools to plan and manage your budget and finances.

Welfare Benefits

If your income is low, get welfare support to pay your debts and bills in time.

Conclusion

Burnout is very critical both for employees and employers so employers should take care of employee’s wellbeing. Cost of treating burnout is covered by insurance provider and social benefits. If you feel symptoms, consult the doctor immediately to diagnoseandtreat it at early stage.