Almost a third of working people in Switzerland feel exhausted. And we're not talking about short-term tiredness or a lack of energy, but a persistent state of emotional exhaustion. That is the takeaway from the Job Stress Index, a survey conducted by Health Promotion Switzerland in collaboration with the University of Bern and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW).

For ten years now, the survey has been tracking the impact of everyday working life on mental health. One of the indicators it measures is emotional exhaustion, and one trend immediately leaps out of the data: the red line denoting exhaustion has been on a constant uptrend since 2015.

Imbalance between resources and strains

But what exactly is emotional exhaustion? In simple terms, it is where you have a persistent imbalance between the resources and strains in a job. Resources are positive elements within the working day; for example, someone who feels appreciated for the work they do and is able to ask for support in stressful situations builds up their resources through these experiences. Conversely, strains such as deadline pressure, stress or a consistently high workload deplete someone's reserves. If these strains cannot be balanced out by means of the available resources over an extended period, emotional exhaustion will sooner or later be the result.

There are many reasons why such an imbalance can come about. One is the pace of work: 59% of respondents to a study by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) described the pace of work in Switzerland as fast or very fast. This figure is significantly higher than in other European countries.

The pace of work goes hand in hand with deadline pressure, which again more than half of respondents said they experienced and found a strain often or all the time. Consequently, over a third of respondents said they were unable to complete the required work during working hours and ended up working in the evenings or at weekends. This eats into free time, which ought to be an opportunity to relax and hence to rebuild one's resources.

Difficulties switching off after work

It can be particularly hard for people who work a lot from home and lack physical separation between their professional and private lives to strike a healthy balance between the two. This in turn affects quality of sleep: if thoughts about work are swimming around your head at bedtime, it will take longer to drop off, meaning you won't sleep as deeply or for as long. And of course good sleep is tremendously important in dealing with stress and maintaining good mental health.

A big problem with exhaustion is that there are so many contributing factors. While work is often the root cause, strains do not only come from the professional sphere. The issues of free time and sleep quality we touched on above can be compounded by worries about the state of the world, be that war in Europe, the climate crisis or the high cost of living. This all affects how able we are to unwind and how high our own personal stress tolerance is.

Take prompt action

The fact that so many factors can contribute to emotional exhaustion makes it all the more important to nip problems in the bud. It is only by acting swiftly that you can prevent serious consequences such as burnout or stress-related cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure and cardiac arrhythmia.

What should you do if you notice the early signs of exhaustion?

• Speak to someone you trust. Whether you confide in your GP, a psychologist or a friend, simply getting your problems off your chest can often make you feel better right away. Talking honestly and openly is also the first step towards making improvements: friends can provide support in everyday life or take on certain tasks, while professionals can help you develop tangible strategies.
• Build periods of relaxation into your routine and make sure you respect them. Try as far as possible to maintain a separation between work and home, and at the end of a long day look to unwind with hobbies or by spending quality time with family or friends. Make sleep more of a priority and ensure you are getting seven to eight hours a night. If you don't get enough sleep, your concentration and performance will suffer the next day. You'll also become irritated faster, increasing the potential for conflict in your professional or personal life.
• Routines are your friend: having a structure to the day helps you to make time for breaks and relaxation. Consciously finishing the working day with some kind of regular habit also helps delineate work from your free time.
• Exercising allows you to switch off, whether you opt for running, yoga or boxing. The physical exertion releases endorphins, promotes good circulation and restores your energy.

Potential warning signs for burnout

Of course, everyone's stress tolerance is different, meaning that people react to challenging periods in their own way. You should therefore look out in particular for patterns of behaviour that are out of character for you. Feedback from family or friends could also help you recognise changes in yourself.

• Even after hours, work is dominating your life and you are increasingly neglecting family, friends or other social connections. Personal values and needs may also be taking a back seat.
• Your productivity is suffering, and you frequently feel overwhelmed, anxious or agitated. Forgetfulness and lack of concentration can also be signs that your body needs a break.
• Your quality of sleep is suffering, and you feel generally less effective and are ill more often.

 
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) lists further signs of burnout in this guide (available in German, French and Italian only).

Prevention management with SWICA

A healthy workforce is essential for any business to succeed. That is why SWICA helps companies of all sizes across all industries to bring in and maintain health promotion measures in the workplace. The specialists in our Prevention Management department assess where you are today, formulate suitable improvement plans and help you to implement these into everyday working life. You can find more information on this topic here.