Le bavardage au travail

Gossip at work is not only a bad habit - it could also be a sign of burnout.

Does he chatter during coffee break took an unfortunate turn? The excessive and unusual gossip could be a sign of burnout.

Gossip is one of the "five telltale signs" of burnout, according  Landmark , a personal and professional development company based in San Francisco. Frequent complaints, chronic delays, fatigue, and a drop in the quality of work are also telltale signs.

The exhausted workers often engaged in "sabotage" using gossip as destructive force, according Aimee Cohen, author of  Woman Up! Overcoming the 7 Deadly Sins That Sabotage Your Success  (Morgan James Publishing, 2014).

Sometimes gossip is simply "a means of distraction at work," says Cohen.

But gossip can also mask more serious problems. Feeling overwhelmed and unappreciated, those suffering from burnout can become unreliable - they do not respect deadlines, come to meetings unprepared and fail to reach their usual standards. While these behaviors multiply, they often begin to criticize their colleagues to divert attention, according to Cohen.

Those who know what Cohen calls "exhaustion bitterly" seek to harm others. "When someone experiences this kind of exhaustion, the person usually tries to train someone else down with it," says Cohen. She added that the target is often a colleague who has imposed difficult working conditions or who has unrealistic demands.

Gossip becomes a way of discrediting the other person.

According to the coach  Landmark Forum David Cunningham, gossip that starts from a legitimate complaint is special. It allows the person chatting to create a story in which there is a "good" and "bad".

But that kind of gossip is rarely used to improve the situation of "good". Other colleagues can acknowledge the harm of the "bad guy", but the real problem is not addressed.

"Turn your complaint in demand and will present it to the right person," advises the coach Landmark Forum Josselynne Herman-Saccio. "The endless lamentations require a lot of energy, while the queries lead to tangible results. "

Ask yourself first what complaint is the source of your discontent. Your boss requires you too much work? Your colleagues do not contribute to the work and it is you who you extra cash in workload?

"If you are overwhelmed, instead of complaining to colleagues, ask your boss to prioritize tasks and delegate some of the work," advises Cunningham.

He adds that this process often has the effect of eliminating some less important tasks.

Ultimately, you may find that you have created your own troubles. "It is possible that you yourself imposiez problems. This is what I call "the curse of competence '- you can not say no, you are always ready to lend a helping hand. We tend to overwork us men as much as women, "says Cohen.

To recover from a burnout episode of this kind, we must first clarify their career goals. According to Cohen, this step allows to refuse work that does not contribute to achieving these goals.

To regain control, make a list of work to do and missed deadlines, and create a cycle that includes each job. "It is important to its tasks on paper. They may seem insurmountable if you try to identify mentally, "says Herman-Saccio.

Burnout does not necessarily indicate that it is time to change jobs. However, if you express your concerns to the right people and the situation does not improve, it may need to explore other options.