Money worries can spill over into other dimensions of people's lives. — AFP
With symptoms including exhaustion, emotional detachment and loss of motivation, burnout is a well-known reality for many workers.
Often attributed to an excessive workload or a lack of autonomy, it could nonetheless have more insidious causes. An American study, published in the Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, points out that financial stress can have a direct impact on employees' job satisfaction.
Researchers at the University of Georgia found evidence of this after interviewing over 200 full-time United States employees.
They identified three main warning signs of burnout: depersonalisation, which translates into emotional detachment from one's work and colleagues; emotional exhaustion, which leads to a feeling of constant weariness; and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment, which leads to a loss of satisfaction in the tasks performed. All these factors contribute to an unhealthy work environment, where employees feel exhausted and disengaged.
But beyond working conditions, researchers have observed that the different dimensions of life – professional, family and financial – are closely linked.
Stress in one of these areas can have repercussions on the others."Sometimes there’s spillover from one (life domain) to the other. My finances might impact the way I’m feeling about the stress in my family, or if I’m working long hours, that might cause some conflict with my family as well," explains Camden Cusumano, doctoral candidate at the University of Georgia's College of Family and Consumer Sciences and lead author of the study, quoted in a news release.
Spillover effect
Financial well-being can have repercussions at work. In other words, money worries can spill over into someone's personal life, but also into their professional life. The stress seeps into everyday working life and gradually erodes employee motivation.
Those who feel overwhelmed by managing their personal finances are more vulnerable to burnout, and express a greater sense of dissatisfaction at work.
Cusumano points out that financial stress acts like a wound that spreads to different spheres of life. In the same way that a physical injury can cause pain in other parts of the body, financial stress eventually takes its toll on working life, impacting employees' well-being.
While financial stress can be a daily burden, it is possible to limit its effects.Understanding and anticipating your finances is an essential first step to regaining a certain serenity. Drawing up a detailed budget, consulting experts such as bankers or financial advisors, or developing more robust financial literacy can all help better manage these concerns and reduce the impact of financial stress on other life domains.
Companies also have a key role to play. By offering support in financial management or highlighting the economic benefits of long-term employment, they can help improve employee satisfaction and commitment.
Some organisations are already taking into account the influence of personal finances on overall well-being and are implementing initiatives to help their employees better manage these aspects of their lives.
At a time when mental health in the workplace is becoming a major issue, it seems essential to no longer overlook the impact of personal finances on job satisfaction.Taking better account of this reality could well be one of the keys to fostering a more serene and motivating work environment. – AFP Relaxnews
