Passion and Burnout

October 26, 2023 The Editorial Board - Teamware Solutions

Every corporate employee today uses the word ‘Passion’ and it is not an
exaggeration to even call this usage clichéd. Whenever we encounter a scenario where targets need to be met or
goals to be achieved we keep telling our team members to show more passion at work. In the current work culture
“Passion” means putting in more energy or being enthusiastic in achieving even the Impossible. Well, yes Passion in
company or team psyche is good but at the same time it can cause lot of burnouts too.

For example, feeling more passionate can lead team members to exert more energy at work and
leave them with fewer mental resources to recover from the extra-demanding day they had just experienced. This in
turn can result in these employees feeling especially burned out the next day, their energy levels so depleted that
they are unable to maintain their passion for work. It’s a vicious cycle so to say! So, is the solution to shun “Passion”
then? Definitely not since it is a critical driver for both employees’ wellbeing and team’s success. In other words, the
alternative is to control the passion rather than passion controlling your team. That means managing workloads,
monitoring emotional exhaustion, and building processes and activities that support work-life balance. Experience
and research demonstrate that prioritizing passion above all else is ineffective and harmful. Instead, managers
should adopt a longer-term mindset, focusing not just on fostering passion in the moment, but also on helping
employees maintain that passion over time.

Trivia: Did you know? The word “passion” comes from the Latin pati, which means suffering. In German, the word
for passion is Leidenschaft, which roughly translates to “the ability to endure hardship.”
Passion is often heralded as the key attribute to a fulfilling career, and yet the very origins of the word suggest that it
may contain a negative shade �� So we must take steps to protect ourselves and our teams before passion becomes
a bane!!
After particularly intense, passionate day at work, employees should be proactive about making time for emotional
recovery. This is similar to sportspersons taking a steam bath or ice baths, massages etc after an intense training
session that can prevent injuries and ensure sustained long-term performance. Many studies indicate that just one
extra day off helped employees detach from work and return with higher-than-usual levels of passion the following
workday. So be Aware and take wise decisions for the long term!! Good Luck with “Passion” ��