Beyond Burnout

Professionals from many sectors these days are talking about burnout and toxicity in the workplace.  There are a number of related concepts that seem to be increasingly common in the workplace, these include:  bullying, mobbing, and moral injury.

Common to all of these experiences is the harm to emotional well being, and the related harm to physical, relational, and even economic well being (such as being demoted, fired or just quitting).  So what are these concepts and how are they different from each other?

✳️ Workplace Bullying–consists of repeated harmful mistreatment that can be verbal or, physical as well as non verbal behaviors that threaten, intimidate, or humiliate.  It can also include work interference or sabotage.

✳️ Workplace Mobbing–is instigated by a bully but is executed by a team of colleagues.  It essentially involves character assassination by collective harassment and humiliation as well as isolation of the target through malicious gossip and rumors as well as stonewalling and ignoring.

Important differences between these two forms of harassment are that bullying is typically more overt and aggressive and it is executed by a single perpetrator. In contrast, mobbing is insidious and executed by a group.  Both can be debilitating and cause tremendous emotional and physical pain to the target.

✳️ Moral Injury–is the damage that occurs when you perpetrate, witness, or fail to prevent acts that result in intense human suffering and these actions or inactions violate your strongly held values, ethics or beliefs.  Moral injury was first identified in military personnel for whom PTSD did not capture the full extent of their spiritual/existential angst.  It has now been documented to occur across numerous other professional groups.

Research has demonstrated that individuals who suffer from moral injury sustain not only emotional/psychological blows, but the harm also touches them at a spiritual or existential level.

If you have experienced moral injury it is important to seek support that aligns with your faith practice/value systems. More traditional psychological interventions may not be sufficient to address the depth of injury you have experienced.

✳️ The most important take away is that if you are experiencing burnout and/or have suffered bullying, mobbing, or moral injury, reach out for help.  Embark on a path to healing and renewal so you can continue to make a difference in your professional life while also experiencing joy in your personal life.