Preventing Burnout In Childcare Jobs

By Author: Tom Shieh
Total Articles: 16
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Like any job, there comes a point in time when lethargy sets in with boredom at the everyday rote tasks. In some cases, job burnout appears and there is no more energy to do the tasks on hand. Job burnout has been a phenomena in the workplace since there were jobs. Only lately has this been addressed as an issue and steps have been taken to detect and diagnose this potential problem.

Though job burnout has been seen even in childcare jobs, it has not been properly addressed and this has caused problems with the person or staff concerned. A layman would think that losing interest in childcare jobs should not happen due to the diversity of tasks and things to do around children. However, in a society which places a premium on how much a person earns rather than his contribution to society, it is not uncommon for daycare workers to have low self-esteem outside of the workplace.

Some symptoms of burnout include: unexplained anger or frustration; lingering feeling of emptiness; low self-esteem; persistent aches, pains or physical ailment. Some contributing factors which can lead to burnout include ...
... work stress, low job satisfaction, low income or earnings, lack of training, lack of a personal or professional support network. It is ironic that burnout occurs when the main requirement for childcare jobs is a caring attitude towards children. Unfortunately, since the individual's emphasis is to provide care to others, it is easy to forget about caring for one's self.

Burnout manifests itself in a lot of ways. This can be seen in apathy, ennui and lethargy in the workplace. There is also a loss of focus and concentration on the work at hand. Headaches and migraines are also common symptoms along with body aches and pains which do not seem to disappear. In most instances, the childcare provider starts thinking of leaving the center and trying to find a different job.

This is one problem which doesn't happen overnight. It usually starts slowly, and it is not easily noticed as well. It can begin with small aches and pains, or it can begin with a person smiling less and less. When a person's smile become forced, it becomes harder and harder to find a reason to smile or be happy about. Other times it becomes a lot harder to get out of bed and go to work. Motivation to work also becomes harder to come by.

Detecting possible job burnout is just the first step. It is necessary to address this issue in order to keep the daycare staff happy, contented and willing to stay working for the center. One possible solution to this problem is for the staff to allot some time for herself. The daycare staff should also take care of herself by setting aside time for something she enjoys doing. This could be a hobby, gym time, yoga, exercise, or gardening. This would allow the staff member to refocus energies and to have some form of time out from the daily stress of caring for children. For more information on how to keep people working in their daycare jobs, visit OwnADaycare.com.

Tom is a freelance writer from Colorado, having a diverse background which has allowed him to be an expert on a number of different subject matters. He has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, M.S. in Telecommunications, and runs and operates hundreds of sites. For a national database of Daycare Jobs, preschool jobs and Child Care Jobs, please feel free to visit www.OwnADaycare.com/jobs to search for a job in your city and state.