????這是個管理層已經不再使用的術語：工作倦怠（burnout）。15年前，許多企業開始縮編，員工的工作負擔隨之增加，這個詞也流行了一陣子。而且沒過多久黑莓手機就問世了——這款設備后來被人笑稱為職場終極催命器。

????那么，為何關于工作倦怠的探討已成明日黃花？如今經濟形勢萎靡不振，大多數員工能有份工作就很滿意了，不希望抱怨，也不希望表現得缺乏激情。人人都得全心全力投入，每周7天、每天24小時隨叫隨到。

????市場研究公司Opinion Matters對多家公司的500位IT管理員進行了調查，并于4月份發布了相關報告。報告指出，72%的受調查者有壓力，67%希望改行，85%都說他們的工作已經干擾了私生活，42%曾因工作問題而失眠。工作倦怠離我們還遠嗎？

????不堪重負的豈止是IT管理員。美國勞工統計局（he U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics）2012年3月的報告顯示，盡管失業率居高不下，仍有1.8%的全職員工（即約210萬雇員）辭掉了他們在私營企業的工作，涉及行業包括建筑、制造、貿易、專業與商業服務、休閑及酒店。2009年6月以來，這個比例一直在緩慢而穩定地攀升，從中可以讀出很多事情，包括工作倦怠的逼近。

????紐約精神治療醫師、《無所畏懼：28天改變生活》（Be Fearless: Change Your Life in 28 Days）一書的作者喬納森?阿爾珀特指出，他的病人包括企業員工、媒體和金融專業人士，而幾乎所有人都“面臨著更大壓力，部分員工被解雇之后，剩下的人必須承擔更多責任、更努力地工作，同時獲得的支持卻在減少，這些都有可能誘發工作倦怠。”

????《價值觀轉變：新職場倫理及其對企業的影響》（Values-Shift: The New Work Ethic and What It Means for Business）一書作者約翰?伊佐稱：“商業氛圍變得如此激烈，充滿競爭性，企業領袖都全神貫注于競爭，要求從員工那里壓榨出盡可能多的價值，人人都工作到了自己的極限。”

????伊佐還稱，許多高管及其員工都因不斷改變的需求而疲于奔命，將每天的大多數時間用于應對最后關頭才浮現的危機。盡管競爭帶來的要求不斷升級，許多公司都不清楚應該如何給員工減壓，有很多甚至根本就不愿提起這個話題。

????倦怠與淡漠僅一步之遙

????伊佐說，那些陷入工作倦怠的員工仿佛“受了工傷”，他們仍然會來上班，但卻失去了動力，只希望安然度過一天又一天。這種淡漠的態度影響工作效率，扼殺創新，使職場彌漫著惰性。

????伊佐舉了個例子來說明自己的觀點：一位醫療保健公司的首席執行官正和董事會一起遴選新的執行副總裁，他批評一位候選人說：“不管工作日程上還有多少事情，她都堅持休滿兩周的假期”。伊佐本人當時也參加了這場會議，他說他一直等著看，是否有人會開口反對這位首席執行官的說法，但沒有一個人這么做。假期能幫助高管充電，提高工作效率。伊佐認為，這位女候選人度假之事不應該招致攻擊。

????Here's a word that managers don't use much anymore: burnout. The term was in vogue about 15 years ago when companies began to downsize and employee workload intensified. That was just before the advent of the BlackBerry, what eventually came to be known as the ultimate work leash.

????So, then, why has talking about burnout become passé? In a struggling economy, most employees are happy to have jobs and don't want to complain or appear as if they lack enthusiasm. Everyone is expected to give 100% and be available 24/7.

????A study released in April of 500 IT administrators from various firms by Opinion Matters revealed that 72% of respondents were stressed, 67% considered switching careers, 85% said their job intruded on their personal life, and 42% lost sleep over work. Can burnout be far behind?

????But it's not just IT administrators who may be stretched thin. Despite the nagging unemployment rates, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in March 2012 that 1.8% of full-time employees (around 2.1 million workers) quit their jobs in the private sector covering construction, manufacturing, trade, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality. The rate has made a slow, steady climb since June 2009, a potential sign of encroaching burnout, among many other things.

????Jonathan Alpert, a New York psychotherapist and author of Be Fearless: Change Your Life in 28 Days, says he treats corporate workers, media and finance specialists, and nearly everyone is "facing more pressure. With people laid off, people are taking on more responsibilities, working harder, having less support and that amounts to burnout."

????"The business climate has become so fiery and competitive that leaders are focused on competition and getting the most out of their people. Everyone's working to their max," explains John Izzo, author of Values-Shift: The New Work Ethic and What It Means for Business.

????Izzo says that many executives and their staffers are consumed by changing demands and spend much of their day addressing last-minute emergencies. As competitive demands escalate, many companies aren't sure exactly what to do to relieve stress, so many don't even raise the topic.

????A quick jaunt from burnout to apathy

????The employee that suffers from burnout becomes part of the "working wounded," Izzo says. They show up to work but have lost their motivation and are just trying to get through the day unscathed. That apathy reduces productivity, nullifies innovation, and creates inertia in the workplace.

????Izzo relates how a CEO of a healthcare company was selecting a new executive vice president with his board. The CEO belittled one candidate by saying, "She takes her two-week vacation no matter what's on her agenda." Izzo, who was sitting in that particular meeting, says he waited for someone to speak up and disagree with the CEO's judgment, but no one did. Vacations help an executive recharge and make them more productive; she shouldn't have been maligned for taking time off, Izzo argues.