Stress and Workers’ Compensation
Employee burnout can develop from exposure to chronic stress in the workplace. When serious work-related health issues develop while employed for a Delaware company, an employee may file a claim for workers’ compensation.
The World Health Organization classified burnout as a legitimate health condition. As reported by Forbes magazine, the WHO defined burnout as characterized by a reduction in an employee’s efficiency, negativity toward the job and feelings of exhaustion.
Research demonstrates the primary cause of employee burnout
According to research conducted by Gallup, employees experiencing frequent burnout have a 23% greater chance of an ER visit. Constant burnout increases the likelihood of taking a day off for an illness by 63%.
Based on Gallup’s study, the primary cause of employee burnout is poor managerial behavior. Demonstrating favoritism, assigning unmanageable workloads and failing to communicate clearly stood out as the top three managerial factors causing employee burnout.
Burnout over time can lead to injuries or accidents
When employees experience repeated bouts of exhaustion from carrying out their regular work duties, an accident or injury could occur. Workers performing repetitive tasks, such as continuous typing or heavy lifting, for example, may begin to feel pain or pressure on their joints, muscles or tendons.
By ignoring the symptoms, an employee may not recognize the beginning stages of a potentially harmful condition. The continuous stress or overexertion may eventually require an employee to seek medical attention.
Employees have a legal right to medical treatment for work-related health issues
Employees may not attend to work-related health issues because of a lack of sick pay or vacation time. When an injury or illness requires recovery, however, the loss of income can have a negative effect on an entire household.
If an individual sustains harm while on the job, he or she may file a claim for benefits through his or her employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. The application does not require proof that an employee did everything possible to prevent the accident or injury.