Competition is a constant factor in the equation of workplace culture. It is the secret motivation that drives employees to excel and bring in more contributions to the organisation. But sometimes this competitive culture can lead to feelings of incompetence, physical and emotional fatigue and lack of achievement — resulting in a debilitating state we call burnout. Burnouts can jeopardise long-term career prospects and are attributed to causing hypertension, insomnia, depression and relationship problems.

While burnouts may sound like a problem only for the employees, they aren't. The impact of employee burnout can be pretty damaging on organisations. Burnout can result in lower productivity, engagement and turnover as well as higher absenteeism. Thus, the issue of employee burnout needs serious attention from both employees and employers.

There will always be competition to keep you on your toes — no matter where your career leads you. But this competition doesn't have to be the source of self-doubt and stress. Let us discover ways to manage stressors that can cause burnout so you can achieve sustainable career success, fair and square.

Set well-defined goals for yourself

Working in a competitive setting can be challenging. You may often feel like your coworkers are moving too fast, which can be unnerving at times. But if you continue contending with others, the only outcome is you sitting at your work desk with furrowed brows, feeling absolutely burned out. Remember to fight the temptation to go head-to-head with others when it comes to vain goals such as bids for recognition. Stay focused on your long-term objectives instead.

Don't view your work as a zero-sum game and your coworkers as obstacles to advancement. Their promotion or success doesn't necessarily mean that you're doomed to fail. If you constantly strive to better yourself and build skills that make you indispensable, you'll reach your ultimate goals without going through the searing experience of burnout. Whenever you feel overextended, remind yourself to take on challenges — and only those challenges — that align with your goals.

Build better relationships with coworkers

Developing strong interpersonal relationships with colleagues can help you ward off burnout and feel connected and engaged in your work. Working side-by-side with coworkers can you make a trustworthy member of the organisation. Praise others, accept constructive criticism, deliver on commitments and collaborate well.

Use the person you measure yourself against — your comparative other — as a source of inspiration. If comparison makes you feel insecure, shift your perspective and learn from what others are doing right, for some tips may be applicable to you. Better relationships will enable you to open up to coworkers who are being overly competitive and hurting team morale. Such frank communication may be all it takes to kick hyper-competitiveness to the curb.

Prioritise self-care

Focusing on unrelenting work culture, intense time pressure or simply having too much to do can sometimes erode your sense of self - to the point where you neglect your health and lose direction in life. The best solution to such bouts of burnout is time away from work. Take it down a notch by prioritising good sleep habits, nutrition, exercise and social connections. These habits will allow your body and mind to rejuvenate and your productivity to flourish.

Also, engage in practices that promote equanimity and well-being, like journaling, meditating and travelling. If you can't squeeze such activities into your jam-packed schedule, give yourself some time to assess exactly how you're spending your time. This will help you limit spending time on tasks that aren't important or put you in a negative mood, and make space for things that replenish your energy.

Establish frequent contact with employees

Finally, we'd be remiss not to mention what company leaders can do to prevent employee burnout. In this context, holding regular meetings may help, as frequent, informal check-ins with managers often keep employees engaged and motivated. At the beginning of these meetings, managers can take a few minutes to ask the employees how they are doing and how they feel about their roles. Then converse with them about any work-related problem they might be encountering and any assistance they might be in need of.

Moreover, managers shouldn't forget to publicly recognise each employee for the contribution he or she has made in the preceding weeks. Establishing a cadence of meetings for this purpose fosters relationships, improves communication and translates into better job performance.

Don't add extra stress to an already intense workload

Company leaders bear the responsibility for fending off employee burnout because they control the employees' workload. They should keep the lines of communication open with employees and include them in any decision that is relevant to the work. Managers can set individual, work-related goals for employees at the beginning of each quarter, which can help gauge how employees are performing. On top of that, having clear goals help employees complete their work while factoring in their time off.

Managers also need to delegate tasks appropriately and reasonably. If an employee has a major deliverable due, others may be considered to pitch in for the short term. Most importantly, under no circumstances should managers pit employees against one another. They should instead encourage competition as a route to developing skills, staying motivated and reaching shared goals. Competition should not be used to cultivate workplace toxicity.

Competition is a Capital-T Truth of work life. Who doesn't feel stretched thin at the end of a busy day? Who doesn't find previously enjoyable tasks arduous at times? When heavy workloads and tight deadlines push you to burnout, consider it a serious problem. Burnouts affect not just your own performance and well-being — both on and off the job — but that of your organisation as well. Burnouts can often feel insurmountable, but it doesn't have to be a life sentence. Hopefully, implementing the strategies suggested above will help you face new challenges in a happier and healthier way.